How to Play the Balinese Scale on the Guitar

The Balinese scale is a traditional Indonesian gamelan scale. It is usually played as a pentatonic scale. A pentatonic scale is a scale comprising of five notes. The five notes of the Balinese scale are the root, flat second, flat third, fifth and flat sixth degrees. Try a Balinese scale next time you solo for a truly unique sound.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Guitar

1. Begin the scale by placing your ring finger on the third fret of the fifth string (A string.) This is the root note of the scale.

2. Play the fourth fret of the fifth string with your pinkie. This is the note D flat, the second degree of the C Balinese scale.

3. Play the first fret of the fourth string (D string) with your forefinger. This is the note E flat, the third degree of the C Balinese scale.

4. Play the third string (G string) open. Open means to play the string without holding down any of the frets. This is the note G, the fourth degree of the C Balinese scale.

5. Using your forefinger, play the first fret of the third string. This is the note A flat, the fifth degree of the C Balinese scale.

6. Using your forefinger, play the first fret of the second string (B string.) This is the final note of the scale. It is one octave higher than the root note you played in Step 1.

7. Play the scale in reverse. Play Steps 6 through 1 in reverse order to complete the scale. That’s it. You now know how to play a Balinese scale on the guitar.