May 25, 2022
Pro tip: please watch the video version of this post. It will give you a much clearer grasp of what I’m sharing here.
People have asked me, “What’s the first guitar scale I should learn?”
My opinion? A scale you can remember the names of the notes for, and one that you can play in open position, with the fewest fingers possible.
With this in mind, I want to take you through the open A natural minor scale. So, grab your guitar if it’s close by.
As you may know, the musical alphabet has only 7 letters. They are A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Right after G comes – not H, but A. Try saying that with me – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.
Our strings are numbered 1 through 6, from the highest pitch to the lowest.
We can also name the strings by open note from lowest to highest, like this: E, A, D, G, B, E, or Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie…right?
Fretting hand fingers are numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4.
So, if we’re going to play this open A natural minor scale, we’ll be using 3 open strings, and 2 fingers.
“What’s the first guitar scale I should learn?” My opinion? A scale you can remember the names of the notes for, and one that you can play in open position, with the fewest fingers possible.
ABOUT ME
David Harsh
Singer, Guitarist, Teacher
© 2023 GuitarSuccess4U a ministry of David Harsh Ministries.