best way to practice scales?

[Blazphemer]

what is the best way to practice scales in your oppinion?

[Soap]

Play them.

Learn to play them cleanly, none of that sloppy stuff, string noise slop.
It takes practice to learn to do this.
Players that play cleanly, like everyone else had to practice to be able to do it. Aside from that, just play them (scale/s) up and then back down.
Pick each note, and them hammer on and hammer off the notes.
Its boring as all get out and its old school but it makes for a great player.
Your conditioning yourself, its really the better way to improve and advance along. Learn those scales and again learn to play them cleanly.
The more you do it the better you will get at it.

I remember thats all I used to do when I played, just played scales over and over again. I still recommend it for the individual whose advancing and taking an interest in play scales/leads, as well as for the one who gigs alot. Playing scales are great for warming up.

You know, to help avoid the boring and tedious part of playing scales, you can play them musically speaking. Play a scale in C and then G, and D and so on. You create a musical passage this way, while keeping it interesting and training the ear all at the same time. Play each and all the scales that make up the key of C and do that in every key your practicing in. Whether its the key of C, D, G, E or A. Very good schooling this way.

Keep practicing and have fun with it.

[LesPaulCustom]

The easiest way for me was to organize them into 3-note-per-string major scales with all 7 modes.

Then....do the same thing with natural minor. That will keep you busy for a while.

Then..learn the 5 patterns of the Pentatonic, and if you're really ambitious...map them out using 3-note-per-string.

It was easier for me to learn them this way for some reason.

[shredmonster]

The easiest way for me was to organize them into 3-note-per-string major scales with all 7 modes.

Then....do the same thing with natural minor. That will keep you busy for a while.

Then..learn the 5 patterns of the Pentatonic, and if you're really ambitious...map them out using 3-note-per-string.

It was easier for me to learn them this way for some reason.

Agreed. After that learn how to create patterns and syncopate them. Develop the ability to play diagonally and learn runs up and down the neck on 2 or 3 strings.

[drockilles]

Have a general idea of the theory behind the different scales/modes. I don't wanna start another theory vs. no theory shit storm, but knowing what the different scales will work with will help with improvising. Also, break out the metronome and practice playing different subdivisions of the beat. Go from 1/4 to 1/8, 16th notes, etc.

[shredmonster]

Theory Shit Storms !!!! Whew Hew those are my favoite !!!!

[jjw]

with your fingers

[SouthPlatteDemon]

Does someone have a cool place on the web that explains what strings on which frets are the scales? This really confuses me.

As you can tell I'm totally self taught using tablature, but need to step up my knowledge of music theory and would like to start learning the scales.

This feels sort of like asking a bunch of race car drivers on their board if they have a place that describes how to drive. LOL

[Shawn Lutz]

is a two-fold thing for me. I use them for technique building with a metronome and harmonically to use for improv/soloing etc. They both important but know how to apply a scale is what is what its all about really....you can build technique doing basically anything but knowinghow to apply theory in my opinion is the key to unlocking music...both already created and the music in your head

once you learn the alphabet you are not thinking letters, you are thinking in words and paragraphs Same is true with scales and associated modes...lear how to apply them.

The truth is there is no right way of doing them, some folks think in terms of patterns, other moreso on theory.

One thing I used to do is instead of giving out the patterns I'd make students come up with their own by just giving them the notes of say the G Major scale (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#) and then name them for them based on what string/fret the root was located.

[Sabre]

Play them slowly and accurately, and once there imprinted on your mind speed up with a metronome.

[RacerX]

Does someone have a cool place on the web that explains what strings on which frets are the scales? This really confuses me.

As you can tell I'm totally self taught using tablature, but need to step up my knowledge of music theory and would like to start learning the scales.

Here ya go, dude

http://www.myguitarsolo.com/scales.htm

[gort]

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/

^^ lots of scale stuff. Practice them slowly doing alternate picking. Then practice them in thirds, etc.

[VitaminG]

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/

^^ lots of scale stuff. Practice them slowly doing alternate picking. Then practice them in thirds, etc.

just so I've got this straight

when you're practicing scales in alternate picking, it's down-up-down-up, etc.

When practicing in thirds it's down-up-other-down-up-somethingelse, right?

[SouthPlatteDemon]

just so I've got this straight

When practicing in thirds it's down-up-other-down-up-somethingelse, right?

Would others and something else mean hammer ons, and offs and bending to the note? What else is there?

[VitaminG]

no, I was just fooling around & stirring gort. The way his post was phrased, it read to me like you practice scales using alternate picking, and then you practice them using a different technique.

But gort was just reiterating what just about everyone else in this thread had already stated more thoroughly: alternate pick them & break them up into different patterns.