Scales & Modes
Learn useful scale shapes, connect positions across the neck, and understand how modes create different sounds over chords and progressions.
Showing 97–120 of 124 guides
Learn chord tone soloing on guitar - the technique of building solos from the notes of each chord rather than a single scale. Includes exercises, patterns, and examples for jazz, blues, and rock.
Learn chord tone targeting - the technique that separates melodic solos from random scale runs. Understand how to land on the right notes at the right moments in a chord progression.
Learn essential chromatic exercises for guitar to build finger independence, speed, and fretting accuracy. Includes patterns, fingering variations, and a structured practice routine.
Learn all seven diatonic 7th chords that naturally occur in any major key on guitar. Understand why each chord has its unique quality and how to use them to create sophisticated chord progressions.
Explore flamenco guitar fundamentals - rasgueado, picado, and the Phrygian mode. This guide gives non-classical guitarists an accessible entry point to this expressive style.
Learn hammer-on, pull-off, and pentatonic fills. Master bass note walks and chord embellishments for more interesting, professional sounding guitar playing.
Learn how to start improvising on guitar from scratch. Discover the beginner-friendly approach to soloing using the pentatonic scale, backing tracks, and simple musical ideas.
Learn how to modulate to a new key on guitar mid-song. Discover pivot chord modulation, direct modulation, and chromatic modulation with practical chord examples and progressions.
Learn guitar phrasing techniques that transform scale runs into expressive music. Covers question-and-answer phrasing, space, rhythmic variety, and how the best guitarists think in phrases.
Learn how to practice guitar scales with sequences - interval patterns that build speed, coordination, and fretboard knowledge faster than running scales up and down.
Learn half-diminished (m7b5) chords on guitar - what they are, how to play them, and where they appear in jazz, classical, and modern music progressions.
Learn the difference between the major and minor pentatonic scales on guitar and when to use each one. Includes fretboard patterns, musical examples, and the crucial trick of playing both over the same chord.
Learn the three forms of the minor scale on guitar - natural, harmonic, and melodic minor. Includes fingering patterns, sounds, and when to use each one.
Learn how to create modal chord progressions on guitar. Understand what makes a progression sound Dorian, Lydian, or Mixolydian, with chord shapes and real-world examples.
Learn the 7 modes of the major scale on guitar - Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, and more. Practical positions, sounds, and how to use them in real music.
Learn the extended chord voicings that define neo-soul guitar. Discover how to play the rich, jazzy harmonies of artists like John Mayer, D'Angelo, and Erykah Badu on guitar.
Learn how to build and use quartal voicings on guitar - chords stacked in fourths used by jazz, fusion, and rock players for a modern, open sound.
Understand relative major and minor keys on guitar. Learn how to find relative keys, use them for songwriting, and unlock the connection between scales and chord progressions.
Learn string skipping technique on guitar - how to skip strings for wider intervals, build fretboard fluency, and play melodic lines that stand out from standard scale runs.
Master the concept of musical tension and release to create compelling, expressive guitar performances that captivate listeners.
Learn how to play the whole tone scale on guitar. Discover its symmetrical structure, easy fingering patterns, and how to use it for dreamy, floating solos over augmented and dominant chords.
The essential music theory every guitarist should know - notes, intervals, scales, keys, and chord construction. No fluff, just practical theory you'll use.
Learn the blues scale - the pentatonic scale plus one powerful note that makes everything sound bluesy. Positions, licks, and how to use the blue note.
Learn the CAGED system - five chord shapes that map the entire guitar fretboard. Connect chords, scales, and arpeggios across all positions.
