There are 5 positions that we can play the major scale on guitar (in the previous lesson, we learned position 1, which is by far the most common). 

Learning all 5 positions will enable you to play the major scale all over the neck. However, this can take a long time to learn. 

A higher priority at this stage and in the course is to learn to create melodies and make music from the notes we already know. 

To do this, we can play notes from position 1 all over the neck very easily, and this lesson will show you how to do just that.

Before we start, it's good to know what an octave is. An octave is the distance (aka interval) between two notes that have the same letter name. 

For example, the C major scale has the notes C D E F G A B C, with the first and last C notes being an octave apart.

Major Scale First Five Notes; One shape - Three Octaves

The notes highlighted in BLUE are the first 5 notes of the C major scale, position 1.

The notes highlighted in GREEN are again the first 5 notes of the C major scale, but one octave higher. Notice the repetition of the same shape?

The notes highlighted in ORANGE are the same notes again, but one octave higher than the green notes ad two octaves higher then the blue notes.

There are many repeating shapes such as this on guitar, which really help us find notes and chords without having to remember them. Learning shapes such as this are essential in progressing to the advanced levels on guitar.

Two huge advantages of learning using repeating shapes such as this one include;

1. Each group of notes uses the same finger motions, making each one simple to play
2. As the letter names of the notes are the same at each octave, we can learn what these notes will sound like when we play them, making for an easier transition into improvisation and melody writing.

Similar shapes based learning methods for advanced guitar for further learning include;

• Chord triads
• Learning the notes on neck with octaves
• CAGED system
• 5 positions of the minor pentatonic