Scales for all Positions

So we've looked at a few different scales in open and 5th position. Now let's put on our big boy shoes and learn how to play in any position.

PreReqs

• C Major in Open Position and Alternate Picking
• 5th Position

Scale Maps

The Major and Natural Minor Scales can easily be reduced to 7 different shapes, that correspond to the player's position on the fretboard. The 7 positions are based on the position of the tonic note.

Major Scale Roots

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Root Notes	|x|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|x|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |x|-|-|-|-|	|-|x|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|x| |-|-|-|-| |-|x|-|-|	|-|-|-|x|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |x|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|x|-|	|-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|x|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |x|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-|	|-|-|-|-|-| |x|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|x| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|x|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-|	|-|-|-|-| |-|x|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|x| |-|-|-|-|	|-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|x|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |x|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-|
All Notes for Pos.	|x|-|o|-|o| |*|-|o|-|o| |-|o|o|-|o| |-|o|x|-|o| |o|-|o|-|o| |x|-|o|-|o|	|o|x|-|o| |-|o|-|o| |o|-|o|o| |o|-|o|x| |o|o|-|o| |o|x|-|o|	|o|-|o|x|-| |o|o|-|o|-| |x|-|o|-|*| |o|-|o|-|o| |o|-|o|o|-| |o|-|o|x|-|	|o|-|o|-|o| |*|-|o|o|-| |-|o|x|-|o| |o|-|o|-|o| |x|-|o|-|o| |o|-|o|-|o|	|o|-|o|-|o| |x|-|o|-|o| |-|o|-|o|*| |-|o|o|-|o| |-|o|x|-|o| |o|-|o|-|o|	|o|o|-|o| |o|x|-|o| |o|-|o|-| |o|-|o|o| |o|-|o|x| |o|o|-|o|	|o|-|o|o|-| |o|-|o|x|-| |o|-|o|-|*| |x|-|o|-|o| |o|-|o|-|o| |o|-|o|o|-|
Fingering for Pos.	|i|-|m|-|p| |*|-|m|-|p| |-|i|m|-|p| |-|i|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p|	|i|m|-|p| |-|m|-|p| |i|-|r|p| |i|-|r|p| |i|m|-|p| |i|m|-|p|	|i|-|r|p|-| |i|m|-|p|-| |i|-|r|-|*| |i|-|r|-|p| |i|-|r|p|-| |i|-|r|p|-|	|i|-|m|-|p| |*|-|m|r|-| |-|i|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p|	|i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p| |-|i|-|r|*| |-|i|m|-|p| |-|i|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p|	|i|m|-|p| |i|m|-|p| |i|-|r|-| |i|-|r|p| |i|-|r|p| |i|m|-|p|	|i|-|r|p|-| |i|-|r|p|-| |i|-|r|-|*| |i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|m|-|p| |i|-|r|p|-|
Whole/Half Patterns	w-w w h-w h-w w-w w-w	h-w w w-h w-h h-w h-w	w-h h-w w w-w w-h w-h	w-w h h-w w-w w-w w-w	w-w w-w w h-w h-w w-w	h-w h-w w w-h w-h h-w	w-h w-h w w-w w-w w-h

* usually unplayed double notes

C Major Layout on Fretboard

      |o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|
      |o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|
      |o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|
      |o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|
      |o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|
      |o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|o|-|o|-|o|-|o|x|-|o|-|o|
Fret # 0     3   5   7   9     12    15  17  19  21    24

Scale  6------   3-------- 7-------- 4-------- 1--------
Map          4-------- 1-------- 5--------   2------
#        5--------   2------   6------   3--------

The scale map #'s are ordered as the number of notes lower than the root note + 1. Another way to look at it is if you start playing the pattern ascending from the lowest note, how many notes do you play before reaching the tonic. For the key of C Major in open position, there are 5 lower notes, so the pattern is #6.

As you ascend positions, this necessarily moves the tonic note lower by 1 note. This means the patterns actually occur in reverse as you ascend the fretboard, as you can see in the diagram above.