“How to play scales. The C major scale”

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What is a scale?

A scale is generally a set of seven musical notes that starts all over again at the octave. There are many

different ways of organizing these notes and many different types of scales, but the two most common

ones are the major and minor. This lesson explains the C major scale.

What are the names of the notes of the C major scale?

Using letter names:

C D E F G A B C (Octave)

If you play the white keys of the piano starting and ending on a C, you are playing a C major scale.

Where are the notes of the C major scale on the fretboard?

Starting with the open strings all the way to the 12th fret, the diagram above shows the notes that belong to

the C major scale. This diagram shows the first fret on the left, preceded just by the open strings, and the

6th string (Low E) is at the bottom. This episode uses just a selected group of these notes.

What right hand technique are you using to play this scale?Rest strokes with i and m. Please watch the first episode to learn more about this technique.

Do you repeat fingers?No. The right hand is constantly alternating the index and middle fingers to play this scale. It is more

effective this way. However, after a long note or a slur it's ok to start with the last finger you used as I do in

the exercise demonstrated on this video.

You do not stay in the same area of the fretboard all the time. At some point during the scale, you move down to the 5th fret...Why?

So I can play the higher notes of the C major scale, especially when finishing the first octave and starting

the second octave. When the first finger of the left hand is on the first fret, we are in 1 st position. First

position implies that finger number one (left hand) controls the 1 st fret, and subsequently, finger No. 2

controls the 2nd fret, finger No. 3 the 3 rd fret, and if needed, finger No.4 will control the 4 th fret.

The C major scale pattern shown on this video moves between two positions: the 1 st and the 5th. Similar to

the 1st position, the 5th position has the 1st finger of the left hand in control of the 5 th fret this time, and the

rest of the fingers controlling the adjacent frets in subsequent order.

Is this the only way to play this scale?Not at all. There are many possible combinations to play this and other scales. This video shows just one

way to do it. In future videos we are going to cover other paths and possibilities for the left hand. As

demonstrated on episode one, there are other combinations for the right hand as well, such as (I) index

and (a) ring finger, or (m) middle and (a) ring finger. In future videos we will cover even more possibilities.

I want to learn how to sight read all these notes. How can I do that?There are two very popular ways to notate music for the guitar. Everybody would benefit from learning both.

The first one is universal for any instrument- the standard musical notation-, the second one is even more

popular among guitarists- the tablature-, or TAB for short. Let me show you how this episode's exercise

looks written in both styles.

As you can see, the standard notation not only includes the notes and other musical symbols but also a

great deal of numbers and letters that explain the exact fingerings and location on the fretboard for any

given note. These numbers work as coordinates or directions to find the notes, even if you don't know how

to sight read music.

Here is the meaning of every number in standard musical notation for the guitar:

• I, V: Roman numerals. These symbols tell you in what position you should play. The C major scale

pattern shown on this video moves between two positions: the 1 st (I) and the 5th (V). When the first

finger of the left hand is on the first fret, we are in 1 st position. First position implies that finger

number one (left hand) controls the 1 st fret, and subsequently, finger No. 2 controls the 2 nd fret,

finger No. 3 the 3rd fret, and if needed, finger No.4 controls the 4 th fret. Similar to the 1st position, the

5th position has the 1st finger of the left hand in control of the 5 th fret this time, and the rest of the

fingers controlling the adjacent frets in subsequent order.

• Circled number: Number of the string. The low e string is the 6 th string and the high e string is the

1st.

• Regular number: Fingers of the left hand that should be used to play the note. Remember: index-

(1), middle-(2), ring (3), and pinky-(4)

• Letters: Fingers of the right hand that will pluck the strings. In this case we are using index-(i), and

middle-(m).

The TAB conveys the information differently:

• The lines of the TAB resemble the strings of the guitar (The low e is at the bottom), whereas the

lines of the staff do not represent the strings of the guitar whatsoever.

• The numbers across the lines represent the frets where the note is located.

Final Notes

In classical guitar, the TAB is sometimes used as an auxiliary device to the standard notation, especially

when the information is meant for beginners. Due to its innate quality to convey information accurately,

standard notation is considered more suitable for classical guitar, since this style of music usually involves

polyphony and complex rhythms.

Tabs however, are often the choice for popular styles like rock or folk music. It doesn't require the player to

be educated in reading music, and most of the time serves as an aid for the player who wants to learn a riff

or song by ear.

Although nowadays tablature notation can be very specific and complex, standard notation remains the tool

of choice for composers and arrangers to write their music.