Can anyone recommend a great book of scales in tab format?

I just recently bought this one, but I've found it to be a pretty good breakdown of jazz improv: Amazon.com: Big Book of Jazz Guitar Improvisation (Book & CD) (9780739031728): Mark Dziuba: Books

If you're new to fretboard theory, this is a great book: Amazon.com: Guitar Fretboard Workbook (9780634049019): Barrett Tagliarino: Books

It does not cover modes very well, however.

I agree with henry that a problem is that it's easy for scales to box you in and your playing to become very scalar, as in your playing sounds like repetitive scales. Scales/modes themselves are easy to learn. Learning to apply chord tones, licks and arpeggios to develop your own style is the challenge that takes a lifetime to develop. Even the best players are still developing this. I still am ;-)

It's all about the journey...
 
henryrobinett said:
Pretty much what I said earlier. Start with the 3 notes per string major scale. Make sure you take notice where the ROOT of the scale is. There will be 7 scale patterns each start on one of the 7 degrees of the scale. If you think of these degrees or steps as that rather than MODES you'll be better prepared.

I'd practice slowly and deliberately with alternate picking. That would mean alternate. Not doing a down stroke when you play the next string. That makes a triplet rhythmic feel whether you want it or not. These are three notes per string, not necessarily triplets. After you've memorized them I'd use a metronome.

One thing I'd caution - Learn them ALL comprehensively as soon as possible. YOU DON'T want to know some better than others. These scales cover the entire fretboard. The primary purpose is to know your fretboard completely. So they should be practiced every day for a while.

That'll be $50. :)
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50? per 5min? your not far from me, Ill give you a free rectal exam for your hints :)
 
Ben Randolph said:
I just recently bought this one, but I've found it to be a pretty good breakdown of jazz improv: Amazon.com: Big Book of Jazz Guitar Improvisation (Book & CD) (9780739031728): Mark Dziuba: Books

If you're new to fretboard theory, this is a great book: Amazon.com: Guitar Fretboard Workbook (9780634049019): Barrett Tagliarino: Books


It does not cover modes very well, however.

I agree with henry that a problem is that it's easy for scales to box you in and your playing to become very scalar, as in your playing sounds like repetitive scales. Scales/modes themselves are easy to learn. Learning to apply chord tones, licks and arpeggios to develop your own style is the challenge that takes a lifetime to develop. Even the best players are still developing this. I still am ;-)

It's all about the journey...
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thanks the Barret book sounds promising from the reviews and cheap!
 
the problem with all these scale books, is that trying to learn scales this way is just terrible.

it's much better to learn what notes are in a scale and then (if you know the notes on the neck) find your own patterns. if you don't know the notes on the neck, then you'll learn them pretty quickly. it's about internalising the information. you can't learn to paint by looking at paintings.

i taught myself by starting with the major scale in C and teaching myself some fingerings for it. i would set my keyboard up to play a drone and then play the scale over the drone so i could hear how each interval sounded against the root (keeping in mind the name of the note i was playing and it's relationship to the root). i would then spend some time improvising with the scale over the drone. i did this with a drone for each of the notes in the scale, so i could hear how each of the modes sounded.

do this in all 12 keys

after you've finished with the major scale, you might want to move on to the melodic minor and the harmonic minor (bear in mind that not all of the modes of these scales are in general use)

you may also want to try the diminished scale (half-whole and whole-half) and the whole tone scale

that's all the fundamental scales you need.

there are hundreds of other "exotic" scales that you could spend a lifetime learning, of course.

the next phase is to improvise over chord sequences built from chords in a single key. for example, improvise over Cmaj7 / G7 / Amin7 / Fmaj7 using the C major scale and pay attention to how each note of the scale sits against each chord. be aware of the notes in each chord, as they are your target notes.

it's not enough to just learn a ton of scales...it's about being able to use them in context....

each scale generates 7 chords built in thirds from each note in the scale. work them all out and write them down. get a really big piece of paper and write down all the major modes (in C) with their chords (up to the 9th). learn them.

melodies are the notes from a key played consecutively...chords are the notes from a key played simultanously...you should never have to ask "what scale do i use to play over these chords" as they are one and the same thing

a bit random, but from years of teaching others and having taught myself theory without the aid of a zillion crappy books, i have quite strong feelings about this... :)
 
I got an app for my Iphone/Ipad that is HD guitarist reference- so far it is real nice for a theory cheat- plus i always have it handy on my phone. Something I would rate well worth the price.
 
Awesome! Barrett writes great books. I have Fretboard Workbook, plus his book on Chord Tone Soloing as well as his book on reading standard notation. Great material!

henryrobinett said:
Wow! I KNOW Barrett! We used to teach guitar at the same school in Vienna Austria. How cool is that?
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Cool!!! Thanx everyone for the suggestions. FWIW I already understand the concept of modes based on the major scale and interval names and chord structure. I just want something that I can look at in tab format to help me visualize the different modes and memorize them all over the fretboard. Tabs are just so much easier for me to understand. I need to break out of the pentatonic box, and major and minor scales. I tend to always play the same stuff. I'll check out the iPad app first as that can be dl'd instantly and will give me yet another cool use for my iPad.

Thanx!!!
 
Even with glasses my eyes can't really focus on the dots in relation to where they are on the fretboard. Numbers on lines is easier for me to see as well as comprehend.

gpz said:
I wonder how one can prefers scales in tab format rather than simple dotted graphics :D
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hey hey i've just tabbed out all the modes and harmonic minor and diminished in all keys. yes in all keys, pm me if you wanna buy the scale tabs. there's a sample in the for sale section.
 
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