Scale Fragments

By Tim Gillespie

Here are three small fragments in the key of C major. The exercises this month are centered around taking these notes and playing them out of order. Make up some new routes and practice them slowly. Try to play each improvised lead at least ten times.

Try to play no more than three consecutive notes without breaking up the order.

You are trying to develop some interesting passages. The only way to determine what you think is interesting is to experiment. We can talk about this for a long time, but the way you understand this is to try it. The more you try this, the easier it will become. This is like improvising, the best results will come if you are not too critical. You are not trying to create the greatest lead ever, you are just trying to jump start your abilities.

If you have another guitarist you can practice with, pick some simple chords in the key of C major and make up some lead lines. The basic chords in the key of C major are listed here.

Chords of C major.

Consider recording some of these leads if you have the equipment. You may be surprised how nice some of the combinations are that you come up with.

Extra Credit!

This is the first position C major pentatonic scale. Because pentatonic scale notes are spaced farther apart, they can be easier to construct solos with. Try developing runs using this pattern of notes. You may find that it is easier to build tasteful solos using this scale.

This is the same scale as the diatonic except the four and seven degrees are left out. This is why this scale has bigger spaces between notes.