Confession #27 - Learn the Minor Scale!

In Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale! we learned the major scale, how it consists of a sequence of whole steps and half steps, and how it is the sound of do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.  In this confession, we'll learn the minor scale.

The Minor Scale

Like the major scale, the minor scale consists of a pattern of whole steps and half steps.  However, it uses a different pattern.  The minor scale pattern goes like this:

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

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

Let's build a minor scale in the key of C.  Starting on C and applying the minor scale pattern gives us the following notes:

C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C

If you jump ahead to the section below called On the Fretboard, there are two movable minor scale patterns you can practice, but I'm hoping you'll stick around for the rather lengthy music theory discussion that comes next.

Scale Formulas

In a minute we'll compare the major scale and the minor scale, but first let's learn about scale formulas. A scale formula is simply a series of numbers used to describe a scale.  The most basic scale formula is the major scale formula, which is written as follows:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

The number 1 signifies the root note of the scale.

This formula implicitly means the pattern of whole steps and half steps that make up the major scale, like this:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

W   W   H   W   W   W   H

If we are using any scale other than the major scale, we need to change this scale formula to describe the new scale by adding sharps (i.e. #) or flats (i.e. b) to the numbers in the scale formula.

This point is very important to understand, so its worth repeating:

The scale formula 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 refers only to the major scale!

Comparing the Major and Minor Scale 

To illustrate the previous point, let's compare the C major scale to the C minor scale.  

C Major

Here is the C major scale with the scale formula written below the notes of the scale:

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

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8

W   W   H   W   W   W   H

C Minor

Here is the C minor scale with the scale formula written below the notes of the scale:

C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C

1   2   3b   4   5   6b   7b   8

W   H    W   W   H    W    W

The C minor scale contains many of the same notes as the C major scale, however 3 of the notes are different.  The notes E, A and B in the major scale all have to be lowered a half step, and thus become Eb, Ab and Bb.

Thus when writing out the scale formula for the minor scale, we have to add a flat symbol to the 3rd, 6th and 7th scale degrees.


Understanding Scale Formulas

To understand scale formulas, it is critical to understand that they are all defined with reference to the major scale formula.

Let's look at the minor scale formula in isolation.  It is:

1 - 2 - 3b - 4 - 5 - 6b - 7b - 8

Okay, so I am supposed to play a flat 3rd, 6th and 7th, which I do by lowering each of the 3rd, 6th and 7th one half step (one fret on the guitar).  But to do this, first I have to know what the 3rd, 6th and 7th are!!!

To find them, you have to refer to the major scale of whatever key you happen to be playing in.  As shown above, in the key of C the 3rd, 6th and 7th are the notes E, A and B.  Therefore the flat 3rd, 6th and 7th are Eb, Ab and Bb.

To further illustrate this point, let's build a minor scale in the key of G.

First, we need to know what the G major scale is.

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

1   2   3   4   5   6   7    8

W   W   H   W   W   W    H

Now take the minor scale formula and adjust the notes in the G major scale to get the G minor scale:

1 - 2 - 3b - 4 - 5 - 6b - 7b - 8

G   A   Bb   C   D   Eb   F    G

W   H    W   W   H    W    W

On the Fretboard

Here are two movable minor scale patterns, one starting on the 4th string and the other starting on the 6th string.  Both are shown in the key of C minor,  but you can change the key by moving the patterns up and down the fretboard.

Starting on the 4th String

Minor Scale Pattern
Root on 4th String

Fingering for this pattern is 1-3-4, 1-3-4, 2-4 where finger 1 is your index finger and finger 4 is your pinky.

Starting on the 6th String

Minor Scale Pattern
Root on 6th String

Fingering for this pattern is 1-3-4, 1-3-4, 1-3 where finger 1 is your index finger and finger 4 is your pinky.

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Next Week's Confession - Palm Muting! (Part 2)

Confession #@&%$!&! - Faaaaaaaarrrgghhhhhhh !!!

Sorry folks.  No post this week.

I was about 90% done with the draft post and hit CTRL-Z to undo a change.  The entire post disappeared and 3 seconds later the auto-save feature saved the now blank draft post.  And just like that, 3 to 4 hours of work was gone.  :-(

If anybody knows how to recover drafts of unpublished Blogger posts, I'd love to hear from you.

Confession #26 - One Minute Jam!

