Minor scale.

Written by Morten Gjermundsen(trollstjerne@yahoo.no)

In this lesson weīll have a look at the Minor scale.All examples will be shown in the key of A minor,but be sure to practice this scale in other keys as well.The Minor scale is used a lot in rock,metal and bluse but also in other music styles.When ever you hear a song with a dark or sad feel in it itīs probably in Minor (Bright,happy and joyful songs are in Major).To get a good example of how powerful Minor and Major scales are you can watch a movie.When there is a happy scene or something fun going on the music is most likely in Major.In the darker or sadder scenes,when people die or get killed and so on the music in the background is likely to be in Minor.

The formula for the Natural Minor is 1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 (W - H - W - W - H - W - W).In the key of A minor it looks like this A - B - C - D - E - F - G.The difference between Major and Minor scale is the 3rd,6th and 7th which in the Minor scale is lowered by a half step.

Hereīs the A minor scale 
                                
E||--------------------------||
B||--------------------------||
G||--------------------------||
D||--------------------5--7--||
A||-----------5--7--8--------||
E||--5--7--8-----------------||
Here is the same scale in two octaves. 

E||--------------------------|--------------------5----||
B||--------------------------|-----------5--6--8-------||
G||--------------------------|--4--5--7----------------||
D||--------------------5--7--|-------------------------||
A||-----------5--7--8--------|-------------------------||
E||--5--7--8-----------------|-------------------------||
Here is the same scale again in seven different positions. 
                                                        
E||--------------------------|--------------------1----|
B||--------------------------|--------------3--5-------|
G||--------------------------|-----2--4--5-------------|
D||--------------------2--3--|--5----------------------|
A||-----------2--3--5--------|-------------------------|
E||--1--3--5-----------------|-------------------------|


                                                     
--------------------------|---------------------3----|
--------------------------|---------------5--6-------|
--------------------------|-----4--5---7-------------|
--------------------3--5--|--7-----------------------|
-----------3--5--7--------|--------------------------|
--3--5--7-----------------|--------------------------|


                                                     
--------------------------|---------------------5----|
--------------------------|------------5--6--8-------|
--------------------------|--4--5--7-----------------|
--------------------5--7--|--------------------------|
-----------5--7--8--------|--------------------------|
--5--7--8-----------------|--------------------------|


                                                          
----------------------------|------------------------7----|
----------------------------|-----------------8--10-------|
----------------------------|------7---9--10--------------|
----------------------7--9--|--10-------------------------|
------------7--8--10--------|-----------------------------|
--7--8--10------------------|-----------------------------|


                                                          
-----------------------------|--------------------7--8----|
-----------------------------|-------------8--10----------|
-----------------------------|--7--9---10-----------------|
-------------------7--9--10--|----------------------------|
---------7--8--10------------|----------------------------|
--8--10----------------------|----------------------------|


                                                               
--------------------------------|---------------------8--10----|
--------------------------------|----------8--10--12-----------|
--------------------------------|--9---10----------------------|
---------------------9--10--12--|------------------------------|
----------8--10--12-------------|------------------------------|
--10--12------------------------|------------------------------|


                                                                     
----------------------------------|---------------------------12----||
----------------------------------|---------------12--13--15--------||
----------------------------------|--111--12--14--------------------||
--------------------------12--14--|---------------------------------||
--------------12--14--15----------|---------------------------------||
--12--13--15----------------------|---------------------------------||
By looking at the example above you can see that the A Minor scale share the same notes as the C Major scale,but you should think of it as a scale of itīs own.Anyway when practicing the Minor scale also practice this scale on all stings like this... 


E||--5--7--8--10--12--13--15--17--||
B||-------------------------------||
G||-------------------------------||
D||-------------------------------||
A||-------------------------------||
E||-------------------------------||
Try to find every A -B - C - D - E - F - G notes one the guitar and practice this scale up and down the fretboard.Practice this scale using hammer onīs,pull offīs bending,slides and so on and go up and down in speed.

Hereīs a few licks and exercises you can use to practice this scale.

