Learning Scales: Essential but Disconnected

Learning scales is an essential aspect of every musician's journey. However, there often needs to be more connection between learning scales and the ability to employ them effectively in music.

I have witnessed numerous students diligently memorize scales without comprehending how to apply them to actual musical contexts. They seem to perceive it as a mere ritual they must perform because they were instructed to do so.

But let's not place blame on the students themselves. The emphasis has long been placed on mastering scale positions rather than integrating them musically and meaningfully.

Undeniably, scales serve as the foundation of music. They enable us to construct melodies and harmonize compositions. Depending on the particular scale employed, the resulting sounds can vary immensely.

Thus, it becomes evident that knowledge of a wide array of sonic "recipes" can prove highly advantageous. For instance, opting for a diminished scale instead of a melodic minor scale yields different flavors and tonalities.

Break the System

So what's the issue with the system? For starters, there's an excessive focus on the physical aspects of scales and modes.

Furthermore, many students come to me without a solid understanding of chord/scale relationships. How can we expect scales to sound pleasing over chords if we don't know which notes from those scales work best?

To understand this, we must discuss the topic of the construction of scales and chords. Once we grasp this concept, we can become matchmakers, a skill that eludes many guitar players.

Focus

On a side note, I have encountered students who felt obligated to learn modes but had no interest in listening to modal music.

I sense a prevailing sentiment in the guitar world that one should strive to play what appears complex. However, this is not obligatory. If your passion lies in classic rock, blues, or American folk music, there's no need to delve into whole-tone scales.

It's perfectly acceptable to focus solely on the music you enjoy. While I encourage branching out, you should never feel pressured to do so.

Some music genres employ fewer scales, and while you should understand how to use them, you can narrow your scope accordingly.

On the other hand, expanding your repertoire of scales and learning how to apply them proves beneficial if you're drawn to jazz, classical, or modal music.

Construction Site

Now, let's get back on topic. While developing finger dexterity is essential for playing scales, I urge you to refrain from mindlessly performing them as mere physical exercises.

When playing a scale, engage in an internal dialogue, naming the intervals as you go. Identify the root, 3rd, 5th, and any minor, augmented, or diminished intervals. It's crucial to exercise our brains as much as our fingers.

Now, bear in mind that this is a general guideline, and as you progress and explore different genres of music, you'll likely want to break free from it. But as a starting point, it's worth noting that melodies often begin and end on a chord tone.

“it’s worth noting that melodies often begin and end on a chord tone”

So, if you're playing a chord and want to improvise a scale over it, choose a scale note that starts and ends on a note shared with the chord. Let's take a G major chord as an example. Its three notes are G, B, and D. The G major scale consists of G A B C D E F# G.

For the most resolved sound, starting or ending on a G, B, or D note is ideal as it creates a consonant sound that feels satisfying. It may seem simple, but I didn't learn this for quite a while, and many students I've encountered aren't aware of it either.

Remember, this principle is essential. Even when experimenting with more exotic scales, you'll often find scales that still include G, B, and D, but with other altered notes. Of course, music can be more complex than this, and there are other ways to introduce tension. However, understanding how to connect scales and chords using this foundation will allow you to adapt and explore different ideas easily.

Chord tones serve as your safety net. In theory, you can play any note between two chord tones, and it will work because the chord tones will resolve and create consonance. We don't want to be entirely random, but sometimes taking a more adventurous approach can yield interesting results. You can also think of it in a soloing context that any note not in the chord may be altered.

For example, if The accompanist is playing a C7 chord with the notes C E G and Bb, we can flatten or sharp any note that isn't C E G Bb. How you make this sound good very much depends on your taste and awareness of resolution on strong beats. That's a subject for another article in the future.

I did include a segment in an episode of my podcast Anatomy of Tone about strong vs weak beats which you may want to check out.

Investing

Developing a solid relationship between chords and scales takes time. Let's start by limiting yourself to one scale in one key. You can gradually branch out once you can understand and remember the note-chord relationships in one key.

I've witnessed many students attempt to expand their skills too quickly. While it's true that you'll eventually want to apply scales to different keys like Eb or F#, it's better to approach these keys once you have a firm foundation in the key of C major.

You'll discover along the way that you won't be restricted to playing scales in one fixed position. Instead, you'll begin to visualize the scale tones rather than just the fretboard positions. This understanding will enable you to take different paths to reach your destination, liberating you from being confined to a single position.

“understanding sales will enable you to take different paths to reach your destination, liberating you from being confined to a single position”

You will also discover the ability to modulate to new keys and improvise over them more easily. We've all played a song where the music seems to shift to chords, and we have issues playing over.

Sometimes it's just one chord. But at other times, the key center has moved in the song to a key we need to become more familiar with. Understanding scales from a functional theoretical perspective will allow you to improvise more effectively over such curve balls.

Knowing scales inside and out also lets you voice lead your improvisations better. Instead of knowing only one box for a given scale and needing to change position for key changes, you can rather stay in a nearby position to link the melodies you're playing better.

In the classical composition world, we spend a lot of time learning methods to voice lead. This isn't just for chords but for melodies too. Sometimes I've found this gets lost outside the classical and jazz realms and is one of the biggest missing ingredients in rock musicians' tool kit.

Having a good oversight of the direction your melody moves and how to link melodic phrases can lead to more musical expression. Often when you hear a great improviser play, and they sound like they're telling a clear story, voice leading and scale/chord construction are often at play.

Scale construction, chord construction, and voice leading are deep topics that many have studied for quite some time. So, don't jump in too deep at first. Give yourself some time to absorb information. Smaller bits of information will pay off quicker than overloading your brain. It's better to consistently fill your brain with a smaller portion of food rather than binging.

If anyone wants to get deeper into theory lessons, reach me through my contact page. Feel free to reach out for any questions too.

I’ve written a book on simplifying learning music theory called “Practice Makes Progress” that you might find helpful in your journey of learning music.

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