guitar scales

12 Types of Major Scales - Guitar Lesson With Diagrams
- By Stef Ramin
- On 04/16/2019
- 0 comments
When we think about major scales, the first that comes to mind is the Ionian mode, best know as THE major scale. However, there are several other types of major scales (Ionian #5, Lydian augmented #2, Ionian b6) which deserve a little more attention. Here they are listed with guitar shapes and formulas.

Continue reading
Locrian Mode Guitar Cheat Sheets - PDF and JPEG Formats
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- 0 comments
Locrian Mode Cheat Sheet For Guitar

The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale. It has a particular sound because of the b2, b3, b5, b6 and b7. It is probably the least used and the most misunderstood of all of the modes of the major scale. The Locrian mode is usually played over minor seventh flat ninth chords (m7b5).

The Aeolian mode is built with : root (1), minor second (b2), minor third (b3), perfect fourth (4), diminished fifth (b5), minor sixth (b6) and minor seventh (b7).

locrian-mode-guitar-cheat-sheet.pdf (145.18 Ko)

Continue reading
Aeolian Mode Printable Cheat Sheet - PDF and Jpeg Files
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Aeolian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Aeolian mode (also called "natural minor scale" or "relative minor scale) is the sixth mode of the major scale, it is known as a relative minor to the ionian mode. It is a minor scale containing a minor third (b3), a minor seventh (b7) and a minor sixth (b6).

The Aeolian mode is built with : root (1), second (2), minor third (b3), perfect fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), minor sixth (b6) and minor seventh (b7).

aeolian-mode-cheat-sheet-for-guitarist.pdf (137.92 Ko)

Continue reading
Mixolydian Mode Guitar Cheat Sheet - PDF and JPEG
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Mixolydian Scale Guitar Cheat Sheet - PDF / JPEG

The Mixolydian mode, also called dominant scale is the fifth mode of the major scale. It is a major type scale. This is the mode to know when you want to play over dominant chords (not altered). The Mixolydian mode is widely used in jazz and blues music and one of the most important to master.

The Mixolydian mode is built with : root (1), second (2), third (3), perfect fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7).

mixolydian-mode-sheet-cheat-for-guitar.pdf (134.74 Ko)

Continue reading
Lydian Mode Cheat Sheet - PDF and JPEG
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Lydian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Lydian mode is the fourth mode of the major scale. It is a major type scale very used to play over major chords. It gets interesting when it is played over a major chord, indeed it brings a little bit of tension because of the raised fourth / raised eleventh (#11).

The Lydian mode is built with : root (1), second (2), third (3), augmented fourth (#4), perfect fifth (5), sixth (6) and seventh (7).

lydian-mode-cheat-sheet.pdf (130.63 Ko)

Continue reading
Phrygian Mode Cheat Sheet For Guitarist - PDF and JPEG
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Printable Phrygian Cheat Sheet

The Phrygian mode is the third mode of the major scale. It is one of the three minor modes of the major scale. The Phrygian mode is a minor type scale, indeed it contains a b3. It can be played over minor chords but it is rarely used because of the b2 scale tone.

The Phrygian mode interval pattern is : root (1), minor second (b2), minor third (b3), fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), minor sixth (b6) and minor seventh (b7).

phrygian-mode-cheat-sheet-for-guitar.pdf (138.44 Ko)

Continue reading
Dorian Mode Cheat Sheet - Printable PDF and Jpeg File
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Printable PDF / JPEG Dorian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Dorian mode is the second of the seven musical modes.It is a minor type scale because of its minor third (b3), often the first choice to play over minor chords and one of the most important scales to know.

The Dorian mode is built with a root (1), a second (2), minor third (b3), fourth (4), perfect fifth (5), sixth (6) and minor seventh (b7).

dorian-mode-sheet-cheat-for-guitar.pdf (131.29 Ko)

Continue reading
Ionian Mode Cheat Sheet For Guitar
- By Stef Ramin
- On 12/25/2018
- In Guitar Cheat Sheets & Books
- 0 comments
Printable PDF / JPEG Ionian Mode Cheat Sheet

The Ionian mode (aka major scale) is the first of the seven musical modes. The other Greek modes are Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian modes. The Ionian mode has exactly the same notes as the major scale and surely the first scale to learn for a beginner musician.

