How to Play a Note

• 1). Pick a note from your guitar chart. Position your fretting hand over the note. Use your index finger to push the string down against the neck. Do not bend the string.
  
  
• 2). Strum the individual string that is being held down with the pick in a downward motion. The sound you hear is the note.
  
  
• 3). Experiment with different notes. The same notes appear on every string in different places. Move up and down the neck, noting how the notes sound higher or lower when played in different positions.
  
  

Playing Guitar Scales

• 1). Pick a scale to start out with. The minor pentatonic scale, otherwise known as the blues scale, is a great place to start. It is the most common scale used in popular music.
  
  
• 2). Consult your scale chart to learn the pattern. A scale is a series of notes like you played before. Pick the notes of the scale according to the chart.
  
  
• 3). Pick the notes of the scale backward. Keep going back and forth until it becomes easier.
  
  
• 4). Learn the modes of the scale. Modes are the same scale translated to different positions on the guitar neck. Learning the modes is the key to being able to find your way up and down the neck with ease.
  
  
• 5). Add new scales that interest you. The more scales in your repertoire, the more variety you will have in your lead playing.