How to Play the A-Minor Scale on Guitar

Scales are the backbone for how music is played on the guitar. If you want to be able to improvise while playing guitar, soloing over a rhythm section, you need to know how to play scales. Scales are specifically important if you want to play blues style guitar. The A-minor scale is the most commonly used scale when playing blues guitar.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

How to Play the A-Minor Scale on Guitar

1. Identify that each string on the guitar has a specific name. The names of the strings, going from the thickest to the thinnest, are low e, a, d, g, b and high e.

2. Locate the fifth fret on the low E-string. This is the thickest string, the one closest to the ceiling. This is the start of the A-minor scale.

3. Play the fifth fret low E-string and move up and play the low E-string on the 8th fret.

4. Move to and play the A-string on the 5th fret followed by the A-string on the 7th fret.

5. Play the D-string fifth fret and then the D-string of the 7th fret.

6. Play the G-string fifth fret followed by the G-string 7th fret.

7. Move to and play the fifth fret of the B-string and then the 8th fret of the B-string.

8. Finish up the A-minor scale by playing the high E-string of the 5th fret and then the high E-string of the 8th fret.

Tips & Warnings

• The tab for the A-minor scale looks like this; -----------------------------------------------------------5---8-- -----------------------------------------------5-----8------------ ------------------------------------5-----7----------------------- ------------------------5-----7----------------------------------- -------------5-----7---------------------------------------------- ---5----8---------------------------------------------------------