Scales?
A scale is a an organized collection of notes. A scale can have as many notes as 11 the “Chromatic Scale” for instance but typically, the majority of scales have 7 different notes.
In the case of E Major, those 7 different notes are: EF#G#ABC#D# and the scale then ends on the same note it started on “E.”
When most guitar players think of scales, they imagine singlenotes played one at a time and sure, that is one such application of scales. However, a scale can also be applied by playing groups of notes from within the scale.
Chords & Scales? Yes You Can!
When 3 or more notes are played at once, we call that grouping a “chord.” Within a major scales, these chords ALWAYS follow a set pattern that are based off each note of the scale: Major, minor, minor, Major, Major, minor and lastly, diminished.
This means that in the key of EMajor, the chords based off the E, A and B notes will yield Major chords. The minor chords will fall on the F#, G# and C# notes and that leaves D# as the designated diminished chord.
So a “chord scale” is simply the chords from a scale played in a successive manner. We can apply this to acoustic guitar for a number of different chord voicing possibilities and further, it’s definitely helpful to know these shapes and ideas as it gets you out of the rut of “stock,” run of the mill chord voicings and shapes.
What we’ll also be doing is using particular open strings as “commontones” or “pedal tones” that give these chord shapes a “shimmer” to them that you just don’t get with barred or closed position shapes. Let’s take a look at some ideas in the key of ….
View the rest of this acoustic guitar chord scale lesson here.
Filed under: Beginner Acoustic Guitar, Beginner Acoustic Guitar Chords, Beginner Acoustic Guitar Scales | Tagged: chord scales, chord scales guitar, chord scales guitar theory, chord scales harmonic minor, guitar bill palmer outlines, guitar bill palmer outlines instrumental, guitar chord scale | Leave a Comment »