Basic Major Pattern: Guitar Scales

Video Transcript

"So let's take a look at our step pattern with our natural notes. On this sheet we have it laid out for us. You remember the notes that we had played previously C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Again this is the octave of C in any position, we can call this the C on the A string for example, the third fret, and this being the C on the B string, this is just ranging an octave. Now these are separated by steps, a whole step, as I said, being two frets, and a half step being one. And the pattern will always be, for a Major, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. That can be a little difficult to memorize, but you can work on it. And then an important thing with natural notes is understanding where your half steps occur naturally, between E and F, and B and C, because everything else will be separated by whole steps in our natural notes. So, here's a quick demonstration on the guitar, examples on the open strings. So, if you will recall, this is the open A string, right? So, a whole step away, we can find B, and a whole step is two frets as we see. Now "Big Cats Eat Fish", so we know from B to C is a half step, second fret to third fret. So that's why those notes are closer together that B and A. Similarly, D, open D to E, is a whole step, E to F is a half step, that's why two frets, and one fret. You'll get used to this. Explore the rest of the notes on your guitar, G and A, B and C again, half step. Explore these notes until you understand the whole step, half step pattern. "