Mike Nelson Guitar Lessons

Beginner's Guide to Guitar Scales

Learn scales the simple way - start with one string and build from there

🎸 The Easiest Way to Learn Scales

Forget complex fretboard patterns for now. The simplest way to understand scales on guitar is to learn them along one string first. Once you understand how scales work on a single string, everything else becomes much clearer.

1. The 12 Notes in Music

Music uses 12 different notes that repeat over and over at different pitches. These are:

The Complete Chromatic Scale

Starting from C:
C
0
C#
1
D
2
D#
3
E
4
F
5
F#
6
G
7
G#
8
A
9
A#
10
B
11
C
12
Starting from A (same pattern):
A
0
A#
1
B
2
C
3
C#
4
D
5
D#
6
E
7
F
8
F#
9
G
10
G#
11
A
12

1 fret = 1 half step (also called a semitone)

🎯 Key Point: Natural Half-Steps

  • B to C = 1 fret (no note between them)
  • E to F = 1 fret (no note between them)
  • All other notes = 2 frets apart

How This Works on Guitar

Each fret on your guitar represents one of these 12 notes. When you move up one fret, you move to the next note in the sequence. This is why learning scales on guitar becomes manageable - you're just following patterns of fret distances along the strings.

The beauty of guitar is that once you learn a scale pattern on one string, you can move that same pattern to any other string to play the scale in a different key. This consistency makes guitar scales much easier to learn than you might think.

2. What Is A Scale?

A scale is a selection of notes from the 12 available notes that work well together musically. Instead of using all 12 notes, we pick specific ones that create a particular sound or mood.

Scale Formulas

Scales are built using specific patterns of intervals (distances between notes). Each scale type has its own formula.

Major Scale Formula

Pattern: 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 (frets between each note)

This means: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step

3. Learn Scales on One String First

🎯 Why Start with One String?

  • No confusion about string-to-string relationships
  • Easy to see the interval patterns
  • Simple to visualize and remember
  • Builds a solid foundation for understanding scales

C Major Scale on the A String

Let's learn the C Major scale starting from the 3rd fret of the A string (which is a C note).

C Major Scale - A String Visual

A:
C
3
1
•
4
D
5
2
•
6
E
7
3
F
8
4
•
9
G
10
5
•
11
A
12
6
•
13
B
14
7
C
15
1
Fret Distance Pattern:
C+2D+2E+1F+2G+2A+2B+1C

Pattern: 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 (whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half)

🎵 Try This

Play each fret slowly and listen to how the scale sounds. Notice how it feels "complete" when you reach the C at the 15th fret - that's the octave.

G Major Scale on the Low E String

Now let's try G Major using the same pattern, but starting from the 3rd fret (G note).

G Major Scale - Low E String Visual

Low E:
G
3
1
•
4
A
5
2
•
6
B
7
3
C
8
4
•
9
D
10
5
•
11
E
12
6
•
13
F#
14
7
G
15
1
Fret Distance Pattern:
G+2A+2B+1C+2D+2E+2F#+1G

Same pattern: 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 (but notice F# instead of F)

💡 Key Insight

Notice that G Major has one sharp (F#) while C Major has none. The pattern stays the same, but the actual notes change when you start from a different root note.

4. Pentatonic Scales

Major Pentatonic Scale

Formula: 2-2-3-2-3 (only 5 notes instead of 7)

Sound: Universal, safe, open

Use: Country, rock, world music

Key insight: Pentatonic scales are simply major scales with two notes removed, making them easier to play and more versatile.

🔗 Connection to Major Scale

C Major Pentatonic comes from the C Major scale by removing the 4th (F) and 7th (B) notes. This leaves you with: C-D-E-G-A-C. Compare the diagrams below to see which notes are skipped!

C Major Scale (Complete) - Low E String

Low E:
C
8
1
•
9
D
10
2
•
11
E
12
3
F
13
4
•
14
G
15
5
•
16
A
17
6
•
18
B
19
7
C
20
1
Complete C Major Scale:
C+2D+2E+1F+2G+2A+2B+1C

All 7 notes: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C (F and B highlighted in red will be removed for pentatonic)

C Major Pentatonic Scale (Simplified) - Low E String

Low E:
C
8
1
•
9
D
10
2
•
11
E
12
3
•
13
•
14
G
15
5
•
16
A
17
6
•
18
•
19
C
20
1
Fret Distance Pattern:
C+2D+2E+3G+2A+3C

Pentatonic pattern: 2-2-3-2-3 (5 notes - skips F and B)

5. Building From One String

Once you're comfortable with scales on one string, you can start expanding to other strings and eventually learn full fretboard patterns.

🎸 Next Steps

  1. Master one scale on one string completely
  2. Learn the same scale on different strings
  3. Start connecting notes across strings
  4. Explore our Scale Explorer tool for visual patterns
  5. Practice improvising using just the notes you know

🔍 Try the Scale Explorer

Ready to see these scales across the entire fretboard? Check out our Scale Explorer tool to visualize how the patterns connect across all strings.

Remember: Start Simple

Learning scales doesn't have to be overwhelming. By starting with one string, you build a solid understanding of how scales work before tackling complex fretboard patterns.

Ready to Explore More?

Want to understand why guitar strings are tuned the way they are? This knowledge will help you understand how scales connect across the fretboard.

Learn About Guitar Tuning →