The major scale consists of a root (1), second (2), major third (3), fourth (4), fifth (5), sixth (6) and major seventh (7).

major-scale-sheet-cheat.pdf (138.61 Ko)

Continue reading
Three Kinds Of Minor Blues Scales
- By Stef Ramin
- On 10/23/2018
- In Scales & Arpeggios
- 0 comments
The minor blues scale is mostly referred to as the minor pentatonic scale with a b5 thus giving the interval pattern 1 - b3 - 4 - b5 - 5 - b7. However, few musicians know that there are three types of minor blues scales depending on wether you incorporate the flat fifth (b5), the major third (3) or the major seventh (7) to the minor pentatonic scale. In this lesson you will learn how to build, play and recognize each of these three minor blues scales.

Continue reading
Modes of the Major Scale and Related Chords - Guitar Infographic
- By Stef Ramin
- On 07/24/2018
- In Infographics
- 0 comments
This infographic provide guitar shapes that will help you to make the link between the seven modes of the major scale and their related drop 2 and drop 3 chords.

Continue reading
List and Comparison of Music Scales - Formula Charts
- By Stef Ramin
- On 06/25/2018
- 0 comments
Here is a list of the main musical scales and modes.

Continue reading
Harmonized Major Scale For Guitarists With Shapes
- By Stef Ramin
- On 04/27/2018
- In Infographics
- 0 comments
This infographic with three neck diagrams is a useful reminder for beginner guitarists and composers. It shows how to build a drop 2 seventh chord from each note of the major scale.

Continue reading
How To Play Pentatonic Scales Over Giant Steps
- By Luke-Adams
- On 01/16/2018
- In Jazz Guitar Lessons
- 0 comments
Giant Steps is one of those tunes in jazz that sends a bolt of fear through a lot of young or even experienced jazz musicians. It certainly does that to me anyway! The fast harmonic rhythm and the seemingly distant relationships between the chords means it is a very daunting challenge.
However, there is a very cool and simple way of practicing navigating through these changes and it involves using 3 different pentatonic scales.

Continue reading
Jazz Guitar Scale Exercises – Position Shifts with the Melodic Minor Scale
- By Gareth-Evans
- On 01/14/2018
- In Scales & Arpeggios
- 0 comments
Learning and playing scales can be an important part of any guitarist’s practise regime. By playing scales in a variety of ways we can develop our familiarity with the fretboard beyond simply going up and down scales. In this tutorial we will look at combining two different scale patterns by shifting between them on various strings. For this we are going to use two patterns of an Eb Melodic minor scale, patterns 2 and 3. The Melodic minor scale consists of the intervals R 2 b3 4 5 6 7 (R is for the Root note).

Continue reading
Why Jazz Guitarists Should Study The CAGED Method
- By Chris-Primeau
- On 12/24/2017
- In Guest Posts
- 0 comments
Why Jazz Guitarists Should Study The CAGED Method

When I first joined my high school jazz band, it was a humbling experience. I knew my major scales and modes, but only with the roots on the E and/or A string. This worked fine for playing pop music, but the way jazz progressions were always changing chords with each measure, my hands were constantly getting lost. If I was playing a C major line in eighth position, how did I switch to a Bb mixolydian scale without jumping my hand up or down and making the improvisational idea totally disjointed ? I could never understand how jazz guitarists could keep their ideas going as the chords changed from moment to moment. And how did players like Joe Pass know how to run an improvised line right into a chord voicing? Additionally, as I progressed to the higher registers of the guitar, I could never tell where I was in the scale anymore. It seemed impossible!

Continue reading
8 Ways to Play The Minor Pentatonic Scale Over a Dominant Chord
- By Stef Ramin
- On 09/22/2017
- 1 comments
The minor pentatonic scale is by far the most used scale in the world all styles taken together (jazz, blues, rock, reggae, pop, country). One of the explanation is given by the structure. Indeed, there are no semi-tones in it. It is easy to play on the guitar and it can be used in a whole lot of very different contexts. This lesson will show you eight ways to use the minor pentatonic scale over a dominant seventh chord. The principle is easy to understand, this consists in playing the minor pentatonic scale starting on each tone of the Mixolydian scale (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7). This method helps to highlight certain notes and brings interesting colors to your jazz guitar lines depending on you want to play outside or inside.

Continue reading