The BEST Way To Learn and Practice Scales on Guitar!

[@BenEller]

Thanks for taking a trip to the DRONE ZONE with Uncle Ben and learning the best way to learn any scale! What do you want to learn next?

[@m15t3r_n8]

So I think it's in the book Joe Satriani: Guitar Secrets" Theres a lesson in there from a magazine publication in the late 80's or early 90s that has Joe run through the major scales/modes but you hit the root note in between all the other scale intervals in the single position form (the mixed 2 and 3 note per string scales or potentially described as Classical Style scales).... great exercise, really helped my relative pitch hearing which I think is the point as it's not fun holding that one finger down on the first note, or constantly having to jump your finger back and forth across multiple strings... still really useful If I can find online it I'll add a link... should just make my own video "Man Cannot Live On Shred Alone": Mötorböater's Forever!

[@sotirios6882]

How about a breakdown on the guitar n synth solos for the Edgar Winter song" FRANKENSTEIN" DRINK-SMOKE GOOD. Cheers 🍻

[@starkillsam]

Hey Uncle Ben, Great video as always! I think it would also be amazing to use this for difficult licks in songs that I'm learning to contextualize what the artist is doing in relation to the chord. For a future installment, do you have any tips for alternate picking and muting on a seven string (particularly on the high B and high E strings)? I feel like I have to either pick right over the neck pickup to mute everything below where I am playing, but I find that it can easily bring too much tension to my forearm/where-my-forearm-meets the wrist area. I can also pick to the right of the neck pickup more (me being right handed; it is still close to the neck pickup), and it feels better. However, the open B string or the open G string will easily ring out if I am not extremely careful. This might be a good thing though, because it forces me to have perfect fretting technique by muting the unplayed string with a non-pressed down finger as my other finger is going towards the next note. I also heard somewhere in the John Petrucci rock discipline that you could probably execute a certain picking lick with more speed if you "picked back here more" (as he went more towards the bridge pickup). The lick I am trying to learn uses upward pickslanting (each string ends on a downstroke escape) and is a simple, but speedy six note sequence (practiced slowly/ moderately; starts on the B string with an upstroke, then goes to the G string for two notes after the initial 4 notes on the B string). With the picking hand more over the neck pickup (pretty close to where the fretboard starts), it is easier to get the lick clean, but it feels less smooth (motionally speaking). When I pick back towards the bridge pickup a little bit more (still way closer to the neck pickup, about over the edge of the neck pickup on the right side), the picking is easier and less tense, but the G string tends to ring out (Aunt Julie style) if I don't keep a fretting finger on it as I leave it as I repeat the sequence by playing the next note on the B string. Which technique should I reinforce in my playing? I feel like I have to pick a good amount closer to the fretboard than what I've seen from , for example, Jason Richardson do when he plays stuff on the high strings, in order to mute the strings below where I am playing (while also keeping in mind that pesky low B).

[@reilly1771]

Thought drones were my bread and butter, thanks for opening this up so much! You ever done anything on making Final Fantasy style licks or rythms? Just can't crack it!

[@bjorama]

@Ben Eller how bout a good way to practice arpeggios in a single key. Like E minor.

[@JoaoVitor-nq1bu]

Your way of teaching is so fun that I didn't even notice 20 minutes passed. You rule, man!

[@BenEller]

Thank you!!!

[@olafburgermann806]

Playing to a drone like this always sounds a bit Gilmour. What a great idea.

[@AWCustomDesigns]

I was thinking that at first too, then I started hearing a lot of Iron Maiden in there

[@olafburgermann806]

@@AWCustomDesigns yeah, there's a lot there in the drone zone, Vai, Satriani, Maiden, Marty Friedman but I always think of Gilmour first.

[@remnant24]

You're thinking of the fat intro to Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

[@El_duderino12]

This lesson gave me a rock hard Droner...

[@BenEller]

Hahaha how did I not make that joke?!?!

[@maxflow151]

You were playing that c lydian and I thought you were about to break into the simpsons theme

[@mdd9237]

Same here.

