Scales and phrasing...learning to make your guitar speak

Humble Monkey · Post by **Humble Monkey** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:32 pm

I play in the dark. I've never learned ANY scale; but just from practice I just kinda know (most of the time) what notes to use or not to use. If I hit a wrong note, I can bend it till it's right, or slide it up or down a fret...and just remember not to hit it again.

I'm sure most people who do know their scales will look at what I just said and say, "Wow, this guy is an idiot!", but I like the way I approach playing lead; honestly, has every great guitarist studied scales? I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking......

fatjack · Post by **fatjack** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:50 pm

Humble Monkey wrote:If I hit a wrong note, I can bend it till it's right, or slide it up or down a fret...and just remember not to hit it again.

okay Mr. Hendrix

MWR · Post by **MWR** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 5:30 pm

Humble Monkey wrote:I play in the dark. I've never learned ANY scale; but just from practice I just kinda know (most of the time) what notes to use or not to use. If I hit a wrong note, I can bend it till it's right, or slide it up or down a fret...and just remember not to hit it again.

I'm sure most people who do know their scales will look at what I just said and say, "Wow, this guy is an idiot!", but I like the way I approach playing lead; honestly, has every great guitarist studied scales? I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking......

Music theory has been around for a long time so it's presumptous to throw it all out the window. I see your point about using your ears but I think there's a happy medium.

Humble Monkey · Post by **Humble Monkey** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 7:27 pm

I agree w/ you MWR, but studying musical theory & a bunch of scales just isn't for me. In my opinion, too much of that turns playing guitar into more of a science, instead of an art.

fatjack · Post by **fatjack** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:26 pm

Humble Monkey wrote:I agree w/ you MWR, but studying musical theory & a bunch of scales just isn't for me. In my opinion, too much of that turns playing guitar into more of a science, instead of an art.

it can be both if you want it to be

grock · Post by **grock** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 1:50 am

Humble Monkey wrote:I agree w/ you MWR, but studying musical theory & a bunch of scales just isn't for me. In my opinion, too much of that turns playing guitar into more of a science, instead of an art.

you gotta learn the language before you go writing the greatest literature. i mean without a camera there would be no Photography. without special lenses and advances in techniques. without paint there would be no paintings. without cubism or all that. without Bach and Motzart where would music be.

my point is that if you know all the tools and tricks you can make better art and having a wider base from which to build and creat art.

Granny33 · Post by **Granny33** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:48 pm

yea theory is definitly mad boring to learn and thats probably what turns a lot of people off. lucky for me though its offered as an elective in my high school.