There seems to be an endless array of scales to learn for jazz
guitar. What are the major jazz guitar scales to learn, if we can
define the major jazz guitar scales that are commonly used, we’d
reduce our workload significantly.
Jazz scales are used by improvisers to convey complex harmonies
common in Jazz. The jazz guitarist must start with the basic
scales, too often the guitarists dives headlong into the more
advanced scales without having a good working knowledge of the
basic scales used in rock, country, bluegrass etc., these scales
are as follows:
* minor pentatonic
* blues scale
* major pentatonic
Once the guitarist can play these scales in every key the next
scale to learn would be the major diatonic scale and it’s
associated modes based on the major scale.
How the modes work:
If we were looking at a piano keyboard we would notice that
without the black keys there are 8 octaves of the C major scale.
If you run your finger left to right along the white keys you
will be playing , the scale of C major even though you happen to
start on a note other than C. This musical fact is the essence of
the modes. A scale can be played from any of it’s notes to any
other of it’s without moving into another key. Actually if you
were to play the scale of C major from F to F an octave higher
you would be playing a nodal scale based on the key of C and the
scale would be called F Lydian.
In every major scale there 7 modes; one for each degree.
Learn the following table -
Play a major scale from note 1 to note 1 above = IONIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 2 to note 2 above = DORIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 3 to note 3 above = PHRYGIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 4 to note 4 above = LYDIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 5 to note 5 above = MIXO-LYDIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 6 to note 6 above = AEOLIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 7 to note 7 above = LOCRIAN MODE
Play a major scale from note 8 to note 8 above = note 1 to 1
All examples above are shown in the key of C major however the
advancing guitarist should practice the modes in every key. The
same formula works for each key:
note 1 to 1 always = IONIAN
note 2 to 2 always = DORIAN
note 3 to 3 always = PHRYGIAN
note 4 to 4 always = LYDIAN
note 5 to 5 always = MIXO-LYDIAN
note 6 to 6 always = AEOLIAN
note 7 to 7 always = LOCRIAN
note 8 to 8 always = note 1 to 1
Each modes unique sequence of intervals creates a mode’s unique
musical (quality) or flavor.
The main thing to keep in mind is that it’s not how many scales
you know but rather how many to “own”, by that I mean how much
you control you have over your scales both intellectually as well
as physically.
The next major jazz guitar scale of importance to learn would be
the harmonic minor scale. Like the modes of major scale the
Harmonic minor scale also has modes built on the different
degrees of the scale.
Here are the names of the modes of the Harmonic minor scale:
the following examples are all derived from the C harmonic minor
scale.
C Harmonic Minor : C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B-C
2- D Locrian #6: D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B-C-D
3- Eb Harmonic Major: Eb-F-G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb
4- F Spanish Phrygian: F-G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F
5- G Double Harmonic Major: G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F-G
6- Ab Lydian b3: Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab
7- B Diminished : B-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-B
The real jazz minor scale is the next major jazz guitar scale to
learn. The real jazz minor scale is the jazz variation of the
classical melodic minor scale. An easy way to remember this scale
would be to think of it as a major scale with a flatted third
note.
The real jazz minor scale with it’s various modes. Again, the
real jazz minor scale is presented in the key of C real jazz
minor.
C melodic minor :C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C
2- D phrygian (w natural 6th) : D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C-D
3- Eb lydian augmented: Eb-F-G-A-B-C-D-Eb
4- F lydian dominant: F-G-A-B-C-D-Eb-F
5- G mixolydian (w b6th): G-A-B-C-D-Eb-F-G
6- A aeolian (w b5): A-B-C-D-Eb-F-G-A
7- B altered dominant: B-C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B
I would also include the whole tone scale in our list of major
jazz guitar scales to learn.
The note of the C whole tone scale are as follows:
C-D-E-F#-G#-A#-C
There’s a lot of study and practice to gain control of the scales
described so far, particularly to know each scale or mode on all
keys, for many guitarists these are the major jazz guitar scales
to know.
By: Mike P Hayes