The First Scale for Acoustic Guitar - C major scale

We look at how to play the C major scale , which is my number 1 recommend scale for acoustic guitarists to learn! On instruments such as piano or even singing, the C major scale would often be covered in a beginners lesson 1. On guitar, this gets pushed back after chords because many people simply want to strum chords along to songs as their main goal.

Learning this scale along with other techniques away from chord playing is ESSENTIAL to keep improving beyond a beginner level - so don't miss out!

In Britain and America we use the letter names. In some cultures, especially European, the major scale is taught in school as Doe, Re, Mi, etc., rather than C, D, E, etc., so I’ve written it both ways here below. You can do this with a pick (plectrum) or with your fingers, which is called Fingerstyle.

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Play along with Andy!

Play along with Andy with the interactive tab below! Using the buttons at the bottom you can:

• Slow the video down (or speed it up!)

• Turn on a metronome

• See a picture of a fretboard with the notes appearing as they are being played

• View the interactive tab in full screen

Letter note names

Solfège note names