Guitar:

QuickStart Guide to Master Guitar Scales - From

Beginner to Expert

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Introduction
Chapter 1: Beginners FAQ
What the hell is a scale anyway?
Okay, cool. So why would I want to learn scales?
You got me interested! What scale do I learn first?
Understood. What note do I start on?
Can I move the scales around?
How do I do that? And whats a root note?
Where are the common root notes on the neck?
Whats a position?
Whats this CAGED system I keep hearing about?
What about the Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales?
Chapter 2: Essential Warm-Up Exercises
Stretching
Massaging
Simple exercises
Trills
3NPS (Notes Per String) Patterns
4 NPS Patterns
Chapter 3: The Scales & How to Practice Them
Major Scale
Minor Scale
Minor Pentatonic Scale
Major Pentatonic Scale
Scale Picking
Five Stage Practice Routine
The Minimum Movement Exercise
Melodic Patterns
Chapter 4: Transcribing
What is Transcribing?

Why is transcribing important?

The Process of Transcribing
Chapter 5: Practicing When You Cant Practice
Finger Exercises
Practice Planning
Chapter 6: Things to Remember
Keeping Scales Fun
The Golden Rules of Practicing Technique
Conclusion

Introduction
I want to thank you and congratulate you on choosing this book, Guitar: Quick-Start Guide to Master
Guitar Scales - From Beginner to Expert!
Scales are great fun when you know how to make music with them!
So I decided to put together a book for those who struggle to learn scales. It will help you decide
what scales you should learn, where you should use them, how to make your own music with them,
and how to make the best of your practice routine.
I hope this book answers some of the important questions you might have about the very fundamentals
of scales, and helps you become a better and well-rounded player. Scales are useful tools for creating
music, and any serious musician needs to learn them. I hope this book makes it easier for you.

Chapter 1: Beginners FAQ

When I first picked up a guitar and started learning, I had no idea what a scale even was for months. I
would hear people talk about scales sometimes and would draw a complete blank. I only knew
simple chords and rhythms because my instructor had never bothered to introduce me to scales.
When I asked my instructor about scales, he taught me one scale, and that too in just a few positions! I
was pretty happy with myself for knowing the C major scale. But when another guy asked me if I
could play the A minor scale, I felt like one of Apollos holy cows slow and red. The A minor
scale is in fact the exact same scale as the C major scale, just with a different tonic. More on that
later.
So anyway, I became convinced that scales were some sort of uber complex techniques that I would
never be able to learn and it would just make me hate music. It was only later when I did my own
research on the Internet that I found out what the purpose of scales was. I actually had a decent ear
before learning scales, so I could figure out melodies just by hearing them, but I didnt know scales
could take my skill to a completely new level. I kicked myself for ignoring them until then.
I dont want you to go through the ordeal like I did, so in this chapter, I will explain the basics of
scales and how they are used. If some of the answers seem too simple for you, feel free to skip ahead
to a succeeding topic.
Here are some frequently asked questions answered.

What the hell is a scale anyway?

I will keep it super simple a scale is nothing but a group of notes that sound good together. Its a
repeating pattern of notes that can be played ascending, descending, or otherwise to create melody.
Chords are built from scales, and harmony is also created from scales. Scales are the building blocks
of pretty much everything in western music. A scale can have any number of notes, and the intervals
between two consecutive notes vary from scale to scale. You could even make up your own scale, but
only when youve got your basics down solid. Creating scales is advanced stuff.

Okay, cool. So why would I want to learn scales?

Oh, where do I even start, my friend? Scales are the building blocks of so many things in music that
you just cant do without them! If youre serious about being a musician, scales are something you just
have to learn. They help you get a better sense of melody, improve your ear, help you develop
dexterity and strength in your fingers, and help you understand the playing of other players. They are
absolutely critical if you want to improvise and create your own solos.

You got me interested! What scale do I learn first?

The easiest and most common scale that people begin with is the Minor Pentatonic scale. Although I
myself started with the Major scale, I would recommend you start with the minor pentatonic. Its the
most used scale in rock and blues, and for good reason. Even though it has only 5 notes, it can be used
in virtually infinite different ways to create catchy riffs and melodies. Once youve learned that one
properly, you should proceed to the Major scale. It wont take you long because your fingers will
already have some level of dexterity by that point. Learn the scales in all different positions and
understand how to connect those positions with one another.

Understood. What note do I start on?

The root note denotes the key in which you are playing. You should always start and end with the
lowest possible root note. Those are found on the thicker strings, the low E and A strings if you go by
standard tuning. When you do it often, the harmonic content of the scale youre learning gets into your
head quicker, and you find it easier to hear the right tonality of the scale. When you have mastered the
scales, you should learn about the various modes of the scales you like, and learn to play them too.

Can I move the scales around?

Yes, as long as a scale doesnt use any open strings, you can move it around anywhere on the neck.
This is to say that if you play a scale on the 5th fret of the low E string, you can just as easily play the
same scale starting on the 8th fret. The relative position of the notes will remain the same, only the key
will change. Chords work on a similar concept. As long as your chords dont have any open strings,
they can be moved around. Just know your root notes well so you know the key you are playing in.

How do I do that? And whats a root note?

