@nickm324 have you checked out the second diagram on the learn more section on the lesson or are you only using the app for the lessons?
Hello @nickm324 and welcome to the Community.
Using the video alongside the written content and diagrams should give you all you need. Asking in here when anything remains unclear is always a good step to take too.
There are people here to help.
Hopefully now you have had the questions answered.
On the open string indicators being a different size, I know that the software I use to create diagrams (Neck Diagrams) always makes these smaller. It is simply a software function, not of musical significance.
Here is one more diagram that should settle the matter. Note, I created it with alternate picking in mind. If you are learning with all down picks the tab and notation is exactly the same.
Cheers
Richard
Sorry but although I recognise that, for example, a major scale has the intervals TTsTTTs, I do not get why we need to play through them. What does it help me to do ?
The major scale is nothing more than an alphabet. Itâs a scale, a group of 7 notes that sound good together. With these notes, you will soon be constructing chords, improvising melodies, soloing with licks (âwordsâ) and phrases (âsentencesâ) etc.
If you start on C and play the remaining notes all the way up and back down to C, then youâre playing a scale. A scale is just a tool that helps you memorize the notes and the sound of the alphabet. Thatâs why we play the notes up and down with a steady rhythm: to get comfortable with the alphabet. Thatâs it.
When you have the scale under your fingers and the sound in your ears, you can make it more interesting by playing melodies: using all or some of the scale notes and make music with them. Repeat some notes, switch the order, skip notes, play a different rhythm, leave pauses etc.
Why do we learn this scale first? Because the major scale is the foundation of Western music. Everything else we learn (chords, other scales, modes, âŚ) is based on the framework of the major scale.
Why these seven notes? Because the intervals (distance) between the notes create a sound thatâs inherent to the Western world. There are many other scales with seven different notes, or less than seven notes. All of these have their unique sound. Some will sound more Eastern, others more Spanish / Latin, and so on. Remember: a scale is just an alphabet and every alphabet has a different sound.
Thanks for taking the time to write such a comprehensive and understandable response.
I will try again with C major.
Practicing scales can be a little ho hum, but I watched a few YT videos about it. Instead of strumming one note per beat, strum in pairs. One fellow (GuitarEssentials?) shows how to strum scales in 8th notes, 16th notes (kinda fast, relies on alternate picking) and practice TRIPLETS which is very fun and new (to me anyway). Start the metronome at like 68bpm.
Just donât make mistakes while your having fun. You think learning scales is boring, try relearning them because you learnt them wrong the first time around.
Where do I find the C Scale practice item, that I would like to 8nclude in my daily routine. It is probably me, but I can never find the training items
Hi Markus @Markwess, Welcome to the community! If youâre up for it, head over to the Introduce Yourself topic and say hello.
It took me a bit to recognize the practice resources when I started. The last lesson in a module often contains info on the suggested practice schedule. Here it is for this module. When you get to that lesson in any module, youâll see a tab called Practice just below the video. Click there, and you can add the routine to the Practice Assistant. (In case you missed it, hereâs a some guidance using the Practice Assistant . Iâm guessing youâve already seen this, but Justin offers tips on how to practice scales, including a TAB, in the website notes for this lesson.
Thanks Judi. Found it!
Regards
Markus
Hi, I have a question about how to best practice this. In the video, Justin suggest to learn the pattern (i.e. visually, remembering on what strings to put what fingers, etc.). However, I have some theory practice going on in parallel to this course and the major scale pattern (âwwhwwwhâ) and jumping between strings make sense to me. Would it be best to practice âvisualisingâ the pattern, or - what I tend to do up to now when practicing scales (any scale) - learning to make the major scale pattern âon the spotâ by remembering to make a whole- or half-step?
I notice that visually remembering this particular scale feels easier (especially when going back up), but since there are so many different scales on so many different places on the fretboard, wouldnât it be worth/better to focus on the steps?
Iâm not clear on your meaning here.
Do you mean make up your own patterns using the scale steps?
My advice is to follow Justinâs structured lessons and not worry about other scales yet.
In the video and even in the Tab, it references playing open notes in the C major scale. However, those donât appear to be indicated on the scale diagram shown on the video and in the lesson notes below. Am I missing something?
Hi Jason, welcome to the community!
Itâs a bit unclear at first, but in the diagram, the open notes are indicated at the top. So youâll play (starting at root C): C - D (open string) - E - F - G (open string) etc. Sorry Iâm too lazy to type it all out, but please let me know if itâs unclear!
In the meantime, how about heading over here and introducing yourself to the gang?
Hi Judi, thank you for the response! When I look at the scale diagram, I see the names of the strings along the top. Is that what you were referring to? If so, I guess Iâm still wondering what in the notation would tell you to play the open string ? In this example, you have clarified that that the open strings should be played and Justin mentioned it in the video, but if we didnât have the ability to interact, is there anyway that someone could just look at a diagram and know they should play the open strings?
Thanks again for the reply. Iâll make sure to do a little introduction for myself here soon.
In the notes under the diagram of the scale it says âHow To Play The Major Scaleâ and there is a Tab to follow. All the 0âs represent the open strings.
Thanks, I did see it in the Tab which confirmed it and I certainly donât mean to be argumentative or difficult, but I guess Iâm wondering if someone can just pick up a scale diagram and know if the open strings should be played without other input telling us they should be played? In other words, is it the case that the scale diagrams donât tell the whole picture on their own?
Hi Jason, as Stitch shows, if we have a TAB the open string is indicated by a 0 on the appropriate string. But I think you might be asking more generally. In this lesson, Justin is teaching a specific scale pattern (C major in open position). The name implies that you will play open strings in the scale pattern. So if you begin on the root C (string 5 fret 3), the next note is D - the open string. Why not play the D on string 5 fret 5? Well, partly because there is an open string nearby that plays that note. Also, that is a long stretch to make, and not very efficient.
So I think the key is to know the names of the open strings, as well the names of the note on each fret. I think to answer with any more specificity requires delving into some music theory. If youâre interested in pulling that thread (which I highly recommend!), check out Justinâs Practical Music Theory course (itâs not free, but quite reasonably priced).
Keep asking questions if this doesnât quench your thirst!
Hi there,
Do you mean this diagram in the video?
Strings to be played open can be indicated like in the screenshot above or with a 0 (or a circle) written above the relevant string, though the latter is more common in chord diagrams.