[@JBAubry]

@@mdd9237 And here too! :-)

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

Technically, the Simpsons theme is in Lydian Dominant.

[@bobravenscraft5376]

Lydian Dominant. That's how I learned it also

[@rontharper]

This may show my age, but many years ago, before you tube and the internet, I took a casio keyboard and taped down a key so it would hold the note. Worked great!

[@seanmetal4138]

You're HANDS DOWN the best guitar teacher I've ever seen or heard. Everything just makes sense with your approach!

[@BenEller]

Thanks so much, man

[@seanmetal4138]

@@BenEller anytime! I'm going to join your patreon!

[@wolfganghumboldt4830]

Playing lydian stuff in the drone zone makes me feel so much better at guitar than I really am

[@sole__doubt]

I said I would never use Patreon again after they kicked a few of my favorite creators off but your content is just too good to miss. Your the only guitar channel I watch and truly learn something.

[@bobravenscraft5376]

Thank you Ben about the melodic minor. I thought I was losing it. Kept saying. I CANT HEAR IT lol. My ear cried BS it's the Major scale NOW I get it much appreciated. Now I and the melodic minor are copacetic PEACE

[@bobravenscraft5376]

Best on the internet Tighten up Ben's gonna show ya what's up. Rock on Ben. !!!

[@d.monksworkshop1111]

This is the most help vid I've seen as a beginner. I've heard you should practice musically, this helps.

[@PTGuitars-Music]

Why didn't I watch that a year ago?!! Lol That made so much sense. Thank you!!

[@canman87]

These backing tracks are PERFECT for this purpose. Thanks for putting in all the work to provide those for our own use! I've actually spent some time scouring KZbin for stuff like this, to various degrees of success over the years. Having all of this consolidated in ONE download is definitely the biological dad move.

[@BenEller]

Glad to be of service, my man!

[@spindillio]

I’m gonna say this may have been the most meaningful guitar video I have ever seen. So many lightbulbs went off. You have a real gift for teaching!!!!

[@joebarr00]

Another reason the Patreon membership is so valuable! Thanks Uncle Ben.

[@BenEller]

huzzah!!!! thanks for the support, man!

[@GillRigged]

@@BenEller "Biological Step-dad" 😆🤣 no homo way of saying sugar daddy

[@robertominozzi1674]

OT that little green 6 stringer is WAAYYY more better sounding that any of your other guitars.. it just shines thru.

[@BenEller]

Man, I love this thing. Suhr builds truly incredibly stuff.

[@ringsystemmusic]

Ok so my primary musical output is dark ambient drone music, this is a KILLER idea. Might actually make me put down some gortar on my music for once!

[@buffmay1666]

The A Minor Gin and Tonic scale is now my favorite Friday scale. Thank you sir, this was very helpful lesson. My ears now hear what my fingers were missing.

[@toprak3479]

No drinking with minors. Shame on thou.

[@zachd5242]

What is a minor gin?

[@stevejohnston8543]

Among the best on here Ben. Great job, I also do something similar and it is much better than just practising without any context

[@shawroon]

Thank you so much for this. What a great thing...I don't have words to say. I've watched a lot of your guitar videos. You are legend!

[@Grimsleeper817]

I appreciate the SIMPSONs mini lick in there 😂

[@JosiahBarnesMusic]

Omg this is hype, cant wait to try this. I think the reason most people don't learn modes is because they don't wont to be wrong most of the time. This drone track changes things as it removes that pressure in constant chord changes. Thanks Ben

[@ChristopherBown]

Dude, I don't know why I never thought of this before. I always struggle with this! Thanks!

[@jeffjeff8926]

I think this might be the most important/genius guitar lesson video I’ve ever seen

[@Bonzi1030]

I signed up to your patreon for the drone tracks and i was stuck in blissful jams for like 3 hours. You rock, Ben!

[@BenEller]

Thank you, fellow Ben!!!

[@Bonzi1030]

@@BenEller BENS RULE!

[@BenEller]

I’ve heard some folks say that it’s all about the Benjamins... who am I to argue with them?

