One of the challenges we face as guitar players wanting to incorporate leads into our playing is being able to move between scale positions. We learn all of the patterns, but typically rely on one or two boxes for our leads.

The harmonic minor scale. A staple in classical music and a fan favorite of the neoclassical shredders, it’s sinister sound catches the ear.

Like its major counterpart, the minor pentatonic scale is a highly popular scale due to its versatility and playability. A staple in blues music, this scale brings moodiness and tension that creates that familiar blues feel, particular when played over major/dominant chords.

Slash is one of my favorite guitar players and the person who inspired me to pick up the guitar when I was 14 years old. His bluesy hard rock licks accentuated with epic bends have created a rock legend with a style all of his own.

Few concepts in music theory provide an “aha” moment quite like learning about the relative minor and relative major keys. The realization of the relationship between the two brings quite a bit of clarity to the learning the major/minor scale patterns and sets the groundwork for exploring the concept of modes.

The importance of knowing the intervals on guitar can’t be overstated. It allows you to better understand how scales and chords are constructed and gives you a deeper understanding of how music works.

When it comes to soloing, the blues scale is one of the most popular scales used.  It’s used across many genres of music, from blues to rock to jazz and others. Let’s take a look at what makes up this widely used scale.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a guitar system to easily allow you to visualize and connect the guitar fretboard up and down the neck? The CAGED guitar system does just that. It lays out the guitar fretboard in a logical manner, allowing you to easily navigate the fretboard.

What is the minor scale? What makes it minor vs major? In this lesson we’ll break down the natural minor scale and it’s qualities and take a look at how it is applied to the fretboard.