The root note defines the tonality of a scale. Take the Minor Pentatonic scale, for example. When
youre playing the first pattern, your first finger frets the root note on the 6th string. So the A Minor
Pentatonic will have its root on the 5th fret of the 6th string, the lower A note. Similarly, if you wanted
to play the C Minor Pentatonic scale, you will play it starting on the 8th fret of the 6th string, and that
will be your root note. That is how you move the scales around. Just move the root note around and
play it with the same finger you always do, and the notes you play relative to it in the same pattern
will make up the scale.
The root note doesnt always lie on the 6th string, but you should try to begin and end your pattern on
the lowest root note possible as often as possible. It helps you know your root notes well even on the
5th string.
If you want to learn more about keys and how they work, you should take some music theory lessons.
It comes in handy when trying to learn new concepts on the guitar.

Where are the common root notes on the neck?

Thats a loaded question, but I wont overwhelm you with too much information. You can easily find
a fretboard diagram on the Internet showing you all the notes on the neck. Ill only tell you the natural
notes on the 6th string, the low E. It will help you memorize your scales faster.

Note

Fret

10

12

Whats a position?
Well, I cannot really answer this question for you, because there are two ways in which the term
position is used in the guitarist community. Its very confusing honestly, and it becomes even more
confusing when people use both the definitions! I have been guilty of doing that at one point.
You see, some people consider position to mean your physical position on the neck. So if youre
playing around the 8th fret, it means youre in the 8th position. Other people use the term to mean
different ways of playing the same scale. This obviously means that G Major 1st position and A#
Major 1st position are going to be in very different regions on the neck.
Personally, Ive started using the term to mean the former. So when I say 7th position, it means around
the 7th fret. And when I say pattern, it means a certain way of playing the scale.

Whats this CAGED system I keep hearing about?

Scale patterns, also referred to as shapes and positions, are different ways of playing a scale, as I
already mentioned. You can almost always play a scale in more than one way, and the same goes for
a chord or a lick or whatever. This is because of the way a guitars fretboard is structured.
You can find diagrams of all the notes on the neck anywhere on the Internet, and you can also find
blank neck diagrams. Now what I want you to do is take any neck diagram and print it. Then locate
and mark the notes of the A Minor Pentatonic scale A, C, D, E, and G on the neck diagram.
Simply write the notes down if youre using a blank diagram, or encircle them with a red marker if
youre using a filled diagram. Once youre done, you will see that the same group of notes will
appear on the neck in 5 patterns and will repeat after every 12 frets. So the pattern starting on the 5th
fret will be the exact same as the pattern starting on the 17th fret. This will clear up a lot of things.
Do this exercise again in a different key, say D Minor. When you mark down the notes in the D Minor
Pentatonic scale (D, F, G, A, C), you will notice that the patterns formed are exactly the same as those
formed with the A Minor Pentatonic scale, just on different frets. This will help you get a better grasp
of the concept of root notes and how moving around the scale patterns works.

The CAGED system is based on the concept of five basic shapes that show the relationships between
notes on the neck. These five shapes are: C shape, A shape, G shape, E shape, D shape. Every scale
or chord you play fits into one of these shapes, and these shapes can be moved around to fit into
different keys. If youre an absolute beginner, dont bother learning it just yet. It will only confuse
you. If you can play the Minor Pentatonic and Major scales in the first pattern, you can start learning
it.
Remember to break out of it once youre an advanced player, however. CAGED is good for
beginners, but its a cage pun intended for skilled guitarists. It will box in your thinking and
creativity if you stick to it for too long. Think of it as a stepping-stone, and jump to something better
when its time.

What about the Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales?

These are mostly used in the classical and neoclassical rock scenarios. Theyre also used in jazz; so
dont bother with these just yet. When youre an intermediate player, then you can start learning these.
Remember, its best to learn things when you actually need to.

Chapter 2: Essential Warm-Up Exercises

Warm is one of the most important, yet one of the most overlooked aspects of guitar playing. It is so
underrated, and most players dont pay any attention to it, but thats what separates the truly
impressive players from the lot. All the great players know how important warm up really is, and they
never skip it.
We often talk about the songs we want to learn when we pick up the guitar. We learn new melodies
and theory, talk about guitar tone and gear, and even different styles of playing, but nobody discusses
warm-up. Most of us think that just picking up the guitar and noodling around for a bit is a good
warm-up in itself, and while it may be okay to do so sometimes, it certainly isnt the most efficient or
even an advisable way of warming up.
If youre serious about playing guitar, make sure you dedicate some portion of your practice time to
warm-up. It becomes even more important when we have very limited practice time. Warming up
doesnt just help you play better in lesser time; it also prevents injuries and disorders like Arthritis.
In this chapter, Im going to tell you about several warm-up techniques and methodologies. You can
pick your favorite ones from each section, and use a combination of them whenever you start
practicing. It will help you figure out what works best for you, and will also help you become more
nimble and dexterous on the guitar.

Stretching
Do some simple stretches with your hands and your fingers before you even touch your guitar. It
shouldnt be anything intense, just something that gets your joints and muscles limber up a little. Bend
each of your hands backwards at the wrists, and keep them stretched back for a few seconds before
relaxing them. Thread your fingers together and lightly stretch them too by bending them backwards.
Hold it for a few seconds and then relax.