[@royalmarine1011]

I really appreciate what you give to the community No matter what the concept you are teaching even if its something someone already knows you always have a fun take on the concept and help see "outside the box" there is always something to enjoy on your channel from new players to advanced . Keep up the Good work and keep it 100

[@soterion5687]

I don't know if it's because of how mellow the drone tracks sound, but your voice has a more mellow and soothing quality than usual in this video. It makes you sound professorial. Professor Uncle Ben has a nice ring to it.

[@Freddhunterx]

this sounds to me like those old Shawn Lane Video lessons ... thank you Ben!

[@digijams]

this is brilliant. This is going to totally change the 15-20 minute scale shed.

[@pedroleal7118]

Great tip for those who don't use it already! You can use a looper to, and store a chord.

[@chillidogkev]

A very insightful (I use that word specifically) thought provoking and supremely useful lesson. Ben is a master teacher and has the ability to inspire. That's a lot more difficult than many other would be teachers on KZbin understand.

[@BenEller]

Thanks a lot, man 🙏🙏

[@stefanokrivtzoff1593]

I myself teach and that is indeed very difficult

[@gregfromguam]

Listening to melodic minor scale with drone at 9:10 evoked Steely Dan for me. These drone tracks are great! Thanks!

[@BenEller]

Gotta love some Steely!

[@richdatt7900]

So simple, so eloquent, so DAMNED RIGHT how did I never think of this?

[@gibom9084]

Thanks Ben Eller .Always great lessons and well taught. 👍

[@brandonmoore7797]

I accidentally did just this when I started truly learning scales and modes and what a difference. Really helped it click and helps remind you where in the world you are!

[@edgarfoerster9831]

Love that green Tele and your instruction videos are superb. Makes the jump from novice to intermediate much quicker with the tonic sound knowledge you are dropping! Über Kühl!👌

[@CypherZorander]

This is the best piece of advice I've seen on learning new scales. I'm getting a bit more serious about my playing and regularly practicing an hour a day. Part of that I'm going to dedicate to this. Anything like this you can do to make practice more interesting and remove the monotony of 1234 type exercises is going to help you stick with it. This is training not only your scales, but your ear (you familiarize yourself with the feel, and tone of a scale), and improv as well. Awesome stuff.

[@BenEller]

Thanks a lot, dude!!

[@neily1]

Yes! Finally a simple use for my me-80’s freeze function! Why didn’t I think of this. Thanks

[@Mayathetherian733]

I think Uncle Ben just wrote a bunch of Pink Floyd songs with this video.

[@robertstone9325]

That's one of the most beautiful t style guitars I have ever seen....

[@chandlerclement1365]

One of the best, most useful guitar videos I’ve seen in a while.

[@BenEller]

Thank you!

[@allboutthemojo]

Great lesson. Thank you! Listening to the bending notes in tune to the drone theory, David Gilmore comes to mind . So much of the Floyd stuff sounds like that especially with the keyboards playing that kind of background tracks while David bends away those wailing guitar sounds. Maybe I'm using the wrong example but it sounds like that to my ears.

[@BenEller]

That’s exactly right!

[@fhqwhgads1670]

I know you've had that axe for a while now, but GOD. DAMMIT! I love that guitar. Sounds amazing and looks even better. -and thanks for the super-useful content, Uncle Ben.

[@BenEller]

Thanks man! I love this guitar!

[@marks8437]

OK so this is just flat out cool, fun, and useful. Uncle Ben, you're the best.

[@BenEller]

Thanks Mark!

[@kristopherdetar4346]

I heard this early on in the late 70’s with Pink Floyd music. Great revisitation Ben.

[@silvertear87]

These are so cool and I didn't even realize they were a thing. This is why having a teacher, online or in person, is so dang good

[@Fanta2320]

Uncle Ben, a national treasure, I learn more every video then the years with my old in-person teacher. 🎸🤘

[@BenEller]

❤️❤️❤️

[@latheofheaven1017]

This is such a great video Ben. It's kind of obvious really, that if you play modes and scales over chords, you'll train your ear to hear what they actually sound like. But maybe not that obvious as I figured this out for myself just a week before seeing this video... after just short of 50 years playing guitar! (My brain goes at stepdad speed). But all your reasons in this video really confirm for me how valuable this is. Now back to pickin'.

