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Scales on 1 string
This is an excerpt from "Scales and Arpeggios and How to Play Them - 1998"
Anyone who has been exposed to Western music will be able to pick out the notes of the major scale by ear.
I suggest that this is a good starting point for guitar students for several reasons:
- It reveals to them how much the basic language of music is already in their mind's ear.
- They can immediately start creating tunes (I would suggest to disregard fingering
concepts at this stage... let them use the 1st finger only). Once the desire to play melodies is
developed, then the value of fingered scales is self apparent.
- They start by concentrating on the melodic line, and it has been my experience that most
guitarists are weak in appreciation of melodic intervals and melodic expression generally.
- Having gained familiarity with the major scale on one string, it is then an easy conceptual leap
to the basic arpeggio:
Doh - Mi - Soh - DOH - Soh - Mi - Doh.
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G Major
Notes for Teachers.
Start on the open strings - E A D G B E - rather than the closed string keys - C F Bb Eb etc -
because the fundamental interval of ONE OCTAVE can be easily appreciated.
There is also no effort involved when going back to the root note.
Also - the student can use the open string sound as a reference for good tone production.
This book was superceded in August 2003 by the publication of
"Guitar Playing and how it works".
I will leave these pages on-line as they still contain useful information.
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