Massaging
Once youre done stretching, lightly massage the joints in your hands and your wrist. Hold your
fingers and your thumb of one hand between the index finger and the thumb of the other hand, and
apply pressure to each part in a circular motion. It will really get the blood flowing in your hands and
will make them more flexible, thus preventing any injuries.

Simple exercises
First of all, welcome to the world of warm up exercises. There are really simple as well as some
super complicated exercises you can find on the Internet. All of them are meant to make your fingers
more nimble, and some help you develop a certain skill, like sweep picking or legato. They are also a
great way to improve the coordination between both your hands, which is one of the most important
things for any player of any level.
Lets start with the classic chromatic pattern that every beginner practices at some point of time. Its
really simple to learn and simultaneously helps improve many skills at once. The pattern is shown
below.
Use a metronome to do this exercise, and gradually increase your speed with each repetition.
E---------------------------------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------B-------------------------------------------1-2-3-4------------------------------G-----------------------------------1-2-3-4--------------------------------------D---------------------------1-2-3-4----------------------------------------------A-------------------1-2-3-4------------------------------------------------------E-----------1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------------------------Alternatively, you can start this exercise on the first string too, and then work your way up to the sixth
string. Either way, once you finish one round, shift one fret forward and then restart the whole pattern.
Make sure youre using alternate picking throughout the pattern. Repeat this until you reach the end of
the fretboard and then work your way backwards towards the 1st position. Repeat the whole cycle at
moderate speed a few times and you will feel the coordination between both your hands improving.
If you want to do something slightly different, try doing the same exercise with legato. Or try doing it
in reverse. Play 4-3-2-1 instead, and see if you can play it with the same level of comfort. Try to mix
and match the two. When going up the neck, use 1-2-3-4, and when coming back down, use 4-3-2-1,
the do the exact reverse of it. Just try and keep things interesting.
This is such an amazing exercise that even the greatest players do it when warming up. It is very
balanced and warms up each finger uniformly. The only downside to this exercise is that it is very
mechanical and unmusical. So unless you like to execute a lot of chromatic licks in your soloing, you
wont be developing much muscle memory when doing this.

Trills
Trills are a great way to warm up and build strength in your left hand. If you dont know what a trill
is, dont worry. Its nothing complicated, just a sequence of hammer-ons and pull-offs executed really
quickly. Think Randy Rhoads solo from Crazy Train. Lets practice some trills.
Use your index and middle fingers to execute this one, holding the 1st fret with the index finger and
hammering on with the middle finger.
E---------1h2p1h2p1h2p1-------Do this for about 30 seconds and then hold the 2nd fret with your middle finger. Start hammering on
and pulling off with your ring finger.
E---------2h3p2h3p2h3p2------Do this for 30 seconds, and finally, move to the last pattern. Hold the 3rd fret with your ring finger and
pull of with your pinky. This is the hardest out of all three because the pinky is the weakest finger.
E---------3h4p3h4p3h4p3------This is a simple warm-up exercise, but it works wonders for your fingers. It wakes them up quickly
and strengthens them. You can change the duration of the exercise if you think 30 seconds is too short
or too long. Just dont overdo this exercise because you could end up hurting yourself.
You can also do this exercise with a whole tone gap instead of a half tone gap, and use different
fingers.
E---------1h3p1h3p1h3p1-------E---------2h4p2h4p2h4p2------If you want to make this exercise musical, progress down a scale on one string using only trills. It
will make you use different finger pairings and help you learn to switch finger pairings quickly.

3NPS (Notes Per String) Patterns

If youre a little experienced with scaling patterns and want to try something a bit challenging, you
should do these 3 NPS patterns. These will not only help you break out of linear boxed patterns, but
will also help you review your scales and connect the dots between how different scale positions
lock into each other.
Heres an example of the E Minor scale.
E-------------------------------------------------7-8-10---------------------------B------------------------------------------7-8-10----------------------------------G------------------------------------4-5-7-----------------------------------------D------------------------------4-5-7-----------------------------------------------A------------------------2-3-5-----------------------------------------------------E------------------2-3-5-----------------------------------------------------------E--------------------------------------------------8-10-12-------------------------B-----------------------------------------8-10-12----------------------------------G-----------------------------------5-7-9-------------------------------------------D-----------------------------5-7-9-------------------------------------------------A-----------------------3-5-7-------------------------------------------------------E-----------------3-5-7-------------------------------------------------------------E-----------------------------------------------------10-12-14---------------------B--------------------------------------------10-12-13------------------------------G--------------------------------------7-9-11---------------------------------------D------------------------------7-9-10----------------------------------------------A-------------------------5-7-9-----------------------------------------------------E-------------------5-7-8-----------------------------------------------------------E--------------------------------------------------------------14-15-17-------------B-----------------------------------------------------13-15-17----------------------G--------------------------------------------11-12-14-------------------------------D----------------------------------10-12-14----------------------------------------A---------------------------9-10-12-------------------------------------------------E------------------8-10-12---------------------------------------------------------E---------------------------------------------------------------17-19-20-----------B------------------------------------------------------17-19-20--------------------G---------------------------------------------14-16-17-----------------------------D------------------------------------14-16-17--------------------------------------A---------------------------12-14-15-----------------------------------------------E------------------12-14-15--------------------------------------------------------Keep repeating the patterns until you run out of frets.

