Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale! (Warm-Up! - Exercise #2)

The major scale pattern is the single most important bit of music theory you will ever learn.  It is the foundation upon which everything else is built.  So it is critical for your development as a musician that you learn this pattern.

If you've seen The Sound of Music, or even if you haven't, then you are familiar with the sound of:

do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do

This is the sound of the major scale pattern.


TIME FOR SOME THEORY

In Confession #5 - Use a Metronome!, I talked about how the piano is an excellent tool for learning music theory, and showed a picture of the C major scale on the piano keyboard:

The first C is the root note of the scale (the one on the left).  The second C is called the octave (the one on the right).  If the frequency of the first C is 200Hz (Hz or Hertz means cycles per second), then the frequency of the second C is 400Hz, exactly twice is fast (see Confession #3 - Set-up your Guitar! for more on the octave).  So when you play the octave of any particular note, the frequency of the sound vibration is twice as fast.

The octave of any particular root note has a fundamental sameness as the root note. This is why it is given the same name.  It's pitch may be higher, but it has the same quality as its root note.  Thus, we will only find unique notes between a root note and its octave.

For reasons that are unknown to me, it was decided long ago that the octave should be divided up into 12 notes (well... actually, there are reasons in physics for this).  Start at the first C and count all the keys up to and including the B.  You'll find 12 notes.

For further reasons that are also unknown to me, it was decided long ago that we would ignore 5 of these 12 notes, leaving 7 notes to form the major scale. I don't think physics is to blame for this.

Notice that some of the notes of the scale have a black key between them, and others do not.  This pattern of white and black keys makes up the major scale pattern, which in the key of C is:

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

Whole Steps and Half Steps

Since we want to be able to play in all musical keys and not just the key of C, we need a way to describe the major scale pattern that will allow us to find it in other keys.  We do this by describing that major scale as a series of whole steps and half steps like this:

W-W-H-W-W-W-H

...where W means a whole step and H means a half-step.  

On the Piano

On the piano, a W means move up two keys (regardless of colour) and H means move up one key (regardless of colour).  If you start on the first C on the keyboard above, and apply this pattern, you will hit all the white keys and finish on the octave, like this:

C -W- D -W- E -H- F -W- G -W- A -W- B -H- C

On the Guitar

On the guitar W means move up two frets and H means move up one fret.  So, on the guitar fretboard, the pattern looks like this:

If we tuned our 6th string to a C, then starting with the open string (i.e. the root), this pattern would give us the C major scale.  Of course, our 6th string is actually tuned to an E, so playing this pattern actually gives us the E major scale:  E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E.

Tip: Applying scale patterns to open strings helps us visualize the pattern better then staying in one position and changing strings as we move up the sale.  Use this technique when learning new scales.

Now in practice, we rarely play a entire scale on just one string (but it can be quite effective - The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" uses a descending scale pattern on the 2nd string for one of its lead lines), so we need to learn a major scale pattern that allows us to stay in one position.

Warm Up Exercise #2 - Major Scale in One Position

Here is a one octave major scale pattern that starts on the third string and finishes on the first string.  The numbers 1 to 4 indicate which finger should be used for each note in the scale (where 1 is your index finger and 4 is your pinky).  If you play this pattern in 5th position (i.e. starting at the 5th fret), then you'll get the C major scale.

I like to use this pattern as part of my warm-up exercises.  I play it ascending and descending like this:

Warm-Up! - Exercise #2 - C Major Scale
(Click to Enlarge)

As mentioned in Confession #6 - Warm-up!, warm-up exercises get boring in a hurry, so move this pattern up and down the neck to keep things interesting.  For example, if you start the pattern in 7th position, then you'll be playing the D major scale.  Try to get to the point where you can play the scale ascending and descending in 5th position, and then seamlessly switch to playing it in 7th position without stopping.


Next Week's Confession - Keep Your Calluses Up!

Confession #5 - Use a Metronome!

