Scales On One String

As guitarists, we mostly think of scales as patterns in two dimensions across all six strings in one location on the neck at a time. We play two or three notes on one string and then move up or down to the next string and repeat until we run out of strings. As we learn more patterns and positions, we can start to connect them to gain access to more and more of the neck. This seems to be the standard way of working.

There is another way of approaching scales on the guitar that I find really interesting and inspiring. What if we looked at the guitar more like a piano? On the piano, scales are laid out very simply. We begin on a root note and continue to the right to ascend the scale or to the left to descend. It is possible to do something similar on guitar if we use one string. On the PDF that is included in this post you will find seven patterns corresponding to the seven diatonic modes. The first mode is what most people call the major scale. The frets are indicated on top of the staff. The fingerings are indicated on the bottom. Begin with the first mode. Memorize the fingering. Try the pattern on all six strings. Try improvising with it. You may discover that it opens your eyes and ears to a range of new possibilities...

Click on the image below to download the PDF.