4 NPS Patterns
If you watch a lot of videos of famous players on YouTube, you must have seen some of them use 4
NPS patterns at some point of time, and as a beginner, it mustve blown your mind. I know it did
mine.
Theyre really challenging and can be really good for stretching your fingers and breaking out of the
box. Theres a repetitive note after every few notes, so it can make you feel a bit dissatisfied, but trust
me, its really good for warm-up. Try this pattern shown below.
E-------------------------------------------------------------8-10-12-13------------B--------------------------------------------------8-10-12-13-----------------------G-------------------------------------------4-5-7-9----------------------------------D-----------------------------------4-5-7-9------------------------------------------A---------------------------2-3-5-7--------------------------------------------------E-------------------2-3-5-7----------------------------------------------------------E-------------------------------------------------------------------10-12-14-15-----B-------------------------------------------------------10-12-13-15-----------------G----------------------------------------------7-9-11-12-----------------------------D-----------------------------------7-9-10-12---------------------------------------A---------------------------5-7-9-10-------------------------------------------------E------------------5-7-8-10----------------------------------------------------------I dont recommend this for beginners. Only when youre familiar with some basic scales and 3 NPS
patterns should you try these 4 NPS patterns.
Thats it. Those are some of my favorite warm-up exercises on the guitar, and I hope they help you
reach your full potential. Remember to warm up for at least 10 minutes every time you sit down to
practice.

Chapter 3: The Scales & How to Practice Them

In this chapter, we will look at the absolute basics of some scales, and then we will discuss some
great ways to improve your practice routines.

Major Scale
The Major scale is a seven-note scale, and its the most valuable scale in all of western harmony.
Everything comes from the Major scale, and all things in western music are described relative to the
Major scale. All harmony and naming conventions also come from the Major scale.
If you want to know what it sounds like, find a piano. Then find the white key adjacent to a group of 2
black keys. Start with that key, and then go forward playing all white keys. What you will hear is
called the C Major scale, consisting of all the natural notes (white keys) C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
Scale Formula
First of all, you should know what a whole step and a half step means. When two notes are a whole
step apart, it means that there is another note between them that has been skipped. In the case of half
step, the two notes are right next to each other. Whole step and half step are also called tone and
semitone respectively. Scale formulas are described with the help of these intervals between the
notes of the scale.
Heres the formula for the Major scale, which you need to memorize first.
1
T

T
6

2
T

The 8th note is nothing but the first note itself, just one octave apart, which means that its at a
frequency double that of the first note. The scale starts repeating at the 8th note.

Minor Scale
The Minor scale is another name for the Aeolian mode, one of the modes of the Major scale. Without
going into too much theory, Ill just tell you that modes are different ways of playing the same
arrangement of notes so that they convey a different mood or emotion. The Major scale has 7 modes,
and the Minor scale is one of them. All the Minor scales have a relative major, a Major scale from
which they originate.
The Minor scale is used a lot in mainstream western music, especially in sad songs. You can also
hear fair bits of it in Rock and Metal songs, even though they have a lot of bluesy and Phrygian sounds
too. The flat 6th is an especially tasty note in this scale. If youve ever heard Carlos Santana play, you
know what Im talking about.
Scale Formula
1
T
S
6
T

2
T

S
7

Minor Pentatonic Scale

This is the scale for anyone who wants to go into Blues and Rock music, because its used
extensively in both those styles of music. Its also a scale that most beginners learn first, and for good
reason. Its incredibly easy to learn because of its 2 NPS structure, and very useful in most popular
styles of music.
Another cool thing about the Minor Pentatonic scale is that it only consists of 5 notes, as the name
suggests (Penta = 5).
Scale Formula
1
TS
T
1

TS

Major Pentatonic Scale

Its the exact same scale as the Minor Pentatonic, just with a different tonal center. You could say that
these two are kind of like the modes of each other. Its similar to the relative major-minor concept we
read about in the previous scales. This is also a five-note scale that opens up a lot of possibilities for
you as a blues player. If you want to be a country player, this is one scale you definitely cant miss.
Scale Formula
1
T
TS
1

TS

Scale Picking
No matter whether youre a beginner or an intermediate player, you would like to increase your speed
on scales. The standard way of doing it is to practice them with a metronome and hone your technique
by gradually increasing the speed. So in this section, were going to learn to do things the standard
way. If youre a beginner, start super slow and dont aim to build speed at this point. Practice at a
speed that is comfortable to you, where you can actually hear and sustain each note. Just get used to
the sound of the scale and playing along with a metronome.
Lets pick a scale and get practicing. I recommend starting with the first pattern of the Major scale in
the key of G. Dont be confused. You just have to put your second finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th
string, which is your root note, and start picking from there. Heres the whole pattern.
E-----------------------------------------------2-3-5------------------------------B-------------------------------------------3-5-------------------------------------G-------------------------------------2-4-5----------------------------------------D-------------------------------2-4-5----------------------------------------------A-------------------------2-3-5----------------------------------------------------E---------------------3-5-----------------------------------------------------------E----------------------3-2--------------------------------------------------------------B--------------------------5-3----------------------------------------------------------G------------------------------5-4-2----------------------------------------------------D------------------------------------5-4-2----------------------------------------------A-------------------------------------------5-3-2---------------------------------------E-------------------------------------------------5-3-2---------------------------------This is the basic sequence of notes that you will be playing along with the metronome.
The Lesson
1) Start with 60 bpm (beats per minute) on the metronome first if youre a beginner. Dont
rush it; you wont be doing yourself any good. Just relax and feel the pulse of the metronome.
Tap your foot along to it as it helps develop your internal clock.
2) Once youve internalized the beat, start playing the scale. Play one note with each click of
the metronome, and aim to get your notes as synchronized to the metronome as possible. Use
the very tips of your fingers to fret the notes, and make sure none of them sound muffled or
muted.
3) If you can run through the whole scale 4 times in a row with perfect accuracy, its time to
increase the speed. Increase it by 10 bpm, and keep doing it until you reach about 160 bpm.
4) If you cant reach 160 bpm, keep grinding at your max speed for a while. Then take a short
rest and start again, increasing the speed with minimal increments (2 bpm) and keep pushing
your upper limit.
5) When you can comfortably play at 160 bpm, stop and then start again at 80 bpm, this time
playing two notes with every click. This is just like playing one note per click at 160 bpm.
The only difference is that now youll be doing extra picking between clicks.

