For beginning guitarists, mastering the A minor scale is among the most essential skills. Containing no sharps or flats, it is also commonly known as A natural minor scale or A aeolian scale.
This scale formula works for all natural minor keys & can be used to build guitar chords, melodies & lead solos. Starting on A as the root note and ending an octave higher on another A note.
Basics
First and foremost, when learning the guitar minor scale it is essential to recognize that its composition involves whole-steps and half-steps arranged in an alternating pattern of whole steps and half steps. As with the major scale, first learn this one before moving onto its minor counterpart.
The A minor scale contains all natural notes (no sharps or flats) without accidentals – making it a fantastic choice for beginners as its pure notes make them easier to hear than any augmented or diminished scales. To begin learning it, start with fret 1 on the low E string before moving through each string in turn using each fingertip as you do so.
Assuming your index finger is on fret one, your middle and ring fingers should then move one fret each until all notes of the A minor scale have been played on each string.
This A minor pentatonic scale provides a good starting point when learning improvising over an Am chord. Additionally, blues musicians frequently employ it in their chord progressions for adding bluesy flair and adds an air of authenticity. But keep in mind that playing any minor scale involves both ascending and descending patterns so as to master its entirety fully.
One effective method of practicing this skill is using movable scale shapes – groups of fretboard positions you can move around the fingerboard in order to play each note from a particular scale – as a form of practice. Doing this will not only build your fretboard knowledge but will also enable you to experiment with various sequences of notes for expressive guitar playing movements.
Another useful way of practicing the A minor scale is incorporating it into chord progressions and coming up with melodic ideas within their context. A minor chord has an especially somber sound compared to major chords, creating feelings of sadness or introspection in any piece of music it’s playing – so knowing how to use this scale to craft melodies that suit both your mood or that of any song being played is vitally important.
Scale Patterns
As part of learning scales, it is crucial to comprehend their compositional structures. This is because specific patterns can create any given scale in any key regardless of where it’s played on the fretboard – this phenomenon is known as positional system of scales.
Start on the fifth position of minor pentatonic scale pattern one and play all of it all the way to the 12th fret on the first string, you will produce an A minor scale; but, by shifting that same pattern onto an eight fret of that string instead, C minor scale would result. This occurs due to shifting from key to key via the fifth position of scales.
As new guitarists become familiar with scales, many may become disoriented because they only know one specific pattern of scales. Although that might suffice as an entry level guitarist, other scale patterns must also be learned if one wishes to master more complex musical styles.
An essential scale pattern for musicians to master are the major and minor pentatonic scales, which form the basis for all other scales and modes they may wish to explore. If playing jazz or more exotic music is your goal then adding Harmonic and Melodic minor scales (derived from minor pentatonic) to these two patterns can add additional notes into each scale for more complex sounds that sound different than regular pentatonic scales.
There are also other scale patterns a guitarist can learn that will enable them to play natural minor, dorian and Phrygian dominant scales derived from major and minor pentatonic scales, which is useful because it gives access to any key since these scales contain tonic notes that are one minor third higher. If a guitarist wants to explore these scales further they should check out Musicians Institute’s Fretboard Workbook which clearly explains these scales on a fretboard.
Chords
A minor chords are essential components for any guitarist’s arsenal. You can play them in any key, often as part of a chord progression and across genres from pop and country music to classical. They can also be played using barre or open positions with or without capo; there are various alternatives to these chord shapes which you should experiment with to find those which best suit your playing style.
Chords in a minor key are composed of three notes known as triads, including a root note, minor third and perfect fifth. These notes can be found within the A minor pentatonic scale – the key component for creating chords in minor keys. This chart illustrates its notes as well as any possible chords which may result from them.
Example: An Am chord can be played using three finger fretting: index finger on first string (A), middle finger on second string (B), and ring finger on third string (C). This standard barre chord shape applies to any major or minor chord.
Addition of a minor sixth interval can also add more expectation and works particularly well when played following a minor seventh chord in a progression.
Below are charts with alternate chord shapes. These variants may not be as prevalent but could prove beneficial if you want to experiment with some unusual configurations.
An additional variation on this chord shape involves combining it with the C major scale, creating what is commonly known as an Am7 chord. This technique can add tension and drama to your playing while offering other possibilities such as adding an additional ninth interval (creating an Am9 chord) or using diminished chords.
Resources
An array of scales is key for crafting dynamic riffs and solos on the guitar, and many resources exist that provide guitarists with tools for learning these scales. This may include scale books, online guitar lessons or any other tools which help guitarists understand how they apply them in their music.
Hal Leonard’s Guitar Grimoire series of books are highly regarded scale books that provide beginners with everything they need to understand and master various scales. It provides a comprehensive list of scales along with tips and techniques for using them effectively in music; moreover, these user-friendly volumes contain clear information presented easily for readers.
Scale Patterns for Guitar is another useful book in helping guitarists understand different scales. This book’s goal is to prevent linear scale learning by offering melodic passages and sequences as the reader internalizes each scale and applies it more easily into their music.
This book includes various scales and modes that can add bluesiness to an Am chord, including a minor pentatonic scale that adds bluesiness. Also featured is a Dorian mode for adding tragedy while Phrygian mode can give darker tones to your chord. Overall this is an ideal book for anyone wanting to understand the various uses for the different modes that can be combined with an Am chord.
Some scales require some knowledge of music theory; however, most will be easily familiar to any guitarist. Major and minor scales consisting of seven and six notes are particularly familiar; when learning these scales it is crucial that one remembers their root note location as this will allow a guitarist to improvise and play solos more smoothly if they become disoriented during soloing.