C Major Scale for Guitar - One Octave
Hi. This is Hub Guitar.
We're going to learn a basic scale.
This is a major scale, which is the basis for most of the music you've ever heard.
Scales on the guitar can be played across multiple strings, or they can be played up a single string.Like that. So Notes get higher as you move towards the floor,this way, or towards the sound hole. They get lower as you move towards the head of the guitar, or towards the ceiling.
This scale is going to use one string. That's the best way to visualize a scale -- especially in the beginning.
Just a quick note: don't worry about what fingers to use. Just using one finger is fine.
So here's the C major scale on the B string. We are gonna start on the first fret. Third fret. Fifth fret. Sixth fret. Eighth fret. Tenth fret. Twelfth fret. And Thirteenth. And backwards.
There you go. Practice that scale up and down a bit. Mess around with it. Maybe you can even use it to play some of the songs you know.
Our First Scale
One of the basic building blocks of music is the scaleA scale is a set of several notes, played in order of lowest to highest.. The scale is used to create chords, to build melodies, and to create entire compositions. (Most popular music is constructed entirely from notes and chords deriving from a single scale.)
Usually guitar players will play a scale using multiple strings. However, it’s easier for new guitar players to visualize scales that climb up and down a single string, as the guitar string is a perfectly linear and logical musical system.
To study this scale, pretend you are playing an instrument with just one string. Use your “B” string to play the scale up and down.
Memorize the C major scaleA scale is a set of several notes, played in order of lowest to highest. from the Ist fret of the B string up to the XIIIth fret.
C Major Scale – One Octave
Key Tasks
- Play the scale ascending and descending.
- Play the scale in thirds: C, E, D, F, E, G, F, A, G, B, A, C.
- Try using the scale to play a melody.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.