6) When you reach 160 bpm again, its time to switch to the next gear again. Revert back to
80 bpm and start playing 4 notes with every click. It will improve your alternate picking a lot.
7) Try to get as fast as you can in this stage. 140 bpm is a good target and you dont really
need to go any faster than that unless you want to play a lot of fast Metal.
8) Take pauses to monitor your technique and hand positions. Its easy to get lost and not pay
attention to these finer details, but these are what make the player exceptional. Take a couple
of private lessons if you have to, so that your tutor can show you the perfect hand position and
whether youre doing okay.
9) Also notice how much your pick moves when you play. You dont want it to move more
than just a few millimeters from the string. If you observe that the pick is moving too much,
slow down and make some changes.
10)
Another thing to remember is to keep your pick slanted at an angle of 15-30 degrees
so it can easily go through the strings without getting caught. Its all part of good technique and
took me some time to understand.
Final Words
Accuracy and clarity are the two most important things to remember here. If you dont pay attention to
these and just keep running after speed, you will sound crappy. Remember to take it slow and do it
properly. Playing fast is exciting, I know, but to do exciting things, you have to first do a lot of boring
things.

Five Stage Practice Routine

When youre learning scales, the very first thing you need to do is to memorize the scale. And no, I
dont mean just the physical aspect of it either. I mean you have to really memorize every bit of it
the sound of it, the feel of it, what kind of mood it creates. You have to give your ear the opportunity
to learn and get better. Only when youve learned one scale well should you move on to another
scale.
Heres a great routine for you to follow. It will help you break out of scalular playing and not sound
like youre just playing scales.
Stage 1: Up and down
In this stage, your only goal is to be able to cycle the scale. You should be able to play it
continuously up and down the neck with the click of the metronome. Another goal here is to keep the
volume or weight of all your notes consistent throughout.
Stage 2: Random directions
Once youre good at cycling the scale up and down, its time to start switching directions at random
while playing the scale. Start at a slower speed this time and make sure you stay with the beat. Dont
skip any notes and dont pause when changing directions. Just go up and down the neck randomly
changing directions in between.
Stage 3: Random notes
Now that you have a fair idea of how a scale is structured and spread over the neck, its time to really
explore it. Start playing random notes from the scale but be very careful that you only play notes from
the scale. This exercise is the real test of your knowledge of the scale. Dont make any mistakes
because theres no point to this exercise if you do it wrong.
Stage 4. Playing in thirds
If you didnt already know this, chords are built up in intervals of a third. What this means for your
soloing is that when you play notes that are a 3rd apart, it will sound more melodic than just random
scalar licks. Melodies often use chord tones so after you practice going in thirds for a bit, your
improvisation should improve too. Playing in thirds means playing one note and then skipping the next
note in the scale to play the third one after it. This exercise will really help improve your sense of
melody, so give it good time.
Take any scale and go like this.
1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5-7-6-8-7-9 and so on.
Stage 5. Four in A Line
The 4 in a line is another really good pattern that helps you be more melodic. In this pattern, you start
on the first note in a scale and then play the next 3 notes, then go back to the second and play the next
3 notes, and so on. Execute this pattern up and down the neck and see your soloing improve hugely. It
gives you a way out of a scale because you play some notes in a row and then skip some.

The Minimum Movement Exercise

This is a simple yet not-so-simple exercise that requires a lot of concentration and time. Good
technique requires you to perform things with minimum movement. You become more efficient and
faster when you do something with minimum movement. And trust me, this exercise will help your
playing hugely even if you think otherwise.
1) Start playing any Major scale first pattern, but do so very slowly. And I do mean very
slowly. Play only one note every few seconds.
2) Observe your left hand and make sure your fingers dont move more than a few millimeters
away from the fretboard. Theres no point to this exercise otherwise.
3) In the beginning its going to be really hard, but stick to it and make your movements as
small as possible.
4) Do this for 10 minutes every day and then feel the difference.

