The Answer to Learning Scales
Scale and Modal Patterns
It is important to learn where all the notes are on the fretboard. Note that when the twelfth fret, at the double dots, is reached all the patterns are the same as the first fret.
The diagram below shows a C scale on the fretboard.
There are seven positions which can be memorized and provide the blueprint for the vast majority of western scales inluding blues and modes. These patterns are all moveable to any where on the fretboard.As long as note names on the fretbboard are known ,it is simply a case of moving the positions about to obtain the relevant scale in the relevant key.For instance,the diagram above shows a C scale.Move the whole pattern up the board to frets and you now have D major and all its modes under your fingers!
Modes (or scales) have Greek names. There are seven of them,4 minor and 3 major. They are build on each note of the scale. The first mode is based, or rooted on E because this is the bottom note of a standard tuned guitar. It is called the Phrygian mode.
The pattern of intervals is maintained. Just the first note of the scale is moved. This table illustrates this.
The root or starting note for each scale is along the E string. Any of the patterns can be used to produce these modes but for illustritive sakes I have confined these patterns to scales on the E string.
