The Guitar Scales Quick Start Guide is a great primer to learn the basics about guitar scales.
If you're looking for the cheat sheet showing all the scale patterns you need for the key of G, you'll find it on page 12 of the Guide. I'd recommend printing that page (or the whole guide) for easy reference.
I hope the Guide is useful to you, and serves as the first stepping stone to opening your eyes to how the fretboard works. There's much more to be discovered, and when you're ready to take that next step, I invite you to checkout my Guitar Scale Patterns course.
If you have questions about anything in the Guide, please use the comments section below and I'll do my best to answer.
Download Instructions:
Right click on the button below, and select Save As, or your browser's equivalent. If you left click on the button, it will load the guide in the current window.
What about the 4,6,11 frets. Because there are no notes in the key of G on these frets, they are skiped.
Hi Neal, it’s not necessary for a key to have a note on every fret. There will be frets in every key that are “unused” so to speak, but that’s just a byproduct of how the fretboard works. For the same reason, there is at least one fret in every key that is used on all six strings. It seems like an anomaly, but it really means little beyond pointing to the design of the fretboard. That said, there are two notes (F# and B) on the 4th fret in the key of G major, you’ll see them in the center diagram of the cheatsheet.
thank you so much it will be very helpful
Hi Jonathan, many thanks for your professional approach of the guitar.
Absolutely perfect and complete.
jonathan,
Why not the “actual” concept of modes; Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do, and the formula for each of the 7 modes? I don’t get all this 1/2 concept stuff, then regardless of “Key”, each mode could be applied. That’s right, MODES are Scale Patterns (intervals) that were all learned in kindergarten, The KEY is Your Starting root note:
W=Whole tone, 2 frets H=Semi-Tone, 1 Fret
Do: Ionian (Major Scale)
Root-w-w-h-w-w-h(root)
Re: Dorian ( Mother of Pentatonic)
Root-w-h-w-w-w-h-w(root)
Mi: Phrygian ( Plays well w/ Ionian mode substitute for sad, minor “Aolian mode or “La”)
Root-h-w-w-w-h-w-w(root)
Fa: Lydian (Jazzy major/minor chords, opposite of Ionian “Do”) Root-w-w-w-h-w-w-h(root)
So: Mixolydian (Major feel with minor intervals, counters to Ionian “Do”)
Root-w-w-h-w-w-h-w(root)
La: Aeolin (Minor Key, Blues, Sadness)
Root-w-h-w-w-h-w-w(root)
Ti: Locrian ( Theoretical Mode, Unworkable, Very Few Songs in this mode, it completes the Mathematical Equation of Pitch)
Root-h-w-w-h-w-w-w(root)
Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti; next octave Do
Rock On
Yes, that’s basically what I teach in the course.
Hola Maestro eres un músico Cósmico y te agradezco mucho por
GuÃa de inicio rápido de escalas para guitarra
Te saludo desde La Mitad del Mundo
——-
Hi Master, you are a Cosmic musician and I thank you very much for Quick start guide for guitar scales.
I greet you from the Middle of the World
Hola Maestro eres un músico Cósmico y te agradezco mucho por
GuÃa de inicio rápido de escalas para guitarra
Te saludo desde La Mitad del Mundo
Thanks for the reminder.
I hope you will get back to me.Lost me from the start.You do not define what the different colors on the strings mean.You assume a lot of things that I do not know.
Hi Andy, I just had a look in the Quick Start Guide, and on page 8 it says the red notes indicate root notes. The solid notes are from the pentatonic scale, and the hollow ones are the additional notes needed to make the diatonic scale. I see I didn’t mention that part in the Guide, so I’ll go add that. Thanks! Nevertheless, if you play all the notes indicated – regardless of color – then it is consistent with the diatonic scale that is being discussed.
have been playing lead and rythem for a long time Im checking out your site to see if you can help me be a better lead player like what I see so far thank you
Thanks I only know how to play rythym guitar and a couple of blues scales would like to learn more scales
I am so lost
I want to thank you for the help that you have given me. It is a lot of help for a man that is 83 and don’t know much. Have a great day and i will try to sink some of this good info into my hard head. Thank you very much.
Download STILL does not work.
Hi John, I just tested the link and it works fine on my end?
I have tried to save this ,but it goes to face book. How do I save it so I can use it
I have clicked the left button and it goes to fb and the right button goes to twicer. I need to bownload it to my phone. Tell me how to do that please
Use the big green Download The Guide button…