‘A’ Diatonic Minor Scale
The diatonic minor scale is very similar to the pentatonic scale that you’re probably familiar with by now. The only difference is that you’re adding the two notes the pentatonic scale leaves out. In the Am example in the video, these two notes -- the ‘color’ notes -- are B and F. In the scale pattern, that’s the II and the VI notes.
If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about with the II and VI, you might want to checkout my latest lesson on I, IV and V. It’s quite a fundamental one in my opinion, and really helps open up the guitar.
But onward and upward! Today we’re talking about the diatonic scale. Please add this one to your practice routine -- its a very important scale -- more so than the major scale, as the guitar favors the minor. Piano teachers (and most guitar teachers) always start you off with the major scales (most commonly C major), but that’s because piano is geared for that. Guitar isn’t. Guitar is an extremely minor-friendly instrument.
Besides, A minor is the first scale that was ever invented. Not C major.
How do I know that?
Simple. When you start counting your marbles, do you start at 3? Nope, you start at 1.
So, the first scale was simple -- A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
NOT C, D, E, F, G, A, B -- that just wouldn’t make sense, would it?
Anyways, there’s your guitar scale trivia for the day -- here’s the lesson!
Comments or Questions? Leave one at the bottom of the page!
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these scales are great it is takin some time to get use to but this one seems easier,some what hard for my pinkie/Jonathan can you show me the I believe its the pantonic scale up by thenut of in E
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Hi Dean, please checkout the lesson on the pentatonic scale here:
http://www.guitartipsweekly.com/21/learning-the-pentatonic-scale/
I think this lesson was done in A, but all you have to do is move the exact same pattern down to the open position. IE, you no longer play with your index finger as all those notes become open notes.
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Two questions Jonathan:
1. What song/chord progressions is it applicable to ? eg. Rock, Fusion,Country,1,4,5, Major/Minor chords?
2. Are there other positions, eg. 1st pos.,2nd pos. etc. ?
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Hi Tom – this scale is applicable to every style of music you can imagine. This is a standard minor scale – occasionally you find scales that are more common in certain types of music – ie the pentatonic scale is often called the blues scale – but many indigenous wind instruments are also tuned to the pentatonic scale.
So in short – you can use this scale in any type of music. The difference would be in how you play it – ie your licks and riffs etc.
You can play it over major or minor chords, as long as you’re in the right key.
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by other positions – this scale is repeated all over the neck, as is the pentatonic, and every other scale.
You can also move it around, depending on the key you want – ie start the exact same pattern on the 3rd fret and you have G minor instead of the Am example given above.
Hope that helps a little. I’m in the process of working on a full length lesson on scales and how they relate to each other, which will answer a ton of these questions.
Cheers!
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this is a coolest site i like listening to explain the theory i know the neck from the open E to the 12 fret and my block diagrams and i’m self taught but checking out the lessons you have on here explains the why’s that i didn’t know and book don’t have it jonathan hey keep it up. its the coolest to open the email and see the next lesson
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Thanks Doug! That’s why I’m here
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Tom’s question about positions could also make reference to starting with the third–i.e., the c.
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Thanks Justin – that’s a good point. Yes, you can play the diatonic minor in different positions – we’d call those modes.
So if you started it on the C as Justin suggested, you’d be starting in the third mode.
One of the most common of these is instead of starting at the 6th string, 5th fret, start it at the 5th string, 12th fret (also an A). I call this the pentatonic minor from root 5, although if you extended it downwards onto the 6th string, you’d end up with the same scale starting on an E, which is the 5th, therefore the 5th mode.
I go into this in more detail at http://www.GuitarScalePatterns.com, and there’s a free cheat sheet you can opt in to receive there which shows the differences between these scales, and where to find them on the fretboard.
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hi jonathan,i purchased your guitar scale patterns ,could you please tell me how i get the cheat sheet you use on this video,cant seem to find it anywhere.
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Hi Geoffrey, you need to login to the member’s area:
http://www.guitarscalepatterns.com/members/
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great lesson looking forward to more on scales and how they connect
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thanks jonathan , i will be buying 145 shortly,great work keep it up
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you rock man I love getting good e-mail. I’ve played for years “self tot” why is this a minor scale,all the notes are,whole no sharps or flats,i.e whats the dif between major and minor scales?????
yer lessons rock,cheers bry
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Hey Bryan – sounds like you might like to checkout my Guitar Scale Patterns lesson (http://www.GuitarScalePatterns.com) – it really digs into this. Briefly though, the minor scale and the major scale use the same notes, they just start in different places. They are very closely related to each other.
‘A minor’ has no sharps or flats because it is the relative minor of the key of C, and C is the only scale that has no sharps or flats. There’s nothing special about it though, it follows all the same rules the other scales do. Hope that helps.
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You have given me a lot to work with. The lessons have been great.
I have both unlocking I IV V and the Scale patterns and go back to
them often. Is there a difference in a blues scale vs. a jazz scale?
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Diatonic is a mode u need to memorize this if u know u’r scale.
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