SCALES: THEY’RE NOT JUST FOR MIND-NUMBING PRACTISE

One of the most important guitar lessons I ever had was the time my teacher introduced me to Frank Gambale’s three-note-per-string major scale pattern. There are so, so, so many reasons it’s important to learn the major scale.

For example, it’s the basis of the modes. Once you know the major scale, you can begin to experiment with the modes which – get this – use the exact same notes. Try this: play a major scale using its first note as the root and you’re playing… Well, a major scale, obviously – but in the world of modes, that’s called the Ionian mode.

Now play the exact same scale, but using the second note as the root – now you’re in Dorian. And so through each degree of the major scale, we’ll use the key of C as our example:

C Ionian (major): CDEFGABC D Dorian: DEFGABCD E Phrygian: EFGABCDE F Lydian: FGABCDEF G Mixolydian: GABCDEFG A Aeolian (minor): ABCDEFGA B Locrian: BCDEFGAB So let’s go back to Gambale’s three-note-per-string variation of the major scale. I like it because it’s a recurring pattern across pairs of strings, as you’ll see in Figure #1. There’s one pattern shared by the E and A strings, a different pattern shared by the D and G, and another shared by the B and High E.

That makes it easy to learn. It makes it easy to play with hammer-ons. It makes it easier to visualise sweep-picking patterns (which Frank is a God at). And most importantly, it makes it easier to create music.

If all you’re doing with a scale is playing it from bottom to top and back down again, you’re completely missing the point. You’re reciting the alphabet when someone has asked to to tell them a story. Gambale’s major scale pattern will give you a great foundation for exploring the unique sonic textures of the modes without having to learn all-new patterns to do it. You can (and should) work out the three-note-per-string patterns for the modes on your own as a homework assignment, because it’ll help you in the long run.

What I would recommend is to use whatever recording device is at your disposal to lay down eight bars of just steady eighth-notes playing a C (or maybe a C power chord if you want to sound more badass). Then after eight bars, switch to the next note in the major scale (D), and so on throughout the scale until you get back to C. Then, just casually explore the C major scale in that three-note-per-string pattern as the backing track progresses through the cycle.

You’re going to quickly learn which notes work better as the ‘standout’ notes of each mode, and which ones sound like shit if you hang onto them for too long.

This lesson is basically self-directed because it’s about giving you the information to explore these modes for yourself. However, I will give you one of my favourite little melodic ideas from the three-note-per-string major scale pattern, and maybe it’ll set off some new creative tangents for yourself. Figure #2 is a little major scale exploration built on the three-note-per-string pattern, choosing one note from each string as I play through triplets.

Think of each element as a set of three notes. All of these notes are pretty far apart from each other – no two notes are directly next to each other in the scale – so it has a more exotic feel than just running up and down a major scale. Work with this idea and set up your own little rules to see what happens!