STOP Sounding Like A Guitar SCALE Machine: How To Break Out Of Guitar Scales

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Let's say you are playing a lead over a backing track...
... what do most guitarists do in this situation?
They choose a scale.
Have you noticed how it's always "scale, scale, scale" for us guitar players?
No wonder many of us end up sounding like a scale machine every time we play.
And it does not help that since the scale they are using has 5 (or 7) notes...
... then they feel like they have to play all 5 (or 7) notes on each and every phrase!
It's like if they are thinking "If you leave one note out, then you are doing less than you could!"
I'm not really accusing anyone here. This was what I was doing years ago - I am just describing my younger self.
But I know I am not the only one.
So how do we break out of a scale?
And especially, how do we do it in a way that is actually manageable, so that when we are playing we can:
1. Remember to do it rather than defaulting to the 'good old' scale, and
2. Find it easy - because the hard things never 'come up' in an improvisation - and
3. Sound good too! After all this is what is all about!
Well I'm going to give you an idea in this video.
Grab your guitar and follow along, and by the end you will think about it and play in a different way
If you like this video, share, like, comment & don't forget to subscribe for more content!
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[@solidSchmaltz]

Holy breakthroughs, Batman! Just pick two chord arpeggios from the key and play them? So simple. My jamming just got so much simpler AND more musical. I kept obsessing over playing the right arpeggio to match the exact chord in the song and it felt impossibly cumbersome. This morning I just picked a few songs, found the key, picked two chords and just jammed on them, throwing some 7ths in with the triads... holy cow. It was the most fun I’ve had playing in a long while. AND, I started seeing how the patterns connect in all new ways, getting a glimpse of how mastery will come. That foresight is very motivating. I realize I’m ranting, but you don’t know how long I’ve been puzzled by “what to do with arpeggios?!” Thank you, Tommasso!

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

You're very welcome :)

[@tristanbach4421]

LMFAO. "Stop looking at the girl." I was tooottally looking. xD

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I'm a straight woman and I was like: O_O

[@koalabandit9166]

I found it very hard to do the exercises with just one hand.

[@grinpick]

Triads? Pairs? Huh? (Sorry, still looking.)

[@gamma7824]

Same here lmao

[@cyberoptic5757]

As a former bass player, I recognize these patterns from walking bass in 12/8. Listen to this man. He makes sense

[@lukasgraesslin]

Your new video each week is probably the only thing I'm looking forward to on a monday :D

[@TehShammay]

Informative as always. Thank you!

[@henryvanvledder7406]

Useful stuff. Great ideas to break free of restrictive habits and to experience new dimensions in practising/performance. Thanks.

[@stuartarnold4495]

Very informative and useful information again. Thank you

[@rahulmurthy1763]

Looks interesting. Can't wait to check it on all the chords. Majors, Minors & added Chords. Thank you.. see you next year 😊😊😊

[@psierzp]

Thank you for another great lesson!

[@derycktrahair8108]

Great lesson. "Scales give us options". Choosing the notes we want to play on a Melodic line was what I learned from listening to Miles Davis. Knowing WHY things work helps to give you confidence that what you hear in your mind has Musical validity. I play something & think "What the heck was I doing there?" (good or bad). You don't just teach tricks & licks, you educate our ears. Thank you.

[@NeilFH]

thank you! always enlightening!

[@rpw3174]

This is a great, immediately useful video!

[@pablopellerin]

“You don’t learn scales to play scales”

[@nepalaryan3572]

It was fantastic lesson i enjoyed it so much

[@lushkordz6643]

this is the way real musicians see improv. in jazz (Triads Superimposition) N build powerful/effective melodies Keep going in this direction man this is the way to think about harmony

[@stephanelebailly2665]

I never leave comments but I make an exception as ur videos are so inspiring and well done. Thanks a million!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Nice to read your comment.

[@ZackRamsey14]

My first tip to people is take a scale and then play it in thirds, meaning play one note, skip one note, and repeat. This immediately starts sounding melodic because a chord is the same concept, play one note, skip the next

[@CleatSurfer]

Wouldn't that be an arpeggio? 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 - if you did that for each scale degree, you will have harmonized the scale G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim. Is that how you're working through it?

