AXEMAN2415
Guitar Weenie
USA
740 Posts |  Posted - 02 Dec 2005 : 16:42:18 
| Building Blocks: Scales Part I
In this discussion, I would like to focus our attention on more musical applications. We will look at some of these things in a generic manner. We will get more specific as I write more columns.
Basically, scales are series of ascending or descending tones that describe, or flavor, a musical key. All scales have a structure, and are based on “steps”, like a ladder. To begin our understanding of scales, we must look at the easiest scale to envision and play on our instrument: the “Chromatic Scale.”
If you examine your fret board, you will notice that if you begin with the open ‘E’ note on the low ‘E’ string (6th), and you count frets to the next higher ‘E’ note, you will count thirteen frets. (Counting the open string plus twelve frets). Every note on your guitar repeats if you add twelve frets to where ever you are positioned.
0--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10-11-12-( Low 'E' string (6th))
E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E
(Gb) (Ab) (Bb) (Db) (Eb)
The distance, or ‘interval’, from the low ‘E’ to the next higher ‘E’, at the twelfth fret, is called an ‘octave.’ Now I realize that ‘octave’ means “eight”, not twelve, but that will be covered later. Before we go any further, let us define ‘intervals.’ Intervals are the distance between two different notes. If you look at a ruler, you would have a close approximation of the term. On a ruler, you measure distances in “intervals” of inches, i.e., “make a mark every 6 inches.” That would be a measurement based on 6 inch increments. Similarly, intervals are how scale degrees are “measured.” Without getting too deep, intervals are used to build chords from the scales.
As you may have noticed in the above example, the chromatic scale covers all of the notes. Each note is a distance of one fret apart from the previous note. In music notation, the smallest increment in known as the ‘half-step.’ Each half-step equals one (1) fret. So if I were to tell you to start any note, and then go up a half-step, then you would go up in pitch by one fret. Example: Pluck the ‘F’ note at the first fret, then finger the next note one half step higher. That note would be ‘F#’ (or Gb, same note different name). If you go up another half step, you would arrive at ‘G’. Go back DOWN in pitch, one half step, and you will be back on ‘F#.’ And so on.
Why is this important to know? Well, for one thing, all of the other scales are derived from this scale. And consequently, it teaches us to understand more complex intervals as we look at different scales. Plus, you can use the chromatic scale in a lot of different musical situations. It can also be used as a great warm up exercise. Example;
---------------------------------------------------0-1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-----------
-----------------------------------------0-1-2-3-4-------------------5-4-3-2---
-------------------------------0-1-2-3-4---------------------------------------
---------------------0-1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------
-----------0-1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------------------------
-0-1-2-3-4---------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
-5-4-3-2----------------------------------------
-----------5-4-3-2------------------------------
--------------------5-4-3-2---------------------
-----------------------------5-4-3-2-3-4-5-6----
And so on…
We will look at further introducing you to scales next time.
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"C'mon Dave, Gimme a break!" |
Edited by - AXEMAN2415 on 05 Dec 2005 10:49:11 |
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