Today will be discussing the 5 essential scales a guitar player and a bass player must learn to help them improve the way they can dynamically sound, create music and how they can be a lot better on their solo improvise.
For this lesson, will be working again with the relative major and minor of C major and A minor scale to make it easy to understand just like on our previous lesson on the topic of pentatonic scale patterns.
The presentation of this tutorial will begin with the diatonic major and natural minor scale as the base scale, before moving onto progress on the other remaining essential guitar scales to learn namely the pentatonic scale, blues scale and the two other popular minor scales called the harmonic and melodic minor scale.
- This will explain how scales relates to each other.
- Learning the diatonic scale can open up the other widely used scales.
- Turn the pentatonic scale to blues scale.
- Turn the natural minor scale or major scale to melodic minor scale.
- Turn the natural minor scale to harmonic minor scale.
Let’s get it going!
Diatonic Scale
The diatonic scale are your major scale, natural minor scale and the rest of the modes. All of these scales mentioned are 7 notes scales or heptatonic that are arranged in a number of different interval sequence via combination of 5 whole steps (5 tones) and 2 half steps (2 semitones).
Example: The C major has a relative minor, the A minor which it shares similar notes and arrangement of scale patterns but starting the scale on a different root note.
C Major Scale or C Ionian
- Notes Of The Scale: C D E F G A B
- Interval Sequence: W-W-H-W-W-W-H
- Scale Formula: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
A Minor Scale or A Aeolian
- Notes Of The Scale: A B C D E F G
- Interval Sequence: W-H-W-W-H-W-W
- Scale Formula: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
The Modes: C Major Scale
| Mode Names | Interval Sequence | Notes |
| Ionian (C Major Scale) | W-W-H-W-W-W-H | C D E F G A B |
| Dorian | W-H-W-W-W-H-W | D E F G A B C |
| Phrygian | H-W-W-W-H-W-W | E F G A B C D |
| Lydian | W-W-W-H-W-W-H | F G A B C D E |
| Mixolydian | W-W-H-W-W-H-W | G A B C D E F |
| Aeolian (A Natural Minor Scale) | W-H-W-W-H-W-W | A B C D E F G |
| Locrian | H-W-W-H-W-W-W | B C D E F G A |
Major Modes
- Ionian (Major Scale)
- Lydian
- Mixolydian
Minor Modes
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Aeolian (Natural Minor Scale)
- Locrian
The diatonic scale is a good starting point on learning scales, modes, memorizing the notes on the scale, chords, scale shapes and it is a precursor to other popular scales used on western music.
For beginners, the best way to get familiarized to the diatonic scale is to concentrate first with the major and natural minor scale in relatives like on our example here. The 5 scale patterns of the major and natural minor mirror each other, starting only on a different root note. (Practicing scales in relatives is like 2 birds in 1 stone.)
- C Major Scale Pattern: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 / C D E F G A B
- A Natural Minor Scale Pattern: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 / A B C D E F G
Major Scale Pattern 1
Major Scale Pattern 2
Major Scale Pattern 3
Major Scale Pattern 4
Major Scale Pattern 5
Minor Scale Pattern 1
Minor Scale Pattern 2
Minor Scale Pattern 3
Minor Scale Pattern 4
Minor Scale Pattern 5
Pentatonic Scale
If you already have memorized the major and natural minor scale by heart. It would simply mean that you wont have any kind of problem in finding and transitioning from playing 7 note scales to the 5 notes of the pentatonic scale.
Major Pentatonic Scale
- C Major Scale: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 / C D E F G A B
- C Major Pentatonic Scale: 1-2-3-X-5-6-X / C D E G A
Minor Pentatonic Scale
- A Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 / A B C D E F G
- A Minor Pentatonic Scale: 1-X-b3-4-5-X-b7 / A C D E G
As the name of it suggest, the pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale that has been derived from the 7 notes of the major and natural minor scale. The major pentatonic scale has a formula of 1-2-3-5-6 by losing the 4th and 7th degree of the major scale. While the pentatonic minor scale has no 2nd and 6th degree of the natural minor scale to end up with a scale formula of 1-b3-4-5-b7.
C Major Pentatonic Scale Pattern: C D E G A / 1-2-3-5-6
A Minor Pentatonic Scale Pattern: A C D E G / 1-b3-4-5-b7
Pentatonic Blues Scale
The blues scale is yet another popular scale to learn and is considered as the brethren or the cool alter ego of the pentatonic scale. They have close ties on the 5 core notes, patterns of their scale and separated only by 1 additional bluesy note.
Major Blues Scale
- C Major Pentatonic Scale: 1-2-3-5-6 / C D E G A
- C Major Pentatonic Blues Scale: 1-2-b3-3-5-6 / C D Eb E G A
Minor Blues Scale
- A Minor Pentatonic Scale: 1-b3-4-5-b7 / A C D E G
- A Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale: 1-b3-4 5b-5-b7 / A C D Eb E G
Just like again the pentatonic scale. The blues scale has a major and minor version to play your lead with. The minor blues is the dramatic sounding between the two blues scale in referenced with the minor pentatonic sound. The major blues on the other hand is a total opposite of the minor blues scale because it is livelier like of the major pentatonic scale would sound.
C Major Pentatonic Blues Scale Pattern: C D Eb E G A / 1-2-b3-3-5-6
A Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale Pattern: A C D Eb E G / 1-b3-4 5b-5-b7
Melodic Minor Scale
The melodic minor scale is part of the family of minor scales due to the 1-b3-5 minor triad on it scale formula just like the natural minor, ”Mohammedan” harmonic minor scale and to include also the pentatonic minor scales. Another thing very noticeable with the melodic minor scale aside from that main characteristic of 1-b3-5 minor triad, it is also just 1 note different from the major scale.
- C Natural Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 / C D Eb F G Ab Bb
- C Melodic Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7 / C D Eb F G A B
- C Major Scale: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 / C D E F G A B
- C Melodic Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7 / C D Eb F G A B
Remembering the melodic minor scale a.k.a jazz minor is quite easy and there is no reason not to utilize it to your guitar or bass playing. All you have to do is raise the 6th and 7th degree on the natural minor scale or as an alternative change the 3 to a b3 of the major scale to make it a minor scale.
Melodic Minor Scale Pattern 1
Melodic Minor Scale Pattern 2
Melodic Minor Scale Pattern 3
Melodic Minor Scale Pattern 4
Melodic Minor Scale Pattern 5
Harmonic Minor Scale
Lastly on the types of minor scales and a popular non-diatonic scale having 7 notes is none other than the harmonic minor scale. The formula of this minor scale is 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 in comparison to the natural minor scale with a scale formula of 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7.
- A Natural Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 / A B C D E F G
- A Harmonic Minor Scale: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 / A B C D E F G#
Immediately at first glance, you will notice the slight difference in the scale formula of the two minor scale are in their 7th degree. The natural minor has a b7 and the harmonic minor has a 7. This Indicates that switching from a natural minor scale to a harmonic minor scale or in vice versa is easy by just adjusting the 7th degree on the formula on both the minor scales.
Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern 1
Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern 2
Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern 3
Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern 4
Harmonic Minor Scale Pattern 5