[@MixMastaCopyCat]

And then once you've tried moving around the scale in thirds, mess with all sorts of intervals! i.e traverse the scale in fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths as well :)

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I sometimes practice doing stacked third arpeggios for that reason.

[@blackcitadel37]

4:07 It's hard to focus on the pair of triads instead of a different kind of pair.

[@LesCiol]

the reason behind the pics cracked me up, love your videos :D

[@wuba556]

10/10 guru lvl guitar teachings, another awesome video dude!!!

[@tripencrypt]

While I know that I know very little about guitar and have much more to learn. I'd like to tell you Mr. Zillio that I sincerely look forward to your videos. Thank you for your help.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

The wisest and best among us always know they have a lot to learn still. I mean, Alan Holdsworth more often than not didn't think he was all that good. And I can't think of anyone better than him, maybe as good.. maybe.

[@frankpfau9054]

grande tommaso! grazie grazie ☺️

[@Cam-yp7cn]

Can you please make a volume 2 of this and expand further? I’ve been playing for 20 years but is a brand new thing to me.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

I'm editing it as we speak :-)

[@shreyanukil8520]

I can't wait to practice this after I'm done with my semester exams.

[@pratikmali9277]

Same bro

[@kasnitch]

bella ragatz Tommaso . gracias .

[@pratikmali9277]

I loved the train idea 😆

[@okaight7248]

So many guitarists need this! Excellent video.

[@MohamadBHadun]

Wooou...this nice , I like this....

[@buellzz]

8.20 my playing in a nutshell. Taken me years to undo that damage.

[@delcapslock100]

I kept thinking the intro to Long DIstance Runaround by Yes.

[@danbrenton2645]

I came here for the lesson, I stayed for the "train"ing. I enjoyed your joke with every fibre of my being.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Excellent lesson, thank you. ^-^ I drill them whether I know them or not, and I always learn more. Focusing on open triads also helps a player see the intervals, and not just the shapes. You have to think about what the interval is, whereas closed triads are more often parts of very familiar chord shapes. The open triads are too, they're just not as easily recognizable in the beginning. Edit: Heeeyyy!! I was promised kittens! 3:43

[@BeN-bn5yb]

The pics he chooses tho

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

The chick-pic *you* chose though too. lols ^-^

[@helicoptera75]

Nice one that will keep me busy :)

[@umarustrings]

Wish there was more examples to this.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

There will be soon. I'm planning more videos on this.

[@brendondominic5737]

Can u upload that pdf

[@chocomalk]

Stop looking at the train!

[@TedBoyRomarino]

This particular video is not really about music theory. It's more about music wisdom.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Yea man, the oncoming train wreck is real. lols

[@enaig07]

I wanted to take the chord mastery course but its too expensive for me :(

[@hartchillvibes]

I love it! 😍😍😍✅✅✅🇵🇭

[@EdKidgell]

I wish jazz guitarists would watch this clip!

[@JamesWoodGuitar]

Can your courses be purchased one time or is it solely subscription based? And are you doing any black Friday deals? Thanks.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Please direct all course questions to [e-mail]

[@jdmarino]

I'm a beginner bass player (2 years) and I have been studying triads (major & minor) in all keys everywhere on the neck (up to the 12th fret). I imagine your 2 triad technique might make for a nice bass fill. Do you think so?

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Yes, this will work as well for bass too.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Yea, I bet this would sound awesome on bass.

[@arthurfrayn7619]

Oh yea, I've been playing bass for awhile and this video absolutely applies. It's scales after all. With faster music/frequent key changes I tend to play a triad of the specific chord being played instead, although grooving largely on the pentatonic scales as he briefly mentions is my favorite.

[@BekkersBelly]

There is a mistake in the notation at 6:15. The tab shows two times down, but in the notes it's going down and then again up.

[@michaeleaster1815]

"a guitar scale machine" ... Gah! do you have a listening-device in my apartment? ;-) I feel "seen" ! (or "heard")

[@JohnnyGTar]

Cool stuff. I believe that what you call open triads is formally called spread triads. Correct me if I am wrong. Not splitting hair but I think open triads involve open strings.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I've heard them referred to as both open triads and spread triads. Not sure about the open strings triads, and that does make sense, but only for stringed instruments. So I'd be hesitant to adopt it for that reason.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

"Open triads" is the technical term, sometimes expanded in "open position triad" or "open voiced triads". This is the terminology in use from at least the 1890's. Not to be confused with "open STRINGS triads", more commonly "open strings chords". In the former, the triad is 'open'. In the latter, the strings are 'open'. "Spread triads" is guitarist jargon invented since people got confused between these two things.