[@butthole4185]

You've gotten me out of countless ruts man. Thanks.

[@BenEller]

Glad to help!!!

[@icecube0606]

I think you just got me out of my funk, 5:36 in particular. Uncle Ben, thank you once again

[@ottotheawesome5008]

Absolutely cool. I immediately put the jam tracks aside and started practicing with the drone first. Very helpful. So when I want to solo against jam tracks, I warm up to the drone tracks first. Ben rules! 🤘

[@goonermatt8928]

This is a seriously good idea. I kill scales by overplaying them until they don't even sound like music, just exercises. This engages my brain so differently.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

Holy shnikeys! I was only going to watch a few minutes of this and all of a sudden....it’s at the end! You make it easy to sit and watch these vids. 🤙🏼

[@richardpratt16]

My BOSS ME-80 has a "Freeze"/ drone feature on the pedal section. You tweak the mods and can come up with some awesome ambient tone. I'm guilty of joy riding real bad. I'll start paying more better attention to analyzing the notes.

[@justvandenboogaard4191]

That ME-80 is simple but still very efficient...

[@DrakeSteve]

Absolutely, Ben. Playing scales and modes over drones puts them in context and brings them to life. Very cool Stegosaurus in the background, by the way.

[@Cromsies]

I literally just started practicing like this. I think it was Steve Vai's ear training video that gave me the idea to using a drone. Either way... awesome that this popped up the same week!

[@BenEller]

what can i say, dad and i think alike!!! hahaha

[@ramsay777]

I found some cool electronic pads on youtube a while ago that I used for practicing triads but never thought to do scales too, gotta give this a shot

[@adriancooper8192]

Outstanding work Uncle Ben. Fried gold indeed. Thank you.

[@bradsims7089]

The drone tracks are a lot of fun to play over. Well done.

[@jeffhershberger]

The opening riff had me very much thinking about Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. I like it

[@notacommie5415]

Loving that low drive tone and sound

[@cacophonic7]

What a great idea playing over a drone when noodling over scales. Why have I never thought of that?

[@BenEller]

its the best way to learn a scale!

[@scenario1236]

Big piece of the puzzle when it comes to soloing, that I have only just recently discovered. I fortunately have a Blofeld that has huge possibilities for dronescaping. You are an outstanding uncle! Off to join your Patreon....

[@StuPedassol]

One of my favorite aspects of Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond! Thanks, Uncy Bang!

[@BenEller]

gimme that DRONE!

[@telequacker-9529]

I remember when I first got my freeze pedal, hitting a G Minor to practice the minor scale over... and magically, Part 1 of Shine On just came out of the guitar.

[@johnwardle9667]

This is such a good idea. Thanks Uncle Ben!

[@BenEller]

Thanks for watching!

[@s0cializedpsych0path]

Can't believe I never thought of this. Thanks!

[@djabthrash]

So obvious and yet i didn't think about practicing that way. Thank you again Ben for such great tips ! Gonna start hooking up my Ditto loop and loop some root notes when i practice scales.

[@daseinoseven4514]

I used drones when working on my Fretless Bass Intonation way back in the day. Definitely a great tool. Great Video, Ben!!!

[@BenEller]

Yes! Dude I actually meant to add some fret less bass practice into this video, too, and I totally blanked on it.... I’m also learning fretless, and it is TOUGH! But I’m loving it!

[@daseinoseven4514]

@@BenEller Yeah, man. It’s the best ear training you can do. Good times!! Enjoy it!!

[@71goaliemask]

YES YES YES, so good I named it thrice. Drones are an integral part of how I play , to the point where it's probably a cliche but neither of the people who listen to it seem bothered....😶

[@Bender6amer]

really enjoyed this one particularly. Giving all the drone tracks a good run through....yes will even try that evil A flat scale

[@The_Gaba_Ghoul]

This is the coolest video I’ve found since I started playing. Thank you Ben!

