At the start learning to play guitar can be particularly intimidating. You not just have to learn how to play chords but you also have to learn scales so as to be a respectable guitarist.
And those first few chords can be hard. Your hand doesn't go into the positions required very naturally. It requires practicing and time to build the muscle memory to be in a position to get your fingers into those chord positions. But over a period you can do it. It just takes a bit of persistance.
For many , learning scales is a bit simpler. You are mainly coping with one finger on one place on the guitar fretboard, so it is a bit better to do. And when you know a few scales you can start playing along along with some of your fave blues or folk songs.
So learning scales is a neat place to start learning guitar and get your fingers in shape at the very same time. Until you've got some calluses on the end of your fingers it's going to be hard to hold down those strings. And the only real way to get those calluses is to play that guitar. You know what they say... No pain no gain!
Scales Are Essentially Pretty Easy - It Is Actually About Shapes
Learning scales to the point where you are decent at it isn't that tough. There are "shapes" on that fretboard that you follow to know where to play the notes of any particular key. And after you learn these shapes you can just move your hand horizontally on the guitar neck to play the scale in different keys. It's really kind of cool how it works.
And there's different shapes for different scales. A major scale and a minor scale have different shapes... But only slightly. It's actually something you can pick up fast. A major scale "shape" and a minor scale "shape" for the same key are really precisely the same. They're just played on different parts of the neck. Once you have learned one you've learned them all.
What's The Best Way To Learn These Shapes
Once you see the shape it's pretty easy to understand. Describing them with words is more complicated. When you see a diagram of the shape, or better, watch an mpeg of someone playing the shape, it's something you will pick up quickly and always remember.
And again these shapes can be applied to about any sort of music. They are employed in rock and roll, country music, and blues music all of the time. In fact a blues guitar scale is nearly exactly the same as a heavy metal scale that might be played in a punk rock band. That's the reason why you see many older punk rockers getting into the blues later on in life. They begin to realize that the music is extraordinarily similar. It's just a matter of attitude... And perhaps a little volume.
And there's something called a pentatonic scale that's even simpler. It's called pentatonic because there's only 5 notes in the scale (penta means 5). You don't have to use as many fingers in the scale and it's pretty quick to pickup (no pun intended). And these pentatonic minor and major scales are the base for rock, blues, country, death metal, funk, and almost every kind of preferred music.
So get going learning those scales and start having some fun with whatever type of music you like. Take a look at my website where I have some free guitar tuition and show you those shapes.
And those first few chords can be hard. Your hand doesn't go into the positions required very naturally. It requires practicing and time to build the muscle memory to be in a position to get your fingers into those chord positions. But over a period you can do it. It just takes a bit of persistance.
For many , learning scales is a bit simpler. You are mainly coping with one finger on one place on the guitar fretboard, so it is a bit better to do. And when you know a few scales you can start playing along along with some of your fave blues or folk songs.
So learning scales is a neat place to start learning guitar and get your fingers in shape at the very same time. Until you've got some calluses on the end of your fingers it's going to be hard to hold down those strings. And the only real way to get those calluses is to play that guitar. You know what they say... No pain no gain!
Scales Are Essentially Pretty Easy - It Is Actually About Shapes
Learning scales to the point where you are decent at it isn't that tough. There are "shapes" on that fretboard that you follow to know where to play the notes of any particular key. And after you learn these shapes you can just move your hand horizontally on the guitar neck to play the scale in different keys. It's really kind of cool how it works.
And there's different shapes for different scales. A major scale and a minor scale have different shapes... But only slightly. It's actually something you can pick up fast. A major scale "shape" and a minor scale "shape" for the same key are really precisely the same. They're just played on different parts of the neck. Once you have learned one you've learned them all.
What's The Best Way To Learn These Shapes
Once you see the shape it's pretty easy to understand. Describing them with words is more complicated. When you see a diagram of the shape, or better, watch an mpeg of someone playing the shape, it's something you will pick up quickly and always remember.
And again these shapes can be applied to about any sort of music. They are employed in rock and roll, country music, and blues music all of the time. In fact a blues guitar scale is nearly exactly the same as a heavy metal scale that might be played in a punk rock band. That's the reason why you see many older punk rockers getting into the blues later on in life. They begin to realize that the music is extraordinarily similar. It's just a matter of attitude... And perhaps a little volume.
And there's something called a pentatonic scale that's even simpler. It's called pentatonic because there's only 5 notes in the scale (penta means 5). You don't have to use as many fingers in the scale and it's pretty quick to pickup (no pun intended). And these pentatonic minor and major scales are the base for rock, blues, country, death metal, funk, and almost every kind of preferred music.
So get going learning those scales and start having some fun with whatever type of music you like. Take a look at my website where I have some free guitar tuition and show you those shapes.
About the Author:
Rick Honeyboy Hart has played the guitar for many years and is a seasoned blues guitar strummer. He's played in several bands over the years and now helps others learn blues guitar scales on his website www.BluesGuitarInsider.com
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