Melodic Patterns
Have you heard the proverb You are what you eat? Im sure you must have. It is extremely true in
our context, because if you spend all your time playing scales up and down the neck, guess what your
soloing is going to sound like on the stage? Yep, like you practicing the scales. This is why you need
to study some melodic patterns and sequences to break out of the scalular playing. These sequences
help you free up your mind and think in new ways. They also present fingering challenges that you
have to overcome, which increases your technical skills.
Dont be a robot. Practice melodic sequences often.
Groups of four
Idea 1: 1-2-3-4, 2-3-4-5, 3-4-5-6, 4-5-6-7, and so on.
Idea 2: 4-3-2-1, 5-4-3-2, 6-5-4-3, and so on.
Idea 3: 1-2-4-3, 2-3-5-4, 3-4-6-5, and so on.
Groups of three
Idea 1: 1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5, 4-5-6, and so on.
Idea 2: 3-2-1, 4-3-2, 5-4-3, and so on.
Idea 3: 3-1-2, 4-2-3, 5-3-4, and so on.
Intervallic
Idea 1: 1-4, 2-5, 3-6, 4-7, and so on. Try the reverse, too.
Idea 2: 1-3-4-2, 3-5-6-4, 5-7-8-6, and so on.
Idea 3: 1-5, 2-6, 3-7, 4-8, and so on. Try the reverse too.

Chapter 4: Transcribing
What is Transcribing?
Transcribing refers to working out melodies by your ear. Weve all used TAB at some point of time,
and thats okay as a complete beginner, but once you start to develop some technique, its important
that you spend some time training your ear too. Transcribing helps you do that. Music is all about
listening really, so it makes sense to use the best means at your disposal to learn it, doesnt it?
Transcribing actually means to write things down, but in the context of guitar, it is used to refer to
writing down musical notations or TABs by ear. The main point of transcribing is to help you
develop your ear. What you write is helpful for when you might forget it. This is one of the most
important skills for any musician, but most of us often overlook it.
Believe me, learning to transcribe will connect you to the music inside you and help you express
yourself on your guitar much more freely. It will simply transform your playing.

Why is transcribing important?

If you look at any great player, say Jimi Hendrix, can you imagine him browsing websites for tabs of
songs other guitarists had written? No, right? Ask any great player and they will tell you how they
learned to play. They just listened to a lot of music and tried to emulate it. In the process of figuring
out and emulating that music, they mastered the most important thing in developing their musicality
their ear.
Yes, learning scales and chords and theory is important, but theres only so much you can do with it if
youre not connected with the music inside you. Transcribing helps you put what youre thinking on
paper. If youre someone who wants to write their own music, transcribing is something you simply
must learn! Most great players use transcribing a lot and that is what separates them from the rest.
The best thing about transcribing is that it helps you understand the little nuances of playing better.
You can hear everything about a note, not just what it is. Reading tabs doesnt help with anything
except what note is being played. But when you transcribe, you actually pay attention to how a note is
played, how aggressive or soft it is. Music is a language if you ask me, and listening is the only way
you can learn to speak it well. Every players style has a certain accent that you wont get if you only
follow tabs and never transcribe.
You mustve heard the figure of speech playing from the heart or playing with feel, and might
have thought its all a load of bull. Its all just a bunch of notes in the end that anyone can play, right?
Wrong. I believe it means being able to express oneself musically, to actually play what we hear
inside our heads. When I was a beginner, I would construct these amazing melodies in my mind all the
time, but I was never able to actually play them until I learned to transcribe. So from the heart or
not, what matters is that the music comes from inside you.
Of course, tabs are great when you want to check how accurate your own transcriptions are and at
times when the music youre hearing is too complex for you to figure out on your own, but you should
try to write down music by your own ear as much as possible.

The Process of Transcribing

1. Listening
Transcribing is all about listening and thats what you need to realize first. Just like working out your
muscles in the gym, you need to work out your ear by listening to music and try to pick up sounds
correctly as much as possible.
So whatever you choose to transcribe, listen to it over and over first. Dont even try to write it down
until youve heard it at least 20 to 30 times. You should get to a point where you can imagine and hear
the song inside your head. This will make it much easier to transcribe the song. You can also try and
sing the notes as you hear them.
2. Tune Up
If your guitar is out of tune, there is absolutely no point in doing this. So tune your guitar properly
before you sit down to transcribe something.
3. One note at a time
When you have the music in your mind, have at it one note at a time. Start figuring out the notes slowly
and learn to stop the track at the right time.
The last thing you hear stays in your ear.
4. Write It Down
Once you have figured out a bunch of notes, start writing them down. I recommend writing in TAB
form first because its just easier to read. Once you have written down all the tabs, you can add
rhythm and time signature and stuff. Even if youre good with staff notations, I dont recommend
starting with them.
5. Rest
Sometimes you just wont be able to figure out anything because your ears are tired. Thats okay.
Everyone needs some time to rest and when you have reached a saturation point, your mind will play
tricks on you. So just rest for a while when you feel exhausted and dont overdo it.
6. Time to Play
When youre finished writing down the tab, start playing it. You will learn at a much faster speed.
Also dont try to rush anything and take things slowly. You dont have to start playing along with the
song at full speed.
7. Don't be put off by mistakes
When you first start transcribing, you will make mistakes, a lot of them probably. When I look back
and see my old transcriptions, I see a lot of mistakes. But thats okay, because making mistakes is
how you learn. Dont be afraid of them. Record yourself, compare yourself to the original, and then
correct your mistakes. You can even look at official tabs if you need to check.
8. Enjoy It
Dont forget to enjoy the process. Music is supposed to be fun, so dont overlook this part. Its super

important!

