At the start learning to play guitar can be very intimidating. You not only have to learn how to play chords but you also need to learn scales so as to be a decent guitarist.
And those first few chords can be hard. Your hand does not go into the positions needed naturally. It needs perseverance and time to build the muscle memory to be able to get your hands and fingers into those chord positions. But over a period you can do it. It just takes a bit of perseverance.
For many , learning scales is a bit simpler. You are mainly dealing with one finger on one place on the guitar fretboard, so it is a bit simpler to do. And when you know 1 or 2 scales you can start jamming together with some of your favourite rhythm and blues or rock and roll songs.
So learning scales is a good place to start learning guitar and get your fingers in shape at the exact same time. Until you have some calluses on the end of your fingers it's going to be tough to hold down those strings. And the only possible way to get those calluses is to play a lot. You know what they say... No pain no gain!
Scales Are Really Fairly Easy - It Is About Shapes
Learning scales to the point at which you are decent at it is not that tough. There are "shapes" on that fretboard that you follow to understand where to play the notes of any specific key. And once you learn these shapes you can just adjust your hand horizontally on the neck to play the scale in different keys. It's really kind of cool how it functions.
And there's different shapes for different scales. A major scale and a minor scale have different shapes... But only a little. It's basically something that you can pick up swiftly. A major scale "shape" and a minor scale "shape" for the same key are essentially exactly the same. They are just played on different parts of the neck. Once you have learned one you have learned them all.
What's The Best Way To Learn These Shapes
After you see the shape it's pretty simple to comprehend. Describing them with words is rather more tricky. When you see a diagram of the shape, or better, watch a video of someone playing the shape, it's something you will pick up quickly and never forget.
And again these shapes can be applied to nearly any kind of music. They're employed in rock and roll, country music, and blues music all of the time. In fact a blues guitar scale is nearly the same as a heavy metal scale that could be played in a punk music band. That's the reason why you see many older punk rockers getting into the blues later in life. They begin to understand that the music is very similar. It is just a case of attitude... And maybe a little volume.
And there's something by the name of a pentatonic scale that's even easier. It's called pentatonic because there's only 5 notes in the scale (penta means five). There is no need to use as many fingers in the scale and it's pretty quick to pickup (no pun intended). And these pentatonic major and minor scales are the base for rock, blues, country, death metal, funk, and virtually every sort of popular music.
So get going learning those scales and start having some fun with whatever kind 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 does not go into the positions needed naturally. It needs perseverance and time to build the muscle memory to be able to get your hands and fingers into those chord positions. But over a period you can do it. It just takes a bit of perseverance.
For many , learning scales is a bit simpler. You are mainly dealing with one finger on one place on the guitar fretboard, so it is a bit simpler to do. And when you know 1 or 2 scales you can start jamming together with some of your favourite rhythm and blues or rock and roll songs.
So learning scales is a good place to start learning guitar and get your fingers in shape at the exact same time. Until you have some calluses on the end of your fingers it's going to be tough to hold down those strings. And the only possible way to get those calluses is to play a lot. You know what they say... No pain no gain!
Scales Are Really Fairly Easy - It Is About Shapes
Learning scales to the point at which you are decent at it is not that tough. There are "shapes" on that fretboard that you follow to understand where to play the notes of any specific key. And once you learn these shapes you can just adjust your hand horizontally on the neck to play the scale in different keys. It's really kind of cool how it functions.
And there's different shapes for different scales. A major scale and a minor scale have different shapes... But only a little. It's basically something that you can pick up swiftly. A major scale "shape" and a minor scale "shape" for the same key are essentially exactly the same. They are just played on different parts of the neck. Once you have learned one you have learned them all.
What's The Best Way To Learn These Shapes
After you see the shape it's pretty simple to comprehend. Describing them with words is rather more tricky. When you see a diagram of the shape, or better, watch a video of someone playing the shape, it's something you will pick up quickly and never forget.
And again these shapes can be applied to nearly any kind of music. They're employed in rock and roll, country music, and blues music all of the time. In fact a blues guitar scale is nearly the same as a heavy metal scale that could be played in a punk music band. That's the reason why you see many older punk rockers getting into the blues later in life. They begin to understand that the music is very similar. It is just a case of attitude... And maybe a little volume.
And there's something by the name of a pentatonic scale that's even easier. It's called pentatonic because there's only 5 notes in the scale (penta means five). There is no need to use as many fingers in the scale and it's pretty quick to pickup (no pun intended). And these pentatonic major and minor scales are the base for rock, blues, country, death metal, funk, and virtually every sort of popular music.
So get going learning those scales and start having some fun with whatever kind 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 guitar for a number of years and is a professional blues guitarist. He's played in many bands over time and now helps others learn blues guitar scales on his website www.BluesGuitarInsider.com
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