Six Essential Ukulele Scales

Six Essential Ukulele Scales

There are six fundamental scales that are highly versatile and useful across a range of traditional and contemporary music styles. These scales include the Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydian (also known as the Dominant scale), Dorian , Aeolian (also known as the Natural Minor scale), and Ionian scale (also known as the Major scale). By familiarizing yourself with these six scales, you can navigate through a wide variety of musical genres.

It's important to understand that a scale is essentially a collection of pitches or notes. It's not inherently labeled as a Jazz scale, Blues scale, or Rock scale. What truly matters is how a scale is utilized and applied in music.

In most musical compositions, the foundation begins with a scale. The melody, chords, licks, and riffs all trace back to a particular scale or combination of scales. Understanding the relationship between these musical elements and their corresponding scales can enhance your musical comprehension and allow for creative exploration within various musical contexts.

16 lessons in the Six Essential Ukulele Scales LessonSERIES :

1
Six Essential Scales for `Ukulele
These are six essential scales for ANY instrument, not just the ukulele.
The six essential scales are: Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, and Ionian. From the six essential scales, you can get through a wide variety of traditional and contemporary music.
Most music starts with a scale. The melody, chords, licks and riffs all can be related back to a particular scale or scales.
2
Six Essential Scales - Blues/Minor Pentatonic QuickStart Scale Shapes
QuickStart scale shapes summary for Blues/Minor Pentatonic, one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
3
Six Essential Scales - Blues/Minor Pentatonic Chords
The Bues/MInor Pentatonic scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
Download or view the PDF file on-line for chords for all 15 Major Pentatonic scales.
The scale formula, based on the major scale is: 1 b3 5 b7 8.
4
Six Essential Scales for `Ukulele - C Pentatonic
Essential C Pentatonic or Major Pentatonic scale patterns for ukulele.
5
Six Essential Scales - Pentatonic/Major Pentatonic Chords
The Pentatonic/Major Pentatonic scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
6
Six Essential Scales - Ionian/Major QuickStart Scale Shapes
QuickStart scale shapes summary for **Ionian/Major**, one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know. The scale formula for this scale, based on the major scale is:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.
All scale and chord formula are based on their corresponding major scale.
7
Six Essential Scales - Ionian/Major Chords
The Ionian/Major scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know. Here are the chords for all 15 Ionian/Major scales.
From the Ionian/Major scale all other diatonic and pentatonic scales can be derived.
The Ionian/Major scale formula is: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.
8
Six Essential Scales - Aeolian/Natural Minor QuickStart Scale Shapes
QuickStart scale shapes summary for Aeolian/Natural Minor, one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
The scale formula for this scale, based on the major scale is: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8´.
9
Six Essential Scales - Aeolian/Natural Minor Chords
The Aeolian/Natural Minor scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
Here are the chords for all 15 Aeolian/Natural Minor scales.
The scale formula, based on the major scale is: 1 2 b3 5 b6 b7 8.
10
Six Essential Scales - Dorian/Minor QuickStart Scale Shapes
QuickStart scale shapes summary for Dorian/Minor, one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
The scale formula for this scale, based on the major scale is: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8.
11
Six Essential Scales - Dorian/Minor Chords
The Dorian/Minor scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
Here are the chords for all 15 Dorian/Minor scales.
The scale formula, based on the major scale is: 1 2 b3 5 6 b7 8.
12
Six Essential Scales - Mixolydian/Dominant QuickStart Scale Shapes
QuickStart scale shapes summary for Mixolydian/Dominant, one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know.
The scale formula for this scale, based on the major scale is: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8.
13
Six Essential Scales - Mixolydian/Dominant Chords
The Mixolydian/Dominant scale is one of the six essential scales that every ukulele player should know. Here are the chords for all 15 Mixolydian/Dominant scales.
The scale formula, based on the major scale is: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8.
14
Connecting Scale Positions on `Ukulele
Whether it’s connecting licks, riffs, scale positions, arpeggios, sequences or melodies – navigating the fingerboard and connecting the various positions - it’s all about using sound fingering principles. I’ve adapted Chuck Anderson’s, The Six Secrets of Guitar Fingering to the ukulele in my book The Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering. It’s from these six fingering principles that connecting positions and navigating the multitude of possible pathways on the ukulele can become second nature.
15
Navigating the C Major Scale
The C Major Scale is typically the first Full Diatonic major scale that most players learn. It’s the first scale to learn when stating to explore music theory - the principles of music.
16
Navigating the C Major Scale - Low G
The first lesson on Navigating the C Major Scale did not include string four when using C Tuning - High G. I mentioned that mastering the positions and scale using strings three, two and one would set you up for expanding any position to the lower string four.