[@KK4MWB]

Excellent video! I had always thought this would be a very useful technique and this just confirms it.

[@sagig72]

What a great video Ben.

[@Mattitude]

Letssss gooooo 🤘 uncle Ben is back at it again boys 🔥

[@Rockmanxpr]

Thanks Ben! Saved me a lot of time just to record my own, backing tracks makes you feel like you're accomplishing something, even the simple stuff

[@michaelpal7641]

I lost count of the videos I watched a long, long time ago dealing with improving my chops. Impressed (Very) with your video and the "method" you delivered it. Have heard of all the "Modes" you mentioned but never really knew. Do you have any other vids dealing with say-"This is the Dorian mode and the notes to be played say starting in A? You got straight to the point! "EDIT"-Just looked up Ionian and Dorian modes. Yesss...1st position, 2nd position etc. Hell Yessss, I might even end up sounding half way decent instead of the "same ol stuff". Subscribed most heartily!! Thank you so much X 10000%

[@BenEller]

Thanks man! Try this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fRk32HnZiegZosi=zUyiCAv59uo3vM-x

[@jeremydean6320]

This lesson was beyond helpful! Thanks Ben.

[@kelleymcbride4633]

Friggin love that candy green tele! Another great video thanks for the up 🤙

[@flo-bezee9547]

Hell yeah Ben!!! Nice to see ya mang

[@ADaviDTR]

I think that part about making sure you're bending up to the correct pitch is super important. I played unaccompanied for a long time and my bends were awful, but I didn't realize it at the time. Re-trainkng my fingers to actually hit the notes they have to has been hard!

[@jlopez47]

The beginning segment of you playing over that pedal tone has massive Rick Beato vibes coming off of it.

[@danieljamesoconnor6800]

🙏🏼 Thanx Uncle Ben for whipping this up so deliciously for us. Such a good idea. Have yourself a great day. 👍🏼

[@chrisholman2289]

24 fret tele!!!!! Omg mate, amazing. Good vid too, thanks.

[@BenEller]

Suhr Modern T, I LOVE this thing!

[@dylank6191]

The timing of this video is just perfect! I would also really appreciate it if you could make a video on how to improve the ear, and by that I mean how to start figuring out riffs by ear. I've been watching a lot of these videos where Rick or Stevie listen to Top 10 Spotify songs and they're always able to play the riff or the melody within seconds on their guitar/piano, and I would really appreciate if you could show us some nice exercises to practise this sort of stuff

[@angellesambre1]

Great concept, Ben and makes perfect sense! Now where did I put that dollar? Hmm...

[@garrobond0017]

Many thanks uncle Ben.legend.peace.

[@ktl4539]

This really gets you focused on being melodic with better phrasing...

[@QwikVidz]

Love this tone. The strings sound so great.

[@majesticpbjcat7707]

Really digging the Niner Pen and Chronic scale

[@JohnCoughlan_JAC]

Once again Uncle Ben to the rescue! I’ve been struggling to pull in cool modal tonalities lately and this is a big help. :-)

[@SLO100GUY]

Solid advice. Context and relativity. Like Einstein.

[@aroobladeworks]

7:44 the moment we realize the Simpsons Theme is in C Lydian 😂

[@kabudahtv331]

I thought he was starting to play the SIMPSONS theme lol @ 7:42

[@sotirios6882]

You are the Guitar playing Luthier of lessons. 🎸🍻

[@106xbones]

great video and practice reminders.....that roasted maple green T- type Suhr is amazing

[@dupawolowaish]

o m g ! You just opened my eyes to endless possibilities !

[@BenEller]

Glad to hear it!

[@pissonguitarcenter8204]

@@BenEller I agree... you are an amazing teacher

[@KowboyUSA]

Was just thinking I need to get back practicing scales. And here it is!

[@superfit60]

OMG! awesome lesson thanks for the big tip! Also gives me a great way to work with my synth keyboard and practice guitar too!

[@doom-mantia]

Great lesson. 'No Joyriding!' sounds like a good idea for merch t-shirt