The Major Scale

The major scales are not used much in today’s music, but can be very useful to know. By today’s music I mean most metal/hard rock. Metal, while being mostly inclusive of minor keys, still includes a good deal of use of the major scale. It is a great warm-up and a skill to get you playing faster in no time. The major scale also helps with finger strength.

As you may know the major scales have many great uses in soloing and creating riffs in your own songs. You can also “improvise” a lot easier and quicker with the knowledge of scales.

Here is the basic structure of the scale.

e|------------------------|
B|------------------------|
G|------------------------|
D|----------2-4-5---------|
A|-----2-3-5-----5-3-2----|
E|-3-5----------------3-5-|

That was a “G Major” scale.


The fingering to play the major scales is pretty simple. Start with your middle finger on (in this case) the third fret. Then put your pinky on the fifth. Next, put your first finger on the second fret. Now put your middle finger on the third fret. After that, put pinky on the fifth fret. Next, put your first finger on the second fret. Then, place your ring finger on the Fourth fret, Then your pinky on the fifth. Then just do that in reverse on the way down.

If that was a little confusing, it goes like this

- Middle
- Pinky
- First
- Middle
- Pinky
- Index (first)
- Ring
- Pinky

Speed building in scales can take some time, but with the right practice and enough of it, you will be fast very quickly. I hope that that is the case for you with my teaching.

One way that you all know how to do is to start slow, and work it up to tempo. This way is very boring for most people. But I have some different ways to show you how to get faster – and quickly!

This is an exercise that you can use to get your scales going faster. It just is breaking it down into sections. It is very easy. And if you would like, with each note, say a number starting at “1”. Like this:


1. "1 2 1 1 2 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1" ect…

e|---|-------|------------|---------------|--------------------|
B|---|-------|------------|---------------|--------------------|
G|---|-------|------------|---------------|--------------------|
D|---|-------|------------|---------------|--------------------|
A|---|-------|-----2------|-----2-3-2-----|-----2-3-5-3-2------|
E|-3—|-3-5-3-|-3-5---5-3--|-3-5-------5-3-|-3-5-----------5-3--|

e|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
G|------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
D|------------2-----------|---------2-4-2------------|----------2-4-5---------|
A|------2-3-5---5-3-2-----|----2-3-5------5-3-2------|-----2-3-5-----5-3-2----|
E|-3-5----------------3-5-|-3-5----------------5-3---|-3-5----------------3-5-|

As you can see, speed building can be pretty easy if you have the right practice and the right amount of effort and time.


Now, try changing it (putting a “twist” into it) – something like this:

e|----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|
D|----------------5---4---2---------|
A|---2-3-2-5---3--------------5-----|
E|-3---------5------------------3~--|

Now that you know how to do major scales, it will be very easy to write out your own songs.