The very first scale a guitarist learns is often the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is easy to familiarise oneself with and is incredibly versatile. After this may come the addition of the blues note – to make the blues minor scale. From there, a guitarist will probably branch out and learn other available scales, such as the full natural minor scale and the major scale and its modes. But wait. Let’s backtrack a bit here. There’s a lot more to “the blues” than you may think.

Emotional/melodic lead playing

Playing straight from your 'soul' Emotional/melodic playing is the art of expressing one's emotion directly through the instrument. For many musicians it is the ultimate goal - to be one with music. But wait! This sounds like a quest that could take years to complete! And you'd be right. To get to the stage where scale shapes and thought disappears takes years. However, a quick introduction and some handy hints will get you well on your way in no time.