guitar scales

Latest about guitar scales

John McLaughlin, Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen and Al Di Meola
John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Marty Friedman and Yngwie Malmsteen Didn't Rely Exclusively on Western Scales - so Why Should You?

By Guitar Player Staff Published

Add intriguing twists to your playing with the tonal flavors of the Far East, Middle East, Africa and beyond

Lessons
Jimmy Page performing on stage at the Seattle Coliseum, playing Gibson Les Paul guitar
Three Sure-Fire Ways to Break out of That Old Minor-Pentatonic Deadlock

By Mac Randall Published

Completely alter your use of the minor pentatonic scale using these examples in the style of Jimmy Page, Noel Gallagher, Robert Fripp, Peter Green and Eric Clapton

Lessons
blues guitarist
Learn Five Head-Turning Guitar Licks in the Open Position

By Guitar Player Staff Published

Give your guitar solos some extra hooks with this bunch of five knockout licks

Lessons
LEWISHAM ODEON Photo of Eddie VAN HALEN and VAN HALEN, Eddie Van Halen performing live onstage
Learn 'The Eddie Van Halen Scale' in This Short, Simple Lesson and Add Some Attention-Grabbing Passages to Your Solos

By Dale Turner Published

Discover the memorable, three-notes-per-string symmetrical pattern that Ed frequently used for both major and minor keys

Lessons
Eddie Van Halen
The Essential Eddie Van Halen Guitar Lesson

By Chris Buono Published

Learn the secrets of the guitar legend's trademark soloing style

Lessons
Fretboard
Learn All the Notes on the Fretboard in This Easy-to-Follow Lesson

By Guitar Player Staff Last updated

Elevate your playing with this simple guide to fretboard memorization

Lessons
Blues Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Musselwhite, guitar detail, performs onstage at Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine on January 17, 2023 in Malibu, California.
The Mixolydian Blues Scale Could Be the Most Useful Scale of All

By Guitar Player Staff Last updated

This scale reigns supreme as the chief source for carving those major/minor blues-based licks that sound so good over dominant 7th chords

Lessons
guitar fretboard mirrored image
Avoid Melodic Monotony and Predictability Using the Half-Whole Diminished Scale

By Chris Buono Published

Here’s how to create more effective lines by relating the “symmetrical diminished” scale’s recurring fretboard patterns to chords

Lessons