[@JohnnyGTar]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar thank you, the guitarist in me is constantly fighting the musician in me 😁

[@fivetimesyo]

3:54 I confess I had to rewind because my attention was elsewhere occupied

[@dcoch2000]

Complete Chord Mastery, is a "per month" cost. Is this an ongoing subscription? Or just for that course, and if so, how many months is the course?

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Please direct all course questions here: [e-mail]

[@kagenotatsumaki]

"Stop playing scales!" "OK! What should I do instead?" "Learn the Triad Scale!" " -___- "

[@jessemontano762]

"Stop looking at the girl!" I can't stop looking....!!

[@commentfreely5443]

pic of girl in bra, but don't look

[@TheLemonKiller]

I'm the kind of dude that just understands sound and it works together. I can also most the time translate what I want to say in my head and so forth. So when it comes to actually using theory or learning it..........it's like trying to sit perfectly still while fire ant's crawl up your legs that are covered in honey........

[@timsmith190]

I feel like such a caveman. My attention span is so short I'd never stay with this on it's own merits...Thanks for the girls, by shear accident I might learn something now.

[@matthewcantu3127]

That’s how I was until I saw how much better this is than playing scales, basically just practice your triads, I just started

[@irwanbahari897]

Sounds like Frank Gambale licks

[@baschdiro8565]

At 6:16 the notes do not correspond with the tabs and what is played.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

At 6:16 I'm not playing anything. The example before and after that time play exactly what it is in the tabs.

[@baschdiro8565]

Well, I mean 6:35, sorry for that. The tabs are correctly, but the notes are not.

[@ObjectiveDynamics]

​@@MusicTheoryForGuitar ok but he has a point: at the same place the tab and the standard notation don't agree. Notation is going up in pitch when tab is going down

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Oh, you mean the standard notation does not correspond to the tab? Sorry, I understood that the tab does not correspond to what I play. No, you're right, I didn't notice that when I was preparing the slides. Thanks for pointing this out.

[@baschdiro8565]

Yes, that's what I meant. No problem.

[@ScotchIrishTarheel]

Apparently he has heard and does not like the instrumental I wrote titled, "Non-variations on the Minor Pentatonic."

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

:)

[@CleatSurfer]

You had a live class? What?

[@Terminus_El_Camino]

I'm losing my hair, so I use the Minoxidilian scale.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

HAHAHA

[@Terminus_El_Camino]

​@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Glad I made you laugh! It's a joke that is wasted on all but folks with music theory background. And yes, I am experiencing the androgenic alopecia.

[@VojvodinaNet]

this video is not for me...I barely know the major scale :) I am just getting ready to learn all these interesting scales that he has shown us. I will get back to this video in a year, when I become obsessed with scales :)

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Watch this playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGjaeHyupbxoqK8

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

That's the best way to learn on the internet. You have to be able to see what steps you need to take. I suggest getting a metronome and using it as part of your practice time (sometimes you need to work on learning parts without one). And step one should be to learn the key of C Major all over the fretboard. Really once you've done that, most of the rest falls into place much easier. Tommaso has an awesome course, but if you're like me, that may not be something you can afford right away, but he has videos on all the basics here too. The play list he linked is a great place to start of course. But C Major is just 7 different scale shapes to learn the entire fretboard. Say or better yet, sing the notes as you play them to commit them to memory. The great part about that, is that by learning those 7 shapes you will be learning all of the root positions of each mode too. All of the shapes are moveable, and so you can play in any key and any diatonic mode by just moving those same shapes into a different position. So yea, focus on just the 7 notes of C Major for now, and you'll be up to speed right quick. This shows all 7 positions, and the number of each interval (relevant to the root note, C in this case) on the left side, and on the right side shows the finger number that's best for each shape: i.pinimg.com/originals/38/c5/5c/38c55c5a189f0724ff6bd2266703de01.png This one shows the note names: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/C_Major_Scale_on_fretboard.svg/1280px-C_Major_Scale_on_fretboard.svg.png I learned them all by making graphs like this, and so all the notes are forever etched into my memory. I've never not been able to tell what note I'm playing since then, so I recommend buying some empty guitar fretboard graph paper (I actually drew my own with a ruler when I was a kid).

