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Regarding your explanation of how to construct major scales, why do you choose the C major scale to be the model pattern for all other scales? Why, for example, would you not start with the A scale and make that the model? Thanks.

Thanks, Wiley, but I'm pretty clueless. Does that mean that the absence of sharps or flats is the criterion for the starting point of any scale pattern? What if, for a particular type of scale, no note meets the criterion or multiple notes do?

If you're a keyboard player, with 12 thumbs... On both hands! LOL It means you only have to play those big fat white keys (not the skinny, hard to play black ones). And alot of music is composed in C for just that reason...

I get your point, Wilson. Does this mean that, if you wanted to, you could use any other note as the model pattern for the major scale? In other words, is there no single pattern for "THE major scales?"

It's not the absence or presence of sharps or flats that matters, it's the distance between each note in succession. It just so happens that if you start on C, and then apply the correct spaces between each following note to make a major scale, you will end up without any sharps and flats. Knowing 2 things, as pointed out in Neil's video, will help you apply this theory to any key:

1)There is no sharp or flat between the notes B and C, and there is no sharp or flat between the notes E and F. On the piano, there is no black key between these keys.
2)The C major scale has no sharps or flats

From that, you can derive the pattern of the major scale - Root-Whole Step-Whole Step-Half Step-Whole Step-Whole Step-Whole Step-Half Step back to the Root. Once you have the pattern, you can figure out the notes of any key's major scale.

If you play a C scale (it's major unless otherwise specified), say starting on the 6th string on the 8th fret and you play it from C to (shining LOL) C... And it doesn't matter if you stay on the 6th string, or use all the strings, or just some of the strings... As long as you don't use any open strings... Well if you remember the pattern of what you just played, then you can just shift your hand down to the 7th fret and play that same pattern again to play a B scale. And you can shift that very same pattern up one fret and play the C sharp major scale. The pattern is the same. And that very same concept applies to playing licks and runs. You can change the key of a lick, run, rif... and play it in a different song just by changing where you start and just play the same pattern.


And what makes a scale major, minor, or what ever is the interval (musical distance or number of frets...) between the notes in the scale/pattern.

I hope that helps. And I'd tell more, but I probably already told you more than I really know LOL

I appreciate the effort you all have put into your replies. I think I now have the answer to the most important aspect of my original question; i.e., there is ONLY ONE pattern for major scales (based on C). As to why C was chosen as the pattern, it is probably (as you have said) because it had no sharps or flats...beyond that, it probably gets into math and physics. Thanks again to all!

mmmbldo wrote:

As to why C was chosen as the pattern, it is probably (as you have said) because it had no sharps or flats...beyond that.

Hi mmbldo, the reason why Neil starts with the C major scale is exactly because it has no sharps/flats. He explains this scale and the intervals between the notes, as it is the easiest major scale to describe- there are people who get confused by sharps and flats- so using a scale deviod of them makes life easier.

The intervals used in the C Major Scale apply to all major scales, as Neil states. By applying whole/half note pattern from the C Major scale, you can, if you want to, work out the major scales for all 11 other notes availabke to you on the guitar ( including sharps/flats)

Hope this helps.

Joe

Thanks, Joe.