Last week's confession, Confession #25 - Fret Hand Muting!, provided the rhythm guitar tab for a track I wrote called One Minute Jam.  The rhythm guitar part illustrated the use of staccato phrasing and string clicks.


One Minute Jam!

Here's an audio-only YouTube video of the recorded track featuring rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass and drums.  The tempo is approximately 102 beats per minute.

Here's the tab for the lead guitar part:

One Minute Jam - Lead Guitar
(Click to Enlarge)

Almost all the notes for the lead lines are coming from the A minor pentatonic scale (there's one B in there, which belongs to the full A minor scale).  Last week we learned that this song could be in the key of G or the key of D, so why am I using the A minor pentatonic scale?

I didn't put much thought into it at the time I wrote it.  My thinking was that the rhythm guitar is hitting an A major chord on beat 1 of each measure, and that playing a minor pentatonic scale over a major chord is a common rock technique.  From there, I let my ear decide.  If it sounded good, then it that's all that mattered.

Looking at it from a theory perspective, here are the notes of each of the three keys:

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

Thus, the notes that can cause a conflict are F / F#, and C / C#.

If we avoid the F in the A minor scale (there are no F's in the lead lines), then all we are left to worry about is the C and C# conflict.  And this isn't actually a worry because the C / C# conflict is one of the desirable tensions created by playing A minor pentatonic over an A major chord.

Don't be afraid to try something "outside the box", which in this case happened to be "inside" the A minor pentatonic box.  :-)

Next Week's Confession - Use a Capo!

Confession #25 - Fret Hand Muting!

Back in Confession #20 - Palm Muting! we learned about palm muting and how it can be used to get a chunkier sound and to create rhythm patterns by selectively muting certain beats in a measure.

In this confession, we'll learn about another kind of muting, fret hand muting.


FRET HAND MUTING

As it's name suggests, fret hand muting means using your fretting hand to mute the strings and stop them from sounding.


STACCATO

One way that we can use fret hand muting in our playing is when we want the notes or chords we are playing to be staccato.  A staccato note / chord is one that is played and then immediately silenced.  A good example of this would be Roxanne by the Police.

To play a fretted note or a chord staccato, pick/strum the note/chord and then immediately release pressure on your fretting hand.  You want your finger(s) to still be touching the string, but you also want to release enough pressure that the note/chord is no longer fretted.

In music notation, a staccato note is indicated by a little dot below the note.  This should not be confused with a dot beside the note which would affect the note's duration (e.g. a dotted quarter note).


STRING CLICKS

Another way that we can use fret hand muting is to make string clicks.  To do this, finger the note or the chord you want to play, but do not push down and actually fret the string.  Now pick the note or strum the chord.  The resulting sound is mostly percussive and has very little tonal content.  A good example of this would be Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.


APPLYING BOTH TECHNIQUES

Here is a chord progression and rhythm pattern the uses fret hand muting to play some chords staccato and to play some string clicks.

The chords I'm using are root 6 barre chords for the A and G chords (see Confession #11 - Learn Root 6 Barre Chords!), and root 5 barre chords for the C and D chords (see Confession #12 - Learn Root 5 Barre Chords!).

One Minute Jam - Rhythm Guitar
(Click to Enlarge)

BUT THERE'S 4 MAJOR CHORDS !?!?!?

You may recall from Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play! that there are only 3 major chords in any particular key, but this progression uses 4 major chords.  Despite not residing in only one key, this progression still sounds good.  Let your ear be your guide.

Where the presence of 4 major chords in the progression becomes an issue is when you wish to play some lead lines over this progression. While you can find a scale that will work over 3 of the chords, it may not work over the fourth chord.

Think back to Confession #15 - Find the I, IV, V in any Key! This progression can be viewed two ways:

• G is the I chord, C is the IV chord, D is the V chord, and the A chord is outside the key
• D is the I chord, G is the IV chord, A is the V chord, and the C chord is outside the key

So this progression could be in the key of G or the key of D.  These keys consist of the following notes:

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

The only difference between the two keys is that the key of G has a C natural, and the key of D has a C#.

So, if you want to play some lead lines with this progression, you can avoid C and C# and be safely within either key.

Alternatively, you can still use both these notes, but you'll have to be careful where you use them in the progression.  If you play a C# against the C chord (notes are C - E - G), its not going to sound very good.  Similarly, if you play a C against the A chord (notes are A - C# - E), its not going to sound good either.

Next Week's Confession - One Minute Jam!