GUITAR
THE ART OF THE SKIPPING SCALE | David Harsh
What in the wide world of sports is a skipping scale ?
A skipping scale is actually something I invented out of necessity . And you know what they say about necessity , right ? Today , I ’ ll show you how I came up with the skipping scale , and how it can be applied in multiple scenarios for learning chords in Major and minor keys , and even modes .
Before we proceed , to get the most out of this article , I encourage you to watch the 8-minute companion video ( while it ’ s available ) by visiting www . GuitarSuccess4U . com / skippingscale .
Now , chords can really show their beauty in context . The word “ context ” gets its root meaning from “ together ” and “ weave .” So , in a way , “ context ” means “ woven together .”
When I was a kid , one of the hobbies I really enjoyed was a craft called latch hook . If you ’ re familiar with it , you know that you typically buy a kit , and it comes with a printed canvas grid and a bunch of colored yarn that you attach to that grid , with a latch hook . Once you start to place the yarn pieces in their appropriate contexts on the grid , the picture starts to appear in full color . What makes a latch hook rug interesting is that it has so many colors . If the rug was all just one color , that would be far less interesting .
voicings . So , I created the skipping scale .
With this new approach , instead of playing a simple ascending C Major scale , I actually decided to stop at the open 4 th string D , and use it as my pivot point down to the low open 6 th string E , on its way back up to C . Instead of moving from D up to E , I decided to skip from D down to E . This way , I was able to play the lowest version of all 7 notes , in position and in register . So here is the ascending C Major skipping scale . See Diagram 1 – Ascending Skipping Scale
Why have I created this ? It ’ s because I want to latch the lowest , fullest chords in the key of C , onto each of these low degrees , using open chords whenever possible . Those 7 chords , many of which you may be QUITE familiar with , are : C Major , D minor , E minor , F Major , G Major , A minor , B diminished , and we can come back around to C Major . One thing I like to do is play the harmonized scale , emphasizing the root of each of the chords , so I can really hear the skipping scale clearly .
Now if this is review for you , that ’ s great ! It just reinforces the fact that you know all the diatonic chords in this key . If some of this is new for you , that ’ s great too , because you are now making inroads into claiming all of these chords .
Now , with an infomercial voice , I ’ d like to go on to say : “ But wait … there ’ s more .” We can , of course , play this as a descending skipping scale . See Diagram 2 – Descending Skipping Scale
We can then of course , harmonize the descending version with the same chords , in reverse order .
Can this be applied anywhere else ? Absolutely . We can use the skipping scale in multiple key signatures , which include minor keys , and even modes . Want to make this process even more interesting ? We can latch 7th chords , or even color chords , onto these scale degrees . The sky is the limit .
But it all starts here , with a simple skipping scale . Once we know the scale , we can go on to tackle all the chords in each key , in their lowest and fullest voicings .
As you can see , there ’ s great potential here . We can make great music with a whole lot more colors . And once we know what all the colors are , we can weave a beautiful tapestry … right ?
David Harsh David Harsh is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter , and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to take their playing to the next level . Learn more and join at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .
Following this analogy , it makes sense to learn , and to use more than one chord . And that ’ s where I ’ m going with all of this . I wanted to find a way to learn and play all the chords in a given key , on the guitar , in their lowest and fullest