[@VojvodinaNet]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Thanks, I like your videos and have already watched some of these but need to not only watch...but practice :)

[@Bobby007D]

He sounds like father Guido Sarduchi .

[@christopherheckman7957]

(1) 3:40: Ah, the "hot chick maneuver ..." angryflower.com/271.html (2) This reminds me of the way you decompose a scale into the tonic triad (the stable notes), and the rest of the notes as a seventh chord (the active notes), from an earlier video, and alternate between the two.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

So where do I get my Nobel prize? ;-)

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

@ Christopher Heckman : It was right at _"E=MC2 I like weiners"_ that I was very happy I'd finished my tea already. lols

[@oOBobiboOo]

French viewers be like : "ARRÊTEZ de sonner comme une machine à balance de guitare: comment sortir des échelles de guitare"

[@oOBobiboOo]

@@fonfon575 That is how the google translate tool did translate the title in french.

[@shepcatsaba]

Some "deep cuts" in this video

[@erock.steady]

the girl made me subscribe lol no really tho i subscribed but just remember one thing - GIRL = Guy InRealLife

[@WizardOfArc]

I’m too lazy - I just start with chord notes.... then borrow chords notes of the following chords as passing notes

[@resb1714]

NOOOOO ... of course I don't want to make the girls sad 🤣👍✌️!!!

[@wchen2340]

autotranslate fails big time (german) with the headline

[@Dcba964]

Great lesson but too short...Nobody really takes the time to show how to make triads sound musical or how to mix them with the scales. I know triads are powerfull bu i still cant use them in a musical way. Sounds at the end as robotic as the scale...

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Well, it's the first video in a series. Next ones are coming soon ;-)

[@KipIngram]

3:56 - I'm happy! Nice looking girls. :-)

[@GuitarMan65]

Feels like I’m learning guitar from Borat.

[@Diego-uq3yg]

How not to sound like a stereotype Italian ?

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Mamma mia... ;-)

[@Diego-uq3yg]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar me cojoni !

[@panlan1]

i can't stop looking at the girl but triads is where i need to go two..er, i mean, too..uh, to..butt, um, i mean but, i will try knot to look too closely and get all tied up and string two triads together to further my edification and not wreck my train of thinking by training my ear to hear what it is ; the idea you are trying to convey or transport to me and others, like me, who can't resist the urge to allow their intrinsic nature to give rise to distraction...excellent lesson and ideas given but i need to eradicate by edit the images of distraction..signed and sighed, in truth;mice elf:

[@tmaciol]

Grauenvolle Übersetzung. „Gitarren-Waage“ Echt jetzt?

[@bakl999]

Whoever translated this: scale (music) refers in german to "Tonleiter" not to Waage, You wouldn't use "balance" or "weighing machine" as a similar word for scale in english.

[@Rockguy29]

Didn't understand anything 🙄

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Then this playlist is for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGjaeHyupbxoqK8

[@karlderdelinckx]

This is not how you break out of the scale! You’re just staying in the scale. The real difficulty is using a note or scale that’s not in the original scale and make it sound good and interesting.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

That's actually fairly easy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX2mhHRpqdVgsK8

[@karlderdelinckx]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar that one is playin fill in notes but is not really breaking out of you’re scale.

[@SandcastleTheory]

@@karlderdelinckx You seem to know a lot about this already, Karl. Perhaps you should post a tutorial of your own. I see an entrepreneurial opportunity for you here. Cheers!

[@karlderdelinckx]

@@SandcastleTheory I’m not a music teacher. An example of playing out of scale to me would rather be philip Catherine plays Cole porters version of ev’ry time we say goodbye.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

You're talking about playing outside (of the scale, or chord). What Tommaso is teaching here is how to break out of scalar playing. It seemed obvious to me, but I can see why you could be slightly confused about his intention, and where he could have chosen a slightly more fitting title. Nothing wrong with either of you for missing such details, or even seeing things a little different though.

[@chiju]

Disliked for the objectification of women, but thanks for the good suggestions.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Truly, understanding irony is a lost art.

[@bobgriffith1810]

Ok but the tone on your guitar is horrible,, just use a clean sound when teaching