Guitar scales don’t mean any harm

The first thing you need to know about scales is there’s a lot of them. But it’s like when you’re up high, and it’s not a good idea to look down - you need to concentrate on the present and not get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job.

Okay, so just figure out what scales you need to learn, and get on with it in whatever time you have each day. Practicing scales is just a small part of your guitar-playing life. Also get straight in yourself what keys you want to play in.

Next, settle into learning the first scale on your list, and ONLY that scale. Don’t play it to death, but don’t move on to another scale until you’re feeling familiar with the first one.

Playing scales is the starting point in the process of learning to improvise and becoming intimately familiar with the fretboard.

Another aspect of practicing scales is the benefit of repetition. If you practice your scales every day your physical dexterity increases. You’ll sit down with the guitar one day and watch yourself playing fluently and you’ll wonder how you got there.

The most common scales for guitar are C, G, D, and A. Start with the major scales.

Play slowly focusing on the quality of each note. Let your speed increase naturally, even after long periods of playing, where your body tends to take over from your mind, retain some control over how you play. Now’s a good time to mention that amongst all of this hard work, we all need to know how to get up and take a break when we need it. After a little time working on the guitar you’ll know when you genuinely need a break and when you’re goofing off.

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