C. The Main Scale

III. The Main Scale

Wanna get more exercise? Let’s go! Now we will learn about Major Scale that we can use for building the melodies, harmonically of course.
Do you ever heard do re mi fa sol la si do, that is the solmization that historically maybe came from Arabic culture in the middle ages. The sound of solmization is same as the Major scale. This is the C Major Scale:
E||------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10---12---13--------------||
B||------------------------------------------------------------------10---12---13--------------------------------||
G||--------------------------------------------------9---10---12-------------------------------------------------||
D||----------------------------------9---10---12-----------------------------------------------------------------||
A||------------------8---10---12---------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
E||--8---10---12-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||

Now we can practice over and over with this scale, we can use metronome for help our speed more accurate and keep in precision. First, we use the slow tempo (maybe 60bpm), than up and up and up tempo step by step. Be patient, dude… We can use guitar pick and try to picking, start with down strokeà up strokeàdown strokeàup strokeà…(called alternate picking).


IV. The Chord Formula

Well, actually this exercise is more “match” if we learn before learning first chord, but maybe you can be bored if we can do like that, so I have put this exercise after you learning some simple chord.
Sometimes we found the one chord, for example: C Major, and than we found the C Major chord again but in the different ways or different frets. Do you know why the C can become the different C in the other frets but still C ? Because the structure of the chord is depend on the chord formula, the chord formula can be applied in many frets, not just in one. The one chord has one formula. You can proving in the song that you play, try different ways of once of the chord, you will find the same feel of the chord even the chord is change to the other inversion, sure.
Now take a look at the C Major scales again:
E||-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10---12---13-||
B||--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10---12---13------------------||
G||-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------9---10---12----------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------------------------------9(B)---10(C)---12(D)--------------------------------------------------||
A||-----------------------------8(F)---10(G)---12(A)----------------------------------------------------------------------------||
E||--8(C)---10(D)---12(E)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||

In the musical theory there are the notes called the root, the root is the main note or the key in the scales, for example for C Major scale like that, the root is the C note it self that has same meaning in:
- the 8th fret column of the low E string
- the 10th fret column of the D string
- the 13th fret column of the B string
You can see this:
E ||------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
B ||------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
G ||------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
D ||-----------------------------------------------------------------9(7th)---10(root)---12(2nd)--||
A ||----------------------------------8(4th)---10(5th)---12(6th)-----------------------------------||
E ||--8(root)---10(2nd)---12(3rd)-----------------------------------------------------------------||

And then if we will make a chord we must use the chord formula. Chord are derived from scales. The way you can use for learning a chord formula is to learning Triads. Triads are three note chords. Triad formula is important for you to play your chord playin’ or even note per note melody.
In this exercise you will learn the triads formulas for C chords in C Major scales, but you can use this theory in other scales, it’s universal theory.

MAJOR TRIADS
Major chords are derived from Root, 3rd, and 5th. So, if we will make C Major chord we will take the C(as the root), E(as the 3rd ), and G note(as the 5th).

C Major :
E-------
B-------
G-------
D---5(5th)---
A --7(3rd)---
E ---8(root)--

C Major :
E---0(3rd)---
B---1(root)-
G---0(5th)--
D---2(3rd)--
A –3(root)-
E -----------


MINOR TRIADS
The minor triads is built from the Root, flatted third(3brd), and 5th. The flatted third is the “half step back E”, it means Eb or D# (just the same).
C Minor :
E---------------------
B---------------------
G---------------------
D---5(5th)------------
A --6(flatted 3rd)----
E ---8(R)------------


C Minor :
E----3(5th)----------
B---4(flatted 3rd)---
G---5(R)------------
D---------------------
A --------------------
E --------------------