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Easy Beginner Guitar Lessons – Discover how to play impressive lead guitar using harp scales

By Mike Hayes | November 25, 2009

Have you ever heard beautiful flowing lead guitar fill-ins and
wonder how they get the notes to seamlessly connect to the chords
without distracting the listener?

It’s often hard to determine if the guitarist is playing
harmonics or standard notes. One thing is for sure, it seems as
if they have more notes or different types of notes on their
guitar than on yours!

I’m going to let you in on one of the best kept secrets
professional guitarists have used for years. You can apply this
concept to any style of music; it’s particularly effective on
acoustic guitar.

Harp scales and how to use them.

What is a harp scale? Essentially they are standard scales that
utilize open strings to create a ‘harp-like’ effect. As the open
strings mingle with the closed or fretted notes an effect is
created that sometimes sounds like harmonics intermingling with
standard guitar sounds.

Since not many guitarists know how to play in this style when you
incorporate harp scales into your playing the music you create
will sound much more lively and interesting to your audience.

For the purpose of this discussion I’ll keep everything in the
key of G major.

Step 1. Select a chord from the key of G, let’s say Em.

Step 2. Decide on which mode you want to create your fill-in
from, I’m going to use the B Phrygian mode.

B Phrygian mode: B-C-D-E-F#-G-A-B

The Phrygian mode is the mode that starts on the third degree of
the major scale.

G major: G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G

B Phrygian : B-C-D-E-F#-G-A-B

You can use any mode from the major.

Step 3. Play the scale (mode) on the guitar using as many open
strings and hammer-on’s or pull-off’s as possible.

In the following example I’m using hammer-on’s for the B to C
notes and E to F#.

I’ve decide to play the D, G and B notes as open strings, as you
can see there isn’t too many standard notes in this scale, that’s
why it sounds interesting!

Harp scale example (B Phrygian ascending)

—————————————-
——————————–0——-
———————–0—————-
———-0—————–7———–
————–7—9———————
–7—8———————————

Step 4. Apply the harp scale to your chord.

Start with your harp scale followed by your chord like this:

[Harp scale] … Em/// | Em/// | Em/// |[Harp scale] … Em/// |
Em/// | Em/// |[Harp scale] … Em/// | Em/// | Em/// | etc

Notice how I played the harp scale followed by three bars of
Em, you can play it where ever it feels right.

Step 5. Apply the harp scale to a chord progression.

Since I’m working in the key of G major, I’ll keep things simple
by using chords exclusively from that key.

Here is my chord progression:

Em/// | Em/// | Em/// | Em/// | Cmaj7/// | Cmaj7/// | Cmaj7/// |
Cmaj7/// | Am/// | Am/// | Am/// | Am/// | D/// | D/// | D/// |
D/// ||

Now the same chord progression with the harp scale:

[Harp scale] … | Em/// | Em/// | Em/// | [Harp scale] … |
Cmaj7/// | Cmaj7/// | Cmaj7/// | [Harp scale] … | Am/// |
Am///|Am/// | [Harp scale] … | D/// | D/// | D/// ||

The really neat thing is I’m using the same scale to introduce
different chords and each time the scale will give the impression
to the listener as being a different scale.

It works because the scale (mode) I’m using is taken from the
same key as all the chords in the progression therefore they all
blend nicely.

I invite you to try the harp scales next time you are looking for
fresh, crisp sounds on the guitar.

And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To
Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for
free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com

From Mike Hayes – The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar
System

Topics: Beginner Guitar Lesson, Guitar Fretboard, Guitar Tips, Learn And Master Guitar | No Comments »

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