SCALE BASICS
Scales are used for constructing chords and for playing lead guitar. So, you can see that they are used for every branch of guitar. Scales are broken into patterns that span the entire fretboard. Just learning 1 scale can be of benefit.
Minor Pentatonic
The minor pentatnoic scale is a 5 note scale.This scale has just 5 notes, which makes it a good starting point. It's also the most used scale in Western music.
| Formula | 1 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b7 | ||
| Steps | WH | W | W | WH | W |
Major
The major scale is probably the most important scale. It's used, not only as a scale, but also used for constructing chords.
| Formula | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Steps | W | W | H | W | W | W | H |
Natural Minor
This scale is used when playing a song in a minor key. It's not used as often as the minor pentatonic and major, but still very useful.
| Formula | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b6 | b7 |
| Steps | W | H | W | W | H | W | W |
Blues
The blues scale is just the minor pentatonic, but with an added bluesy note.
| Formula | 1 | b2 | 4 | #4 | 5 | b7 | |
| Steps | WH | W | H | H | WH | W |
Major Pentatonic
The major pentatonic is another 5 note scale, but it's not used as much as some of the others.
| Formula | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Steps | W | W | WH | W | WH |