Scales

Jam10

I have been doing scales pretty much everyday for about 2 years and I feel really comfortable with them. I was just wondering if most people here in corporate doing scales in their practice routine everyday or just use them differently in your playing? I guess what I'm trying to say is....do I need to practice scales everyday or should I be using that time differently like using the scales and coming up with licks for soloing? It's kind of like the alphabet. We don't have to say the alphabet everyday to remember the alphabet we just use it everyday in our language. Is scales the same sort of thing or should I at least run through the scales each day or once a week or so? Just wondering on some practice routines around here and how people here in corporate their scales in their practice?

Thanks
Jam10

satansbedbugs

Can you send me the different scales that you practice, I want to practice them as well...ty

Jam10

satansbedbugs wrote:

Can you send me the different scales that you practice, I want to practice them as well...ty

It's just the 5 patterns of the minor blues scales and the 5 patterns of the major scale.

inhiding 1976

I have scales on my ass. but I learned how to play them.

ediger

well don't take my suggestions too seriously as I tend to go by the punk-rock method of 'just pick up and play', but I would say if you've got the scales down well, spend a bit more time working on licks and just goofing around. It's amazing what you can create when you just give'r hell. Don't give up on the scales, though. Still practise them, but I would say fingering and picking exercises are more important. Your knowledge of scales can only go so far, but you can always improve your technical ability. Even if you think you're the best picker in the world, keep at the exercises and you may come up with something totally new.

All that being said, I myself spend the most time just playing, like I said earlier. For me, I find when I over-think, my playing sounds like crap. I need to just shut off my mind and go. The downside is, I need to record everything or else I'll forget any cool riffs I played .

ianvomsaal

andy, get that aebersold 2-5-1 progressions book i told you about, and play them over all 12-major key-signatures.
also work with them to develop licks - remember the musicians institute book i told you about, 'the guitar licktionary' . . .

satansbedbugs wrote:

Can you send me the different scales that you practice, I want to practice them as well...ty

http://forums.pearljam.com/showpost.php?p=5584242&postcount=11

savman

ediger wrote:

All that being said, I myself spend the most time just playing, like I said earlier. For me, I find when I over-think, my playing sounds like crap. I need to just shut off my mind and go. The downside is, I need to record everything or else I'll forget any cool riffs I played .

Sounds exactly like me! And after over ten years playing embarrasingly I still cant read music nor do i know any of the notes on the fretboard after trying to learn them sooo many times. Certainly limited my abilities.

justam

I warm up with scales and arpeggios everyday. It only takes about ten minutes. I do two forms of each scale (major, harmonic minor) and three forms of each arpeggio (major, minor, diminished). I go up chromatically through all twelve half steps. Four octaves up and back on the piano. It's the quickest way I've found to warm up my hands!

Jam10

ianvomsaal wrote:

andy, get that aebersold 2-5-1 progressions book i told you about, and play them over all 12-major key-signatures.
also work with them to develop licks - remember the musicians institute book i told you about, 'the guitar licktionary' . . .

http://forums.pearljam.com/showpost.php?p=5584242&postcount=11

Will do Ian. I'll check both those books out.

Thanks

ediger

savman wrote:

Sounds exactly like me! And after over ten years playing embarrasingly I still cant read music nor do i know any of the notes on the fretboard after trying to learn them sooo many times. Certainly limited my abilities.

Yup, I'm the exact same. Been playing guitar for 10 years or so, but have an extremely limited knowledge of music theory. I know a few scales and enough chord patterns to get by, but that's about it. To a certain extent it does limit your ability, but it really all depends on what type of guitarist you want to be. If you want to be the type that can perfectly replicate a solo from another song, that music theory is really going to help. Personally, I determined a long time ago that I will never be a musical genius so I stopped stressing about all the theory stuff. 95% of what I play is just me playing by ear and through feel. It works well enough for me. I think you get more emotion across in your playing that way. Theory's all well and good, but sometimes you end up like Dreamtheater, all sterile and cold.