Chapter 5: Practicing When You Cant Practice

Some of us really want to practice all the time but cant because as frustrating as that is, we cant
always have our instrument around us. Work and school tends to consume most of our time and only
some of us get to be full time musicians, so practice time is important. So whats the best way to keep
improving and making musical progress even when you dont have your instrument around?
Here are some ways you can invest your time in practicing even when youre not actually practicing.

Finger Exercises
As I mentioned earlier, warming up is one of the most important things you should do before
practicing. So why not get yourself warmed up before you get home and start playing? You can do
these finger exercises before you leave work or when youre in the subway or anywhere really.
Start by placing your left hand on a table or on your leg, and bend your fingers 90 degrees with your
fingertips touching the surface. Then start lifting and dropping each of your fingers one by one until
they touch the surface. Start slow and slowly build up speed.
You can do this exercise anywhere you want and nobody will know. Its like a chromatic exercise for
your fretting hand, and others may think youre just ticking nervously because youve had too much
coffee.
Try this for 20 minutes before practice and you will really feel like ripping it up on your guitar once
you get home. If you really want to take this to the next level, visualize some scales and start playing
an imaginary air guitar. Im not kidding, if you really focus on it and visualize the scale patterns as
you go from low to high, it will really help improve your playing!

Practice Planning
Have you ever planned for practice? Im guessing most of you havent, and thats because beginners
dont think much of it. They think any practice is good practice. But if you take the time to plan it out
and practice different things instead of the same old licks and runs, you will greatly improve the
quality of your practice time and the level of your playing.
Everyone has a note-taking app on their smartphones these days, and we use it to write anything and
everything. Ive written tabs on it in the past, short stories, grocery lists, and heck, even sappy poetry.
You should start using one such app too. Whenever you have some free time, start planning and typing
out a new practice routine. You only have limited time to practice and play once you get home, so you
might as well use all of it in actual practice and not on planning. Dont waste all your time noodling
around and messing with half-learned songs. Plan what youre going to practice when you get home
and then do it.
There are so many things you can list down in your routine, and so many ways in which you can do it.
You can start with simple songs if you want, or advanced techniques if thats what youre looking to
improve. Heres a list of things I wrote down a while back to help me practice in a more disciplined
manner.
1) Alternate picking
2) Finger picking
3) Legato
4) Strict legato
5) Tapping
6) Odd time signature metal rhythms
7) Song solos
8) Scale sequences
9) Sweep picking
10)
Improvisation
Thats a long list, because I do get more time to practice now. If you dont get as much time, dont
worry. Just make multiple lists that with fewer items. Then go through each one every time you sit
down to practice. It will make your playing well rounded and melodic.
Another thing you should do is scour the Internet for new ideas and things to practice. When youre
sitting in the cafeteria during lunchtime, dont waste your time looking up sports scores you dont care
about or making small talk with people on Facebook. Invest that time in looking for new things to
practice.
There are a ton of lessons you can find on the Internet, which you can start practicing once you get
home. Check out GuitarWorld, it has so many resources for players of all level.

Chapter 6: Things to Remember

If youve ever felt like learning a new scale to play just after you learned one a few days back, youre
not alone. Most of us get bored of the scales we learn real quick because our approach to learning is
very limited and uncreative. We learn the notes in the scale, learn the various positions to play it in,
and then get fed up of repeating the same things over and over because we dont know what else to
practice. Its a very restrictive way of learning and puts severe obstructions in your path of learning.
If you continue to learn in this manner, it will harm your productivity and creativity on guitar.
There are a million different ways to use any scale on the guitar, and only when you break out of the
habitual things will you be able to master the scale and do whatever you want with it. Fortunately, the
only thing you need in order to really learn and internalize any scale is the need to explore. If youre
adventurous, you will try to find new ways through the scale and create new sounds out of the various
groups of notes in the scale. As long as you dont abandon a scale quickly without trying to explore
all the possibilities, you will keep making progress and adding to your musicality.
In this section, I will tell you some important things you need to remember in order to keep your scale
and technique practice interesting. You will amaze yourself with the things you can do if you follow
these rules of practicing. They will help you have fun on the guitar without getting frustrated or bored
with a scale.

