Lessons ❭ Guitar Scales ❭ Major Scale ❭ Melodic Patterns
Melodic patterns are a grouping of notes, within a scale, repeated in a certain order and repeated in a pattern through the scale. The purpose of melodic patterns is to learn to use a scale for phrasing and improvising with the guitar.
In this lesson the G Major Scale will be used for each example of melodic patterns. The note pattern below the guitar tabs identifies the note's position in the scale.
The G Major Scale
e|---------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------|
D|----------------------2---4---5--|
A|----------2---3---5--------------|
E|--3---5--------------------------|
Note Pattern:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
This first melodic pattern, using the G major scale, is played starting on the root or first note. The pattern is played three notes at a time (1-2-3), and then the pattern is started over again on the second note of the scale (2-3-4). Next, starting on the the third note (3-4-5), and so on.
e|--------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------2----2-4--2-4-5--|
A|------2----2-3--2-3-5--3-5----5-------------|
E|--3-5----5----------------------------------|
Note Pattern:
1-2-3 2-3-4 3-4-5 4-5-6 5-6-7 6-7-8
This pattern is played the same way as above, but is played four notes at a time.
e|-----------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------2------2-4----2-4-5--|
A|------2-3----2-3-5--2-3-5----3-5------5--------|
E|--3-5------5-----------------------------------|
Note Pattern:
1-2-3-4 2-3-4-5 3-4-5-6 4-5-6-7 5-6-7-8
This pattern skips over the notes in the sequence.
e|-----------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------2----2---4----4-2-5--|
A|----2---3----3-2-5--2-5-3----3---5----5--------|
E|--3---5----5-----------------------------------|
Note Pattern:
1-3-2-4 2-4-3-5 3-5-4-6 4-6-5-7 5-7-6-8