Scale Building Blocks

October 29th, 2005 Print Tip E-mail Tip

How do you play a Bb Lydian #9 scale? Beats me. Anyway, here we'll look at how scales are created, and by knowing a scale's formula how you can quickly figure out the notes to play. The scale from which all scales are really derived is the Chromatic Scale ("The Mother of All Scales"). That's because it consists of every note on your guitar. If you start at the first fret and climb up the fretboard picking one note at a time fret-by-fret until you reach the 22-fret or whatever, you're playing the chromatic scale. Here it is:

Note that 5 of the 12 different notes have two names. The actual pitch of the note is the same, but what you call it depends on whether you're ascending or descending the scale, or the name of the key (C# versus Db, for example), among other things. These 5 notes are called enharmonic, because even though they have two names they are the same note.

Anyway, now we have this one-octave (or from A to the next A higher) chromatic scale, what are we going to do with it?

Check the article "Major Scale Construction" for further details.

GuitarNote!
Even though most of us aren't overly inclined to play the chromatic scale (it is a good scale for a finger workout---don't forget to include the pinky), it can be used very effectively to create momentum, drive and propulsion up or down the fretboard. It's sometimes used very effectively to connect different parts of a song, such as verse to chorus. So listen carefully when you're listening to music---it'll pop up more often than you would think.