Your Online Guide to Playing Better Jazz Guitar
Essential Jazz Guitar Scales
Jazz guitarists love scales. It’s a fact. We may tell other people that it’s all about licks, phrases, arpeggios and the lot, but deep down we just love to practice, learn and study scales.
Maybe it’s the way the instrument is designed, or the personality type that is drawn to the guitar, but every single jazz guitar student I’ve ever had has asked me about scales at least once per lesson. And I have to admit that I’ve spent countless hours in the practice room shedding scales in every possible fingering, shape, form, octave, and with every pattern known to mankind.
Now, as a jazz guitarist and teacher I’m not advocating that learning scales is tantamount to learning jazz guitar, but they are an important tool that jazz guitarists can use to develop their knowledge of the guitar, jazz theory, improvisation (to a certain extent) and technique on the instrument.
So, for all of you jazz guitarists out there who love to learn and practice scales, here are all the articles on my site that deal with scales in one place for you to enjoy.
Essential Jazz Guitar Scales Articles
Guides and Primers
- Beyond Basic Pentatonics: Introducing the Mixolydian Pentatonic Scale
- Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: How to Derive 28 Modes from One Fingering
- Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: Learn All 7 Major Modes from One Shape Video Lesson
- Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: Simple Formula to Learn All 7 Modes of Melodic Minor
- Jazz Guitar Scales Made Easy: Simple Formula to Learn all 7 Modes of Harmonic Major
- Modes of the Major Scale and Their Application
- Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale and Their Application
- Modes of the Harmonic Minor Scale and Their Application
- Modes of the Harmonic Major Scale and Their Application
- Symmetrical Fingerings for Asymmetrical Scales
- Bebop Scale Patterns for Jazz Guitar
- How to Practice Major Modes for Jazz Guitar
- How to Practice Harmonic Major Modes for Jazz Guitar
- 9 Ways to Practice Melodic Minor Scales for Jazz Guitar
- 5 Easy Ways to Master the Harmonic Minor Modes for Jazz Guitar
- The Altered Dominant Bebop Scale: Mixing Modes to Master Minor Progressions
- Modernize Your Dominant Chords with the Allan Holdsworth Bebop Scale
- How to Play String Skipping Scales Like Allan Holdsworth
- Oz Noy Octave Displacement Scales
- How to Practice Scale Accents like Kurt Rosenwinkel
- Bebop Scales: Definitions and Applications
- Minor Pentatonic Scale Fingerings: Five Positions, Application and Technical Exercises
Scale Fingerings and Analysis
- Bebop Scale Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Major Scale Mode Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Melodic Minor Mode Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Harmonic Minor Mode Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Harmonic Major Mode Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Pentatonic Scale Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Blues Scale Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
- Symmetrical Scale Fingerings for Jazz Guitar
8 Responses to "Essential Jazz Guitar Scales"
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Hi Matt,
I love your organized and systemized approach to teaching as well as your willingness to publish your articles.
However, I find this all a bit overwhelming to me. Maybe I’m just “old” and a bit burned out from teaching Elementary school chorus etc. but maybe somewhere you have an article that explains how anyone who is not in a conservatory can accomplish learning all the above without feeling like they’re neglecting their repertoire or transcription studies, (which for me, is very time/energy consuming).
Thanks for all that you do.
Regards,
Bernadette T
Hey Bernadette,
Thanks for checking out my site. You don’t have to learn everything in the articles on this page, you can start with one and then go from there. It’s just a collection of all the scale based articles on my site.
A good place to start is this article
http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/the-complete-guide-to-scales-and-modes-for-jazz-guitar
Here you can see how I derive all the modes of Major, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Major from just one fingering.
If you are looking to learn scales that’s probably the best place to start.
But, if you are looking for concepts that are more applicable to jazz, such as improvisation, phrasing etc, check out this series, it might be helpful as well.
http://www.mattwarnockguitar.com/play-better-jazz-guitar-in-30-days
Hello Matt. I have been playing for many more years than I care to mention. I never,ever write to anyone. However, at a gig he was doing in a hotel in Boston, I spoke with Pat Martino for a few minutes because, as I’m quite sure you know, he had that brain problem that made him forget how to play. I have diabetes and it has cuases nuropathy (numbness) in my left hand. I wanted to ask Mr. Martino about his level of frustration when he had to learn how to play from absolutely nothing to getting back to where he is now, which I think is one of the most remakable stories in music and medical history. Anyway, I am,in many ways, having to train my hand to play with almost no feeling in at least two of my fingers and other parts of my hand, The reason I am writing you is, after spending years on the computer I have found that you and your apporoach to teaching jazz guitar, is the one out of hundreds if not thousands of guys teaching, I believe that, for me, your approach is the one, and only one, that I am going to use. I am nobody so this is not important to you and I certainly ralize that. However, I wanted to let you know that someone who has stydied for years and had great teachers (Hal Crook being one of them) has singled you out and to me this is not only incredibly important but for someone (anyone) to choose you as their teacher (as I train my hand again), after checking out so many methods (as I said before, hundreds if not thousands), even though I am nobody, I beliave is an incredible testament to you as a person, teacher and a player. SO, I can only say, thank you Robert Austin
Hey Robert,
I am glad that you liked the lesson, thanks for the kind words. If you ever have any questions about anything feel free to contact me at any time.
I hope that you can get over the numbness in your right hand, or at least find a way to work around it. It sounds like you have a big love for the guitar, so I hope you are able to continue along your path to knowledge and performance.
MATT- JUST WENT OVER YOUR 5 ESSENTIAL SCALES THAT I DOWNLOADED AND THEY ARE GREAT. I HAVE ALREADY DONE ALL THE FINGERING PATTERNS FOR ALL THE MODES IN 12 KEYS AND WAS WONDERING IF I COULD INCORPERATE THESE LESSONS INTO MY M.ODES. IF I CAN I WILL SAVE A LOT OF WORK MAKING OUT FINGER PATTERNS FOR THESE 5 ESSENTIALS . WHAT DO YOU THINK???????????
Hey Richard,
Glad you liked the patterns! You can apply them to any modes or fingerings you want to learn them in. But you don’t have to do them all in one mode in all keys. So maybe you work on Dorian with pattern 1, then Phrygian with pattern 2 etc. That way you mix things up a bit as you work your way through all the different patterns and different modes/keys.
I like your anatomy of a tune would make a good instructional book . Like me aknown runs licks scale chords and subs. however, when play a tune become lost.
thanks Mike
Thanks Mike. I have thought about making a book of the Anatomy of a Tune series, but I’m not sure if I can use the tunes themselves due to publishing rights. But I will be doing a book on how to play tunes in this manner, how to learn melodies, how to comp chords, how to improvise single lines and chord solos, how to work on chord melodies, how to play basslines, by the end of this year. Working on my next book now which is about rhythmic improvisation and comping, then i will move on to the tune book after that.