The major scale on the neck

Three notes per string

The major scale has seven notes. To play it across the whole neck, you split it into three-notes-per-string positions: each string gets three notes, then you move to the next. The fingerings are a bit more stretched than the pentatonic ones, but very regular.

G major: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#.

Set the neck to 15 frets to see the three positions in this lesson in full.

Position 1: from the G at the 3^rd fret

It starts on G, low E string, 3^rd fret, and goes up to the 8^th fret. This is the “basic” scale: you play G, A, B on the low E, C, D, E on the A string, and so on.

▶ Listen to position 1

Fingering: on each string, pick the fingers that keep your hand from moving (1-2-4 or 1-3-4, depending on the stretch). On the B string, your hand slides one fret toward the body of the guitar.

Position 3: from B, at the 7^th fret

▶ Listen to position 3

Position 5: from D, at the 10^th fret

▶ Listen to position 5

Positions 2, 4, 6 and 7 are on the G major scale page. Three are enough for now: they overlap and already cover the neck from the 3^rd to the 15^th fret.

Landmarks

• The G notes are your landing spots, like the A notes in the pentatonic. Find them in each position before you play.
• Chord shapes: each position contains a G chord. In position 1, it’s the E-shape barre chord at the 3^rd fret.
• Scale degrees: play the scale saying “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7”. You’ll hear the “do, re, mi” major scale everyone knows.

Exercises

1. Slowly, in eighth notes, one position a day, going up and down.
2. In groups of three: 1-2-3, 2-3-4, 3-4-5… as with the pentatonic.
3. From one position to the next, on a single string: G, A, B on the low E in position 1, then slide up to position 3 on the same string.

You’ve got it when…

• You can play positions 1, 3 and 5 of G major, going up and down
• You can point to the G notes in each position
• You can play a position in groups of three notes, without stopping