Guitar Scales – Do You Need Them?
When you are taught guitar scales on the internet or off what you are basically doing is finding out how to play the different individual musical notes on the instrument. In scales on the guitar you play one note at a time, playing chords where you will hold down several different strings several notes at once.
A scale is made up of 8 notes which together are called an octave plus the 9th note which is the same as the first but one octave higher. You may have heard these sung as doh-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-doh. This is known as a major scale. You will also learn chromatic scales which are a little different.
The best way to practice guitar scales is to do a little each day. For example you could start your practice or learning session with a couple of scales to get your fingers warmed up. Then move on to chords and songs.
Learning how to play guitar online is great because you have your teacher there with you all of the time. You can follow along with all of the exercises and you will hear when you have it right or wrong comparing to the online recording. Some sites have ‘jam sessions’ that you can download and play along with. A good online course in how to play guitar will include major and chromatic scales.
Guitar scales are useful for all guitarists but if you plan to learn classical acoustic guitar, they are even more important. You will find that at first, it takes some getting used to. Finding each note and moving from one to the next can be slow and awkward when you are new to it.
The good news is that with a little practice, scales will soon become much easier. Your hands will start to know without thinking where to find the notes and your fingers will get to be more supple and comfortable with the fret bar. So do not worry if you make mistakes at first. Just a little practice of your scales every day and you will very soon see progress. Get some help by signing up for our free acoustic guitar lessons, give yourself time to learn this awesome new skill, and continue playing guitar scales!
