Scales

Scales are a basic thing and you might think that you don't need to practice them. Well, in my opinion they're probably the most important thing if you want to get good. You can go ahead and learn all the hard Paul Gilbert or Kirk Hammett licks, but scales are the thing behind them and they will make your learning and mastering of them much easier and faster. By practicing scales you get your things used to all the fingering patterns so if someone shows you a scale with so called weird fingering, you will have no problem learning it. 


There is no need to move on to the hard stuff too soon. Practicing scales every day for even an hour or two will do a lot more good for your playing than practicing the Master Of Puppets solo for four hours a day. You should move on to the hard stuff when scales just aren't a challenge anymore and you have all the patterns mastered.The main use of scales is soloing. The vast majority of solos are based on scales. Learning all the scale patterns and shapes will allow you to play a solo in any key without hassle. It really makes life a lot easier. Personally i love to find a backing track on YouTube to solo over.

Minor scales:

D = D - E - F - G - A - Bb - C - D

F = F - G - Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F

G = G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G

A = A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A

B = B - C# - D - E - F# - G - A - B

C = C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C

Eb = Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - Cb - Db - Eb

F# = F# - G# - A - B - C# - D - E - F#

G# = G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E - F# - G#

Bb = Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb

E = E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E

C# = C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A - B - C#



Major scales:

C = C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C 

D = D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D 

E = E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E 

F = F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F 

G = G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G 

A = A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A 

B = B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B 

C# = C# - D# - E# (=F) - F# - G# - A# - B# (=C) - C# 

Db = Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - C - Db 

Eb = Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - D -Eb 

F# = F# - G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E# (=F) - F# 

Gb = Gb - Ab - Bb - Cb (=B) - Db - Eb - F - Gb 

Ab = Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - G - Ab 

Bb = Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb