Newest Lesson    Back to Basics    Guitar Theory    Technique    Everything Else    Request a Lesson

                                  Major Scale and Chord Technique Lesson.

Original E-mail:

From: V.G.Fernando, Sri Lanka

....could you [mail] me on how to play the notes on a scale so that I could play a song? Further, I am interested in learning to play the basic chords without the awful noise.

 Thanks for your reply JM; you really don’t know how much it means for me to get a reply on guitar playing as I have struggled to get a decent sound from my guitar!!!!!!!

You will need to view the videos in order to follow along with this lesson. The Videos will open up in a new window upon clicking them so you can still follow along.

OK Here we go with part 1 of the lesson: Basics, Major Scale.

Below are the tabs for the A major scale. You will need these tabs to follow along.

Title: A Major Scale

|----------------------------------------4--5-------------|
|----------------------------------5--7-------------------|
|-------------------------4--6--7-------------------------|
|----------------4--6--7----------------------------------|
|-------4--5--7-------------------------------------------|
|-5--7----------------------------------------------------|
 

Check out the videos below.

 [View The  Videos]

Now, Just incase you didn't know, You can move the same major scale formation all around the neck. Check out the videos below:

[View The  Videos]

OK on to the Minor Pentatonic scale. A basic, yet bluesy-smooth scale.

Here are the tabs for the E-Minor pentatonic scale to follow along with the video.

E-minor Pentatonic

|-----------------------------------12--15------------------|
|----------------------------12--15-------------------------|
|---------------------12--14--------------------------------|
|--------------12--14---------------------------------------|
|-------12--14----------------------------------------------|
|12--15-----------------------------------------------------|

  [View The  Videos]

 FYI: Just like the Major Scale, the Minor Pentatonic Can be moved all around the fret board too.

Infact, You can do this with virtually all scales.

Part # 2 of the Lesson: Basic Chord Technique

Below are the tabs for an A minor chord which you will need to follow along.

|-0----|
|-1----|
|-2----|
|-2----|
|-0----|
|------|
  

[View The  Video - @ YouTube]

  Just a few further words of advice on the chord playing. First: it WILL take some time to get your fingers to cooperate. Just as an athlete has to train, so does a guitarist. Except we get to make music when we “train”. Start out with some simple chords such as E minor (Em) and A . Second: you really have to push them strings down pretty hard. If you are hearing a kind of buzzing noise or just a “thump” then you aren’t pushing the strings down hard enough or another finger is in the way. Third and last piece of advice: Once you have your fingers where they belong for the chord you are wanting to play, before you strum the whole chord pluck each note individually to see which note (and finger) is giving you the trouble. Then all you have to do is reposition, or more than likely all you’ll have to do is push down harder on the string that’s giving you the trouble

 I hope this was useful V.G. and to anyone else who may be viewing.

 Keep them e-mails coming and keep on playing. And I apologize for anyone using dial-up or has a slow connection that may not be able to view the videos. This was just one of them requests that can't be typed out it has to be shown.

-JM Brown Instructor/Admin

All material contained within this website is the sole property of fret-master.com and it's subsidiaries unless otherwise noted. Any duplication of the materials within is strictly prohibited and protected under International Copyright Laws. Copyright 2006 Fret-master.com©™ All Rights Reserved.