3 Note Per String Scales

Many people argue about what the best way to practice Major Scales are on guitar. 3 Notes Per String or CAGED scales. I became convinced that 3 Note Per String Scales were the best scales to practice. I thought I should abandon learning scales any other way. I told my College Guitar Teacher. What he said changed the way I thought about guitar. He said that the guitar is a maze. You should learn the fretboard in every way possible. It could be 3 Note Per String Scales, or CAGED scales. I could even learn single-string scales. This helped me realize that the best option for learning scales is to learn every possible way.

I recommend people start by learning CAGED scales because there are 5 shapes to learn instead of 7. Click this article to learn how to play CAGED Scales. 

Once you master CAGED scales, 3 Note Per String Scales come next. 3 Note Per String scales are great for understanding modes. Modes determine the starting note of the scale. The Major Scale determines what notes are in the scale. If you play the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. You are playing a C Major Scale. If you start on D, you are playing a Dorian Mode. Covering the names of all the modes is outside the scope of this article, but modes just say what note to start on. The problem with modes is that on their own they aren’t very musical. If you start on D, and play D, E, F, G, A, B, and C in a song it doesn’t sound like a song. This is why learning modes helps us understand the fretboard. It is not designed to help us sound musical. 

Most scale books will take you through each mode of the scale. It will start you on the Ionian Mode (the mode that starts on C) and end on the Locrian Mode (The mode that starts on B). This is not super practical for learning the guitar neck. You wanna start learning them starting on the lowest fret possible. Then play each note in the scale until you reach the highest fret possible.  In C Major, the lowest non open string is F. This means we will be playing a C major scale starting on F which is a Lydian Mode.

If you want to get scales structured this way, click this link to get your Roxy Rockin’ Guitar book. Select the black book and get a free copy with every 3 Note Per String Scale formatted this way.  

There are 3 ways we are going to work on 3 Note Per String Scales: 

1. Playing Them Up and Down 

2. Connecting Them 

3. Improvising Them 

Playing Them Up and Down

Take the mode, start on the lowest note on the E string. Play the notes left to right on each string. Once you get to the high E string, play the notes right to left and go back down the scale. This is how everyone learns scales at first. Here are the 7 modes of C major structured Left to Right. Do this method in all of them 30 times a day until you have it down. 

F Lydian

G Mixolydian

A Aeolian

B Locrian

C Ionian

D Dorian

E Phrygian

Connecting Them

Once you have each mode down, you wanna work on connecting them. Start on the lowest note of the lowest mode, then play up the mode. Once you get to the high E string, slide up to the next mode. Then, you can play down that mode. Then slide up on the low E string to the next mode. Play it from the low E to the high E. Continue this pattern through all 7 modes.   There is a more detailed breakdown inside of the Roxy Rockn’ Guitar Black book. 

Once you have mastered this in one direction, flip it. Start by going down the first mode then up the 2nd mode.   Learning your scales this way will help you connect them and get out of playing in a box.  

Improvise Them

The next step is to practice improvising over the modes. Start on the lowest mode. Set a metronome or drum track. Then play random notes in the mode. Don’t play them up and down all the time. Use a consistent rhythm like eighth notes or quarter notes. This will help you learn the guitar neck very quickly.  

Once you’ve mastered one position, do the next until all 7 are done. Once you can do all 7 by themselves, start connecting them. Improvise 2 Modes at a time or 3. Do this until you can do all 7.  

Congratulations, if you’ve done all of these exercises, you’ve completed one key. The next step is to repeat this process in every key. It’s about 6-12 months of work to get them down.  

If you want every key laid out, a better explanation of modes, and what to do after this, click the link. You will get access to the Roxy Rockin’ Guitar Book. Select the Black Level and we will send you a copy.