... or a Drum Machine, or a Multi-Effects Pedal,  or an Electronic Keyboard

One of the most important skills for any musician to develop is a sense of rhythm.  You may play brilliantly, but if you can’t play in time with a metronome or other musicians, then you'll be stuck in your basement forever.  To some people, this skill may come easy, while for others it will take some practice.  But it can be learned.

PLAYING ALONG WITH THE RECORD IS NOT THE SAME THING

Now, just because you are able to play along with the record doesn’t mean that you’ve mastered this skill.  When you play along with the record you have an example to follow and are subconsciously picking up on other cues in the recording.  None of these things will be present if it’s just you and a metronome, or you and a bass player and a drummer.

METRONOME vs. DRUM MACHINE vs. KEYBOARD

Metronomes are really, really boring musically, but are also pretty inexpensive.  Consider stepping up to a drum machine, or a multi-effects unit with a built in drum machine (I have the Digitech RP-250), or better yet an electronic keyboard (I have the Yamaha Portatone PSR-E403).  All will provide you with a variety of beats to practice with. 

Digitech RP-250 Multi-Effects Pedal

Yamaha Portatone PSR-E403

An electronic keyboard has some additional benefits:

• If it has auto-accompaniment, you can use it for one chord jams in a variety of musical styles, and

• The piano keyboard can be a useful tool for learning and understanding musical theory because it has  easily recognizable patterns.  Patterns are harder to see on the fretboard, so this can make it hard to grasp musical concepts and relationships.

Spot the C Major Scale on the Keyboard

Now find it on the Fretboard !?!?!?

USING A METRONOME

Hopefully I’ve convinced you that using a metronome has many benefits:

·        It's like truth serum for your playing.  If your rhythm is off, it will show.

·        It will help you develop a feel for a steady rhythm.  You'll play better when there isn’t a beat available.

·        It's great for rythym training exercises (e.g. learning to play 16th notes at 100 bpm)

The most important thing to remember when using a metronome is to:

            Know the part before playing with the metronome!

There's no point in putting a beat on until you know the part you are trying to play.  If you are constantly starring at the TAB and still working on fingerings, the beat will just drive you mad and hinder your progress. You don't have to have the part fully memorized, but your fingers should already know where they want to go as your eyes move quickly over the TAB.

The other most important thing to remember is to:

            Start Slowly!

If you set a tempo that is too fast, then you will make mistakes.  Worse, you will probably persist at that tempo (You’re probably telling yourself that “I should be able to do this!”) and keep making more mistakes.  What ends up happening is that you practice making mistakes instead of practicing playing correctly.  Don't practice making mistakes!

Start with a tempo that you can play comfortably at without any mistakes.  Stick at this tempo and develop a feel for the part you are practicing and develop your muscle memory for playing it correctly.  Slowly speed up the tempo, even if it’s only 4 bpm at a time.  If you speed up the tempo and find yourself making mistakes, go back to the original tempo and practice playing it correctly.  

Remember, you are not going to get a new part up to tempo in one evening.  It may take several days of slowly increasing the tempo to get up to speed.

Don't practice the same thing for more than 5 or 10 minutes per session.  If you practice one part for 30 minutes,  it is more likely to hinder than help your progress.  Keep the practice short and give your brain a chance to digest.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

While you are developing a feel for rhythm, you need to keep it simple and slowly increase the difficulty.  Start with just whole notes and strum a chord on every beat 1.  If this is going well, then try strumming on beat 1 and beat 3 (i.e. half notes).  Next step up to quarter notes (i.e. beat 1, 2, 3 and 4), etc.

Alternatively,  stick with whole notes, but change chords every time beat 1 comes around.  Try  the following I-vi-IV-V7 progression in the key of G:

            G-Em-C-D7

I’ll talk more about this progression in a future Confession.

FINISH ON A HIGH NOTE

The last thing you hear is what’s going to stick in your brain.  This is why it is critical that you finish your practice session by playing the new part you’re learning correctly.  It’s great to increase the tempo during your practice session and push yourself, but always finish your session by slowing it down to a comfortable tempo and playing the part correctly.  This is what your brain will remember.

Next Week's Confession - Warm Up! - Exercise #1