Hey Friend,

I recently gave you a rundown on the intervals involved in the major scale. Yesterday, I focused on the C major scale because it's the only "clean" major scale out there, meaning you don't have to remember where any sharps or flats are - because there aren't any.

Let's put the two together so you see each interval in action...

A C major scale is very easy to play in the open (or first) position of the neck (down within the first three to five frets). If you've ever taken any music lessons, there's a good chance your teacher focused on learning the notes of the C major scale in the open position.

Here are the notes again:

The easiest way to see the spacing between notes is to play the scale on a single string. That way you know exactly the spaces between each of the notes. Take a look at the tab PDF showing both the scale on the B string (second string) in the first system, and then the scale laid out over four strings in the second system. A system is just the horizontal area of a score with the bars and symbols. When you have to move downward vertically to the next section, you've move to another system.

As you can see on the B string, C to D is a major second, a two fret movement (a tone, or two semitones). D to E is also a two semitone change, and the E note is a major third interval.

E to F is a single fret, F being the perfect fourth. F to G is a two fret shift, and G is the perfect fifth of the key of C major. G to A, again is two frets, and the A note is a major sixth.

A to B is another two fret jump, and B is the major seventh interval in the key of C major. One more semitone and you've returned to the C note on the thirteenth fret (this is the octave).

Play through the scale on the B string a number of times. You can do so using just your index finger to move up the string. The main idea here is to see the pattern of the major scale -the "W  W  H  W  W  W  H" pattern.

In the second system, you can play the scale but in a more natural way of playing - how you would see it typically if it were a part of a song.

You may notice that I started the second scale a full octave below the first example. No difference in the notes other than them being a lower pitch compared to the first scale. On the final C note, I gave you the open C major chord. Playing it at the end should give you a feeling of resolution, like you have returned home. 

Play through each of these until you're reasonably comfortable with them. If you want, hum along with each note, too. This helps to train your ears to recognize the pitches. This might not seem important now, but as you get more into learning chords, recognizing pitches can be extremely helpful to your creativity, especially when you're looking for a unique approach.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Peace~

Dave