Example 1 



E||--12-0-0-0-10-0-0-0-8-0-0-0-7-0-0-0-|--5-0-0-0-7-0-0-0-8-0-0-0-10-0-0-0-||
B||------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
G||------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
D||------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
A||------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
E||------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||

Example 2 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||--------------------------|---------------------------||
B||--------------------------|---------------------10----||
G||--------------------------|------------------9--------||
D||--------------------------|-----------7--10-----------||
A||--------------------5-----|-----5--7------------------||
E||--5--7--8--5--7--8-----7--|--8------------------------||

Example 3 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G||*--5-4-2---5-4-2---5-4-2---5-4-2---|--7-5-4---7-5-4---7-5-4---7-5-4---|
D||*--------2-------2-------2-------2-|--------7-------7-------7-------7-|
A||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|


                                                                        
----------------------------------|------------------------------------||
--5-------5-------5-------5-------|--66-5-----6-5-----5----------------||
----7-5-4---7-5-4---7-5-4---7-5-4-|-------7-5-----7-5---7-5-4-7-5-4---*||
----------------------------------|---------------------------------7-*||
----------------------------------|------------------------------------||
----------------------------------|------------------------------------||

Example 4 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||------------------------------|---------------------------||
B||------------------------------|---------------------------||
G||-------9-5---5-4--------------|--4-5-4-5-7-4-5-7-9--------||
D||--7--------7-----5--------5-7-|---------------------------||
A||-------------------7--7-8-----|---------------------------||
E||------------------------------|---------------------------||

Example 5 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||--------8-10-12-10-8----8-7-8-10-12-10-8-7-|--8----8-10-12-8-7----13-12-10-8----7-8-10--||
B||-----10--------------10--------------------|----10-------------10------------10---------||
G||*--9---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------*||
D||*------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------*||
A||-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------||
E||-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------||

Example 6 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||------5----5-7-8-------5--|------------------|
B||---8----------------8-----|------------------|
G||*-------------------------|------------------|
D||*-------------------------|------------------|
A||--------------------------|------------------|
E||--------------------------|------------------|


                                                        
-------------------------------|--8----------7---------||
--13b---13--12--13--12--10--8--|--10---------8---------||
-------------------------------|----------------------*||
-------------------------------|----------------------*||
-------------------------------|-----------------------||
-------------------------------|-----------------------||

Example 7 and hereīs the Backing track 

                                                                                            
E||--------------------------12----12----------12----|--13-12-13-12----12-13-15-17--------||
B||--13-12-13-12----12-13-15----15----15-13-15----15-|--------------15--------------------||
G||--------------14----------------------------------|------------------------------------||
D||--------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------||
A||--------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------||

Example 8 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||-----------------------------------12-------12-17-|--15----------12----------8-7-5---5----||
B||-----------------------13-------13-------13-------|-----17-15-13----15-13-12-------8------||
G||-----------14-------14-------14-------14----------|---------------------------------------||
D||--------14-------14-------14----------------------|---------------------------------------||
A||--12-15-------15----------------------------------|---------------------------------------||
E||--------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------||

Example 9 and hereīs the Backing track 

E||-----------------------8-7-8-5----|--8-0-12-0-8-0-12-0-7-0-10-0-7-0-10-0--||
B||--------------------10------------|---------------------------------------||
G||*-----------------9---------------|--------------------------------------*||
D||*----------7-9-10-----------------|--------------------------------------*||
A||---------7------------------------|---------------------------------------||
E||---5-7-8--------------------------|---------------------------------------||

Example 10 and hereīs the Backing track 


E||---8b-8--7-5---5-----------3-|------------3---3-5---5-7-8-7---5-|
B||-------------8-------5---5---|--6-5-3-5-6---6-----8---------8---|
G||*----------------------7-----|----------------------------------|
D||*----------------------------|----------------------------------|
A||-----------------------------|----------------------------------|
E||-----------------------------|----------------------------------|


                                                       
--8b-8--7-5---5-----------3-|-------------------------||
------------8-------5---5---|--6----5-----3----1--3---||
----------------------7-----|------------------------*||
----------------------------|------------------------*||
----------------------------|-------------------------||
----------------------------|-------------------------||

Well,thatīs all for now.Hope you found this lesson useful.Remember that to get the most out of this lesson you have to practice this scale in every key and all over the fretboard.Also try to create your own licks and solos using the backing tracks above and the ones you can find on my jam page.

Good luck.

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