When most of us first learn a scale on guitar it is probably something like a minor pentatonic or a blues scale (or possibly even a major scale) The chances are that we also first learn the scale as a positional ‘shape’ on the fingerboard, which of course makes perfect sense when you simply want to get used to the sound and feel of the scale.

As time moves on (and depending of course on how we wish to progress with our playing) this initial scale shape may then become part of a larger group of fingerboard scale shapes. This is seen in systems like the CAGED fingerings which many players use to learn the fretboard. 

There is of course nothing wrong in learning scales like this (I did myself) but in today’s lesson I’d like to explore practicing scales in a rather different way: by playing scales on single strings. This is probably an approach more suited to intermediate to advanced level guitarists, but there’s no real reason why any level of player could at least experiment with this system. 

I’ll assume here that you already know the major scale and possibly some of its modes using the traditional (CAGED) position fingerings. In the first example below, you’ll see what initially looks like a quite overwhelming number of notes in a fretboard diagram. This is all actually just one scale – The D Dorian mode. I have written out all the intervals from the open strings right up to the 15 fret (you could also go higher obviously) 

Your first task is to now learn these notes on every single string (one at a time) going from the lowest available note (open string) up to the highest available note and then back down. 

In Part Two we’ll look at developing this exercise further but in the meantime, once you have learned this scale on each individual string, try improvising against the backing track below and see what happens!

You may be pleasantly surprised at the results you get! 

Here’s a PDF of the Dorian Scale diagram: D Dorian (all strings up to 15th fret) 

Here’s a D Dorian backing track to practice along with: 

Have fun!