Learning to play jazz guitar can be a frustrating experience if you don't understand jazz guitar scales.
Learning and understanding scales is like learning the alphabet of a new language.
It is an absolutely necessary step in learning the "language" of jazz guitar.
Without mastery and internalization of jazz scales, fluent and creative jazz guitar soloing becomes virtually impossible! In this article we take a look at THE most essential scale to learn for jazz guitar.
All other scales can be derived from it.
If you totally understand this scale you will be able to understand every other scale there is! You hopefully already know this scale, but just in case you don't let's take a look at it...
Jazz Guitar Scales #3: The Major Scale The Major Scale: Some Basic Theory...
The major scale is a very bright and happy sounding scale.
It is used extensively in jazz music.
For that reason, it is really important that you master it in as many keys as possible.
You may have read in a book that the major scale has the following formula...
WWHWWWH [W= whole step = 2 fret distance] [H = half step = 1 fret distance] So what does this formula mean? This formula tells you the distance in pitch between each note of the major scale.
(Some geeky people call this the intervallic structure of the major scale).
As an example, let's take a look at the notes of the C major scale.
Notice that I have numbered each note of the scale.
(These numbers are called scale degrees)...
1 2345 67 1 CDEFGABC Before I explain this, please find these notes on your guitar.
Make sure that you stick to ONE string only.
(The B-string would be a really good choice).
After you're done, please read on...
Here are a few observations:

• The distance between notes 1 and 2 is two frets (W).
  
• The distance between notes 2 and 3 is two frets (W).
  
• The distance between notes 3 and 4 is one fret (H).
  
• The distance between notes 4 and 5 is two frets (W).
  
• The distance between notes 5 and 6 is two frets (W).
  
• The distance between notes 6 and 7 is two frets (W).
  
• The distance between the notes 7 and 1 is one fret (H).
  

All clear? Great! Let's now put the major scale into practice...
The Major Scale: Where To Use It...
The major scale sounds great over major 7th chords.
This means that we would use the C major scale over C major 7th chords.
The formula for a major 7th chord is 1357.
Notice how these numbers lie within the formula of the major scale.
(This is the reason why you can use the major scale over major 7th chords).
Let's now take a look at a chord progression for you to improvise over.
To extract the most value from it, I recommend recording it.
That way you can improvise over the progression...
// C maj7 / C major7 / Eb maj7 / Eb maj7 // Use the C major scale to solo over the first two bars, and use the Eb major scale to solo over the last two bars.
Have fun!