I'm a newer guitar player, I did not just begin, but I've been playing roughly a year, and I am now just getting into the music theory. How do you write music using scales?

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This probably belongs in the theory forum but its alright. Intresting that after 1 year you're already ready to resort to scales and theory to compose music. Definately something that alot of people over look.

I will go over the extreme, EXTREME basics of using scales for composing music. Say you decide.. hmmm i'm going to write a song in A minor. Ok next you'll compose like a rhythm using a pattern of A minor. I.E. say you play an A power chord then transfer over to a F then to E, Returning to A and starting over. While having you're rhythm doing this, you can play a lead with another guitar over this rhythm using the A minor scale. So basically playing some variant of the scale over the rhythm you have set up.


My overall recommendation would be to analyze and interpret some of the music that you listen to and understand how they do what they do. And in some case more importantly why.

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Ok thanks. That does make sense, is there a website or something I could check out that would dwell more into the subject?

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For starting out, by far the most concise and easy to use method I can think of would be to use guitar pro. You can pre select a scale, which will be highlighted on the fretboard, then simply use the notes it shows and you'll be within that scale.

Books such as Troy Stetinas Lead Guitar (volumes one and two) are good resources to use, if you stick at them, which I didn't.

Another good aspect is to play around with a scale over backing in the same key, if you start now it'll develop your ear and be of great help as your technique and playing develops

Here's a short 'improvised' clip I just put in the 'post your riffs etc'

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.p...EE20E0B2D14B8D8

For that all I did was play in the key of F# harmonic minor, over a track that has the same key

definitely. all of his books are superb. the rhythm series is also good if you're wanting to write songs.

really though you won't just want to use scales to write music. what you can do is learn a scale, noodle around on it for a while until something sounds good, and then use that as part of your song. combine several parts like that and voila you've got a song.. maybe.. just experiment.

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hear the solo in your head, figure out what key you want it in, then use the scale and figure out which notes you want in which order.

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go to guitarbt.com they have an accurate backtrack of amberdawn there.
nice improv
http://www.guitarbt.com/index.php?p...berdawn&ext=mp3

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not all solos have to be fast, just try and think like a listener. try and trick them, thats what makes everything exciting. first hum a melody and then try and build from there. and make sure u dont steal anyones style, u want to sound original.

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Actually following up on this. I recently posted about this in the video thread. Some of these guys post these "improv" solo videos of themselves and they really are horrible solos. Just because yeah they can pick like super fast as hell and play a frenzy of random notes that just happen to be in teh same key but the solos are just horrible. Improv or not, a solo isn't just a time to hit as many notes as possible within a given time period.

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agreed with that. its fun to play fast, but pretty boring to listen to

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This is really good advice. This way you will come up with ideas unique to you. Ultimately as you learn new things (technique, build speed, dextertity), you will incorporate these along with the concept of scales to create your own ideas.

Check out the theory forum for more uses of scales/modes and their applications.

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Niftyness Thank you guys! I have guitar pro on my computer, ive just never really taken time to sit down and mess with it.

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...wait...

So music is written in scales???

Wait.....
There is a theory section?