Im sorry but Im not seeing the patterns

[brahmz118]

Right at the start here, thought Id learn the major scale this weekend, well I printed some positions..1-5 of C major, and Im not seeing any patterns, Im not grasping where the octave changes and most disappointing Im not getting the root or tonic. What am I doing wrong..?

Using this image? Two questions, 1) as you play through the patterns, do you consistently use the same left hand fingering for each pattern, and 2) do you consistently use the same right-hand technique (i.e., alternate picking / DUDU)? I know you're more interested in understanding the scales than developing performance skills, but if you can get consistent LH fingerings and use the same RH technique (even if it's DDDD) then you will be eliminating some distractions.

Then, it might be useful to label the all the tonics / C's in the diagram so that you know when you're playing them.

In the above diagram I learned the 1st pattern and the 4th pattern first, because the hand doesn't need to shift up or down. But it's useful to learn them all. Once you get all the positions cleanly (doesn't need to be fast), try picking out the same melody fragment at each position - i.e., the first 7 notes of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. You'll see that it will be a better fit at certain positions (though you must be willing to change your original LH scale fingerings at this point). With time, you'll hopefully gravitate to certain positions because you'll know intuitively what kind of lines are a good fit with each one.

[windmill]

Its all good information here but I haven't seen anyone say this yet -

 

"Learn where all the notes on the fretboard are, then you can start writing your own how to play books"

 

Do you know your fret board ?

[Krank'N]

An easy way to learn this is with a 1-4-5 Chord progression and the natural minor pentatonic scale. C major= Am natural (same notes). Its the white keys on the piano. No sharps or flats to hamper learning. Once you get the easy pattern and realize the relationships then you can move it up and down the neck for other keys..
Start with Am Barre chord at 5th fret. Thats the one chord(often called i). Next the four chord Dm Barre at the 10th fret( iv chord). Then Em Barre at the 12th fret(the v chord). So theres your one- four -five chord progression in Aminor. Easy enuff. Next play the Aminor pentatonic at the fifth fret (where your Am chord was). Then Dm penatonic at the 10th fret and Eminor at the 12th fret. USE THE SAME FINGERING PATTERN EACH TIME. Focus on the Barre chord notes as you play the pentatonic scale.
Now the secret! The Am natural is just those 3 chords and 3 pentatonic scales COMBINED. THis way you not only memorize the notes and fingerings but also develope an understanding of the tonal center and the most important chords/sequences associated with it.

[andy thompson]

 

Its all good information here but I haven't seen anyone say this yet - "Learn where all the notes on the fretboard are, then you can start writing your own how to play books" Do you know your fret board ?

 

 

No, thats what Im trying to do here.

 

Time is short at present, what Im going to do next is work out the notation for the scale then embed, hopefully.

[ozzeh]

Learning the fretboard is a bitch which is why I think learning the CAGED sequence is essential for locating any key at any position on the neck. Get a teacher to guide you further into it as it'll knock years off of the learning curve.

 

As far as memorization goes, I'd concentrate on the 6th & 5th strings and learn every note on these two strings as they're the root notes for the E-shaped chord and A-shaped chord respectively which are by far the two most widely used barre chords.

 

brahmz's diagram is really nice and if you follow it from positions 1-5, at each position you're playing a C Major / A minor...

 

Position 1 = open C (play the open string and then the notes)

Position 2 = A form Chord (3rd fret)

Position 3 = G form Chord (5th fret)

Position 4 = E form Chord (8th fret)

Position 5 = D form Chord (10th fret)

 

All of these positions play the exact same CHORD (C Major)... so that you can easily navigate from playing C major in one part of the neck to another without much thought and you can also switch keys very quickly as well.