Keeping Scales Fun

Don't learn scales randomly
The first and most important thing you need to remember is to keep yourself disciplined and
organized. You dont want your brain to be cluttered with a lot of unnecessary information, so dont
learn new scales at random. Ive stressed it before and I will stress it again only learn things when
you need to. There are so many different scales in the whole wide world of music that if you set out to
learn them all, you will never be able to do so, no matter how hard you try. Instead, what you should
do is master one scale at a time and practice the hell out of it before moving on to a new one.
Learn the very basic scales first so you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals. Theres no need to
learn obscure scales until youre very good at the basic stuff. If you pursue a particular type of music,
start by making a list of all popular scales used in that style of music.
Go out and learn these scales one by one, understanding how to use each of these scales in any context
freely. You should be able to discern the various notes being played and express yourself through
your musicality. Once you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, start learning more exotic scales to
add flavor to your playing. It can be very beneficial as long as you dont rush through the scales and
learn them in a thorough and effective manner.
Ask your guitar teacher and other more experienced members of the community what scales you
should be learning first, and work on them first. Develop your knowledge and your ear by thoroughly
practicing the fundamentals first.
Avoid boxed patterns and master the whole fretboard
You mustve heard someone talk about boxed patterns sometime or the other. All the greats know
how dangerous boxed patterns can be, and they constantly warn against getting stuck in boxed shapes.
Yet so many of us are guilty of doing it. I think this is by far the most popular mistake in our
community. If the 5th position is the only A Minor Pentatonic position you know, then youre guilty of
doing it too.
I understand, its easy to fall in the trap of boxed positions. They give you an easy way into learning
your scales and you also have the satisfaction of sounding more or less musical, so its very tempting
to learn boxed shapes and never try to break out of them. But it hurts your soloing more that you can
imagine. You never truly learn the scales and their full potential, and you waste your time running
through those same old boring licks.
If you just learn to practice soloing over the whole fretboard instead of isolated positions, you will be
able to express yourself much more articulately in any musical context.
Analyze solos that inspire you
When youre learning new scales and techniques, it is important to take out some time and analyze
music from the artists that inspire you. Observe your favorite guitar players and discover new ones so
you can listen to good music. Try to discern their solos with your ear and tab them out just by
listening to them. If your ear is not very good, start doing some transcribing and until youre good at
that, use tabs you find on the Internet on in guitar magazines.

This will help you hear the various nuances in a scale youre practicing, and learn new ways to create
melodies. You will be surprised by how many new doors open once you start listening and recreating
licks of some great guitar players.
Practice playing on a single string
In addition to learning the scales vertically and pattern-wise, it is also important that you learn how a
scale is laid out linearly or on a single string. The former is the foundation of playing scales, but it
isnt good enough to stop there. You should be diligent and learn how to play scales on single strings
as well. This will give you a better feel for the intervals between the notes of a scale, and will also
develop your ear. Another great thing that comes out of practicing on a single string is that youre
more creative when trying to execute licks not starting on the root note.

Move beyond the CAGED system

The CAGED system is quite popular among guitarists because it provides an easy way of learning
musical shapes and patterns without doing much theory, but you shouldnt think of it as the end goal.
Rather, consider the CAGED system as a stepping-stone. Its a very limited system that gives you
incomplete knowledge of how scales work. It was made for guitars, and it only works in the standard
tuning, so you shouldnt rely on it forever.
If you really want to take your playing to the next level, move beyond the CAGED system when its
time, otherwise it will cripple your playing and you wont be able to break out of your repetitive
licks and shapes. You should aspire to be a good musician, not just a good guitarist, and to be a good
musician; you have to have a good grasp of how scales work and what is musically possible with
them. The CAGED system is flawed and will only limit you, so go beyond it once youve mastered it.

The Golden Rules of Practicing Technique

So youve started to develop your chops, eh? Good, then its time you learned the Golden Rules of
practicing technique. Following these will help you develop your technique in the best possible way.
All practice is good practice NOT!
Unlike the old adage would have you believe, practice doesnt make perfect, just permanent. So when
youre working on your techniques, dont make mistakes. Work on them very carefully and develop
your techniques slowly, because once you develop bad habits, they become permanent and are very
hard to undo. Trust me, I know because Ive made mistakes while practicing.
Do not expect to play something perfectly just because you practiced it sloppily a hundred times. It
will be sloppy until you learn to practice it perfectly. So practice right.
Start new things slowly
Never rush into things. I see so many players, who chase speed, who think that shredding up and
down the neck is all that matters. If you run after speed and sacrifice accuracy, you will always sound
rubbish. So whenever you start something new, focus on making it sound as accurate and clear as
possible. Do not pay any attention to speed. Only when youre comfortable with it should you start
building up speed, and that too gradually.
Starting to learn something is like writing the code for it in your brain. If you make mistakes while
programming the code into your brain, it will never function properly. There will be glitches and
mistakes. So always write the code very slowly and carefully. Once youve done that, you can easily
speed up by telling your brain youve already practiced it so many times perfectly. Your brain can
take a break eventually and it will all be a game of muscle memory and dexterity then.
Always use minimum movements
As weve already discussed, minimum movement is the key to efficiency. Never let your fingers move
too much. Keep them tight and close to the fretboard so you can hit the notes and release them deftly.
The same goes for the picking hand. Use the tip of the pick when playing lead, and dont let the pick
move too much.
Understand the point of the exercise
Whenever you start working on a technical exercise, make sure you understand the point of it first. If
you dont know why youre doing it and how it will benefit you, go back and learn it. Make sure you
really need to be doing it, because nobody works well with half-assed motivation. You will get
distracted and will easily lose interest. Know the essence of what youre doing, and then do it with
all your heart.

Conclusion
This brings us to the end of this book. A lot of different topics have been covered and I hope they all
help you in some way or the other in developing your technique. Weve learned about some basic
scales, studied some great ways of practicing and playing them, learned the importance of ear training
and how transcribing can help you improve your ear, learned about some rules you need to follow to
make the best of your practice routines, and even learned how to practice when we dont have our
guitars with us.
All of this is a lot to take in, so dont rush through any of it, as Ive said before. Take your time in
understanding and practicing everything, and master everything slowly. You will be an impressive
player soon! Just hustle and practice right.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book.
Good luck!