From: letostak@netcom.com (Judy Letostak)
Subject: Scales/Solo Ideas
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 21:31:16 -0700 (PDT)
Scale thingys
letostak@netcom.com (Judy Letostak)
Here are the 5 positions of the major scale, I know that this has been
touched on before in other lessons, but for those who missed it, here it
is again. The r means root note, and these scales are in the key of G
major, actually, most of the stuff here is in Gmajor, but can be
put in a different key, honest!
|--------------------------------------------2--3--5----------------------|
|--------------------------------------3--5-------------------------------|
|-----------------------------2--4--5-------------------------------------|
|--------------------2--4--5----------------------------------------------|
|-----------2--3--5-------------------------------------------------------|
|--2--3--5----------------------------------------------------------------|
r
|--------------------------------------------5--7--8----------------------|
|-----------------------------------5--7--8-------------------------------|
|--------------------------4--5--7----------------------------------------|
|-----------------4--5--7-------------------------------------------------|
|-----------5--7----------------------------------------------------------|
|--5--7--8----------------------------------------------------------------|
r
|-----------------------------------------------7--8--10------------------|
|-------------------------------------7--8--10----------------------------|
|-------------------------------7--9--------------------------------------|
|---------------------7--9--10--------------------------------------------|
|-----------7--9--10------------------------------------------------------|
|-7--8--10----------------------------------------------------------------|
r
|-------------------------------------------------------10--12------------|
|-------------------------------------------10--12--13--------------------|
|--------------------------------9--11--12--------------------------------|
|---------------------9--10--12-------------------------------------------|
|----------9--10--12------------------------------------------------------|
|--10--12-----------------------------------------------------------------|
r
|----------------------------------------------------------12--14--15-----|
|----------------------------------------------12--13--15-----------------|
|----------------------------------11--12--14-----------------------------|
|--------------------------12--14-----------------------------------------|
|--------------12--14--15-------------------------------------------------|
|--12--14--15-------------------------------------------------------------|
r
It's also a good idea to learn the scales so they connect up the fretboard.
This is beneficial to go from the low to high frets or vice versa.
Here's one example. This is just a cheesy way to go from the first
position to the last smoothly. Hammer-ons and pull-offs can be incorporated
to make a legato sound. Check out Alex Scholnick's work on the last
Testament album, The Legacy, he plays some beautiful legato runs on
that album.
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------2--4--5--7--5--4--------------------5--7--9---
|-------------------2--4--5--------------------7--5--4--5--7--9------------
|----------2--3--5---------------------------------------------------------
|-2--3--5------------------------------------------------------------------
------------7--8--10--------------10--12--14/15~--|
--7--8--10------------10--12--13------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
It's also a good idea to learn the scales up and down one string. It
gives you a different approach, than just box scale patterns. This will
allow you to see the scales all over the neck, and to learn the notes,
rather than just positions.
1 2 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 etc
|--0--2--3--5--7--8--10--12--14--15--17--19--20--22------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------22--20--19--17--15--13
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--12--10--8--7--5--3--1--0-------------------------------------------------
----------------------------0--2--4--5--7--9--10--11--12--14--16--17--19---
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--21-----------------------------------------------------------------------
------22--21--19--17--16--14--12--10--9--7--5--4--2--0---------------------
--------------------------------------------------------0--2--3--5--7--9---
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--10--12--14--15--17--19--21-----------------------------------------------
------------------------------22--20--19--17--15--14--12--10--8--7--5--3---
---------|
---------|
---------| do this the opposite way, starting down on the high E string.
---------| Do this for all scales.
---------|
--2--0---|
You can do a variation of the above using two strings instead of one.
Do this will all strings, then try just three strings, then just four. This
exercise will show you little scale patterns, and how they connect, and
make it easier to switch postitions using the high strings.
|-----------0--2--3-----------5--7--8------------7--8--10--------------12--
|--0--1--3-----------5--7--8-----------7--8--10------------12--13--15------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--14--15--------------17--19--20---|
----------17--19--20---------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
Another good excersise is to tape a progression, play it a few times, on the
tape, then play over it. Limit yourself to only 4 notes. The first time
through, just play notes only picking them. The next time, just using
hammer-ons, then just pull-offs. Then try bending the notes, then using
vibrato on all notes. By using only 4 notes, you have to pay attention
to what you're playing, and making the notes mean something. (Not getting
down on playing fast, I'm guilty of that a lot), but this will help you
on quality rather than quantity. But only use 4 notes, no octaves, just
the same 4 notes. About 3 minutes should do, do this for all keys.
