The major scale in two patterns

Books offer loads of patterns for each scale. And all of these need to be memorised.

The best memory experts simplify things to make them easier to remember, and the C-A-G-E-D system is one approach to doing this. But that is still five patterns. What if you just needed to memorize two patterns?

Well here it is.

The major scale is constructed like this: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
(W = whole step/tone or 2 frets. H = half=step/tone or 1 fret).

On any fretted instrument, this will form a repeatable pattern. This is how a one-octave major scale looks with the root at any fret on the 6th string of the guitar, and the 5th string.

Root on 6th string  The root note is played with the 2nd finger of your fretting hand.

Root on 5th string.

 Root on 4th string. Now this looks like a different pattern but IT IS THE SAME.  You know this is true by the way it sounds.

The reason it looks different is because the 2nd (B) string is tuned differently. To make up for this the last 3 notes of the pattern have to move up the neck by one fret (one semitone).

Now to prove it, move the root over to the 3rd string and move notes 3, 4 & 5 up by one fret on the 2nd (B) string. Move notes 6, 7 & 8 across to the 1st (E) string.

So that's Pattern 1 of the major scale.  What about Pattern 2.

Pattern 2 works in exactly the same way. The root note is played with the 4th finger of your fretting hand on the 6th (low E) string.
The pattern is the same whether the root note is on the 6th, 5th or 4th string. When part of the pattern moves on to the 2nd (B) string, those notes move up the neck by one fret (one semitone). You'll know when you've got it because you'll be able to hear the Do-Ray-Mi....

There is no Pattern 2 starting with a root on the 3rd string.  There are not enough strings.

Try this. Play the major scale in A using both patterns with roots on all strings.  Once you have got these two patterns under your fingers, you can start to extend these scales across all strings. If you get stuck go back to Pattern 1 on the 6th string and use the sound of that as a reference to copy elsewhere on the neck.

Two octave and extended major scales across the neck use a combination of these shapes. For great information on the CAGED system and the ultimate major scale programme (Master The Major Scale) check www.justinguitar.com.