Thanks, after reading your responses and scrolling farther up up on the thread, it looks like someone had a similar question before that may have gotten to the crux of what I wasn’t understanding. In the scale diagram I saw all of the string names listed along the top and I thought they were just there for reference. I now see that they are actually blacked out with white font which I now think indicates they should be played. If it was a scale in which an open string should not be played, I now believe they omit that string name along the top as the did in the screenshot of this unrelated scale included first below. I included the scale I originally saw below that. Is that correct?
Ah, I see the confusion! You’re exactly correct - if the open string were not to be played, it would not be named. Sorry I didn’t see that sooner! As an aside, I think the C major open scale diagram could be improved by making the marker for C on string 2 red, as it is a root note.
this is what i needed cheers dude
I was very confused because I was just playing C (third fret 5th string) to C on the B string. But then I looked at the tabs and did not understand why we are playing all the way to G on the first string. Tbh if I didn’t have a good knowledge of the notes in the first few frets I would have struggled even more.
My main question is why are we playing as you said to G if this is a C major scale? Isn’t it just C to C? Can you help more with this?
On the guitar, major scale patterns contain all diatonic notes (belonging to the scale) that are available within a handspan. This is what we call a ‘position’, an area of the guitar neck covering 4 to 5 frets.
In the so-called open position (this lesson), you play the scale starting on the root note C (3rd fret of the 5th string), all the way up the note G (3rd fret of the 1st string), then all the way back down to the note E (open 6th string) and going back up to resolve on the root note C (3rd fret of the 5th string).
If you count along, you will have played 32 notes before you start a new cycle of the scale pattern. Having 32 notes within a scale pattern is practical because it equals to 8 bars of 4 notes, which makes it rhytmical and easy to practice the scale with a metronome.
Also, when you repeat the scale using alternate picking, the ‘up’-picks and the ‘down’-picks will always fall on the same notes.
Thanks this is very helpful. Sorry if this is rude to ask for further clarification but isn’t a scale 7 notes? I understand what you said and that technically G (first string, third fret) is in the scale just in different places in this open position… I’m just not quite getting why we go passed the 7 or 8 notes (octave) of the C major scale. If you play C to C it sounds nice like do re mi but then when we go beyond that it doesn’t suit the scale.
The major scale has 7 notes (C, D, E, etc. in this case) but they can be extended over multiple octaves. They don’t just end on the first octave of the root note you started on. Plus, they can be played descending as well (getting lower in pitch). They are like a spiral staircase if you’re into visual metaphors.
The notes you play “above” the octave of the root note and “below” the root note in this pattern are also part of the scale. As the lesson notes state: “Since you always end a scale where you started it, come back up from the low E to your C root note.”
Quite frankly, I agree that it sounds nicer. However it’s incorrect to say those extra notes “don’t suit the scale”… Those notes are definitely in the scale!
I think Justin teaches it this way because it lines up nicely with a 4/4 beat.
What I do is to just continue up on the the thin e string… Sliding up with the last finger I put down on that string. Stopping or reversing direction when I play the C note at the 8th fret.
I also like to sing along when I do scales, but those notes are above my singing range.
If you’ve got the scale in your “musical imagination”, you can probably figure it out by ear… That’s what I did.
If not, I can tell you the fret numbers. But give it a go… as Justin likes to say. ![]()
Not rude at all. Have you ever looked at all the white keys on a piano. All those white keys are in the C major scale. If you start at the lowest C note and ascend up the key board you will get the C major scale in 7 octaves. The guitar is the same but not as many octaves. It just keeps repeating
Just finished this lesson and had a bit of understanding and wanted to clarify.
When Justin talks about the notes of the chords with the key, in this case C major, and chords C F G Am Dm Em, he is talking about the total of all notes within the first 3 frets including the open strings that are not played, and he is being literal, as in any note that is in these chords, doesn’t go out of the c major scale in open position box.
I guess my next question would be in regards to moving the scale around the neck, if you move this to another position (I don’t know any but just working through ideas) I would think that you would play the same chord shapes in that major scale box that you have moved to?
And if that is the case, would you need to use bar chords, with those shapes (a shape, em shape) etc to play those particular chords in that new scale position?
Hey Bret,
Yes mate. These open chord shapes, C A G E D, will form the basic shapes as you move up the neck
( notice that F is already ‘part’ of this, being an E shaped chord in that first position).
So as you move up the neck for each chord, the shapes will change, and the actual chord names will be determined by the framework of root notes; the CAGED system, and using barre chord etc, as you’ve said.
So, in the end, you will be able to play, say that F chord, in all 5 shapes, all up the neck.
Its a big, major topic in itself , and one which it looks like you will be getting into pretty soon. You’re in for a fun, fascinating ride.
Cheers, Shane
Yeah ok, so that kind of makes sense, I was already wondering about a lot of stuff on how the guitar works, and why so many questions I have are hard to answer, now that I understand alittle more it might make it easier as I learn this…
The C major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B … always those notes no matter where those notes are found, open strings or fretted.
The chords that can be made by collecting notes from the C major scale in groups of three (calledharmonising the major scale, a process which leads to seven unique triads) are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdiminished.
Justin is showing just one pattern of the C major scale. It does include open strings and the highest fret position is at fret 3.
It does have a name, well two names.
It is Pattern 3 of the CAGED major scale system.
It is the C-shape of the CAGED system.
Justin does not mention them at this point as there is no need to add it to the mix.
No.
CAGED gives us five and only five possible shapes with which we can form a major chord grip. In the ‘open position’ they are the C, A, G, E and D chords respectively.
It also gives us three possible shapes for minor chord grips - Am, Dm and Em respectively.
For any other major chord or minor chord barres are needed.
For any of these five chords in a different neck position, a different shape that includes a barre is needed.
If the C major scale moves further along the neck, let’s say it shifts so the lowest root note is at fret 8 of the E string and Pattern 1, the E-shape scale is used. Note - this is the same Pattern 1 that Justin uses to begin teaching a full set of major scale shapes but based around the G major scale. The chords in the key of C now need to bae played using different chord grips.
Blockquote
I mentioned this as a part of the second part of my question. ‘You would need bar chords’ if you move down the neck away from open positoin’.
Either way, indepth answer, and helps me get some more understanding of the neck which is what I have been really wanting, so I’ think i’ll continue down this path.
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If you are moving away from the open position, you are moving UP the neck.
yup
one other question, is there are definite place / number of frets for each position?
Is open position frets 12 and 3? I guess I’ll find out when I get to the next positions, it’s just that the info I have seen so far is that it can be 3 or 4 frets for a position, just curious.
Hi Bret, Open Position implies that you are playing open (that is, unfretted) strings in your scale.
These ‘position’ demarcations you’ll often see are pretty much arbitrary names that have different meanings to different people.
Theres no real musicality to them.
The octave shapes, and associated CAGED shapes , which you may have, or willl come across eventually, are perhaps a more logical, and musical framework for fretboard navigation. All in time…
Cheers, Shane
If your looking at Caged major scale patterns then each pattern has 3 notes over 4 frets for five of the strings but theres always 1 string that only has two notes over 3 frets.
The anchor finger helped me find the strings easier for a while. Great tip!