Every guitarist has some 'pet licks', things that you can pull off even
on your worst nights. Everyone does this, you can't expect to improvise
everything, and have it sound magical, it just doesn't happen. Everyone
has an off night, we're only human after all.
This is a simple run, This is one of the things I can pull off no matter
how long it's been since I've played last, I think I could do it asleep :)
BTW, play it fast, it's meant to impress.
|----------------------------------------------10h12----10----------------|
|----------------------------------10--12--13--------13-----13--12--10~~--|
|-----------------------9--14--12-----------------------------------------|
|------------9--10--12----------------------------------------------------|
|-9--10--12---------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Here's one my teacher showed me, it's meant to impress an audience (non
guitar playing people), it's really cheesy, but it looks good. It's just
a pattern, easy to remember, and easy to play fast. But don't over do it :)
|-----------------------------------------------------------------7--8--10-|
|-------------------------------------------------------7--8--10-----------|
|----------2--4--5-----------4--5--7-----------5--7--9---------------------|
|-2--4--5-----------4--5--7-----------5--7--9------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Here's another
|-17--15--14--------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------17--15--13--------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------14--12--11--------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------14--12--10--------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------14--12--10--------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------14--12--10--|
Here's one in Aminor, that I got (and slightly modified to suit me) from
Yngwie Malmsteen's instructional video.
|-------------13--15--17--15--13--------------------------12--13--15--13---
|-13--15--17----------------------17--15--13--12--13--15-------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--12--------------------------10--12--13--12--10---------------------------
------15--13--12--10--12--13----------------------13--12--10---------------
--------------------------------------------------------------12--10--9----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------10--12---
------------------------------------------------------10--12--13-----------
-------------------------------------------9--10--12-----------------------
--12--10--9---------------------9--10--12----------------------------------
-------------12--10--8--10--12---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--13--12--10--------------------------12--13--15--13--12-------------------
--------------13--12--10--12--13--15----------------------15--13--12--13---
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------13--15--17~---|
--15--17----------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
Yngwie did this in A harmonic minor, but as you can tell from my last
(beyond power chords) post that I don't do much dark metal type writing, so
I don't use harmonic minor very much, and he stopped on the G on the A
string on the descending scale run. I kept going back up and repeated
the pattern in the begining, but instead of descending, I ascended up
the pattern.
Something else I'd like to stress, most of these licks are just for speed,
plain and simple, but it's nice to incorporate melody as well. I don't
know how to write something about how to play melodies, I guess it's just
in the ear, coming up with a melody for a song, you can use fast scale
runs as embellishment for these melodies. When doing a solo, try to
improvise a melody, I listen to singers, you know they're not going to
shred up or down a scale for a vocal melody, it would sound strange, not
to mention the audience would give her/him a strange look :) I would.
The guitarist from Fates Warning plays nice melodies in his solos, he
knows how to kick back and let it flow, so does Ronnie (I can't remember
his last name) from TNT. He can shred, but only does it sometimes, he's
got good chops and a good sense of melody, as does Alex Skolnick sp?
he's got a wide variety of influences to grab from, it helps. I guess the
closest I can get to explaining this is the taping chord progressions, and
improvising only 4 notes. This will help to be choosy with notes and what
you do with them, rather than blowing your wad in the first 3 seconds of
a solo :) (I love that term).
That's it for me now, I'm at work, and don't have my guitar, (my boss would
get rather irate), so I'll work on something else for next time. Please
if you have any comments, suggestions or corrections, please feel free to
email me, letostak@netcom.com or if you live in San Diego, CA my BBS
The Music Shop (619)423-4970 (hey, it's free advertising). One last thing
if anyone is an expert on the modes, maybe you could help me out with them,
I don't understand how to apply them. I know what they are, and how they're
formed, based on scale degrees, but don't know how to use them in a musical
situation, any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Judy Letostak
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