Segovia Scales C Major
Lesson Description
In this lesson we will learn a Segovia style scale. The scale is a 2 octave C Major scale. The emphasis of this lesson is on shifting positions and practicing the rest stroke in an alternating fashion with the index and second finger.
$.99 For the first month!
- over 700 unique lessons
- complete 58 lesson beginner program
- over 200 song lessons w/ accurate tabs
- jam tracks
- genre and skill specific lessons
- first rate customer service
- submit lesson requests
- cancel anytime
- best bang for your buck anywhere
Lesson Charts
You must be a student to view the lesson charts. Subscribe here.
Jam Tracks
There are no Jam Tracks for this lesson.
Video Transcript
Welcome to our series on classical guitar. Before we get started into the lessons i just want to let you know that it is a prerequisite that for this series that you have taken our basic finger picking volume which is volume 12 this goes seventh fret over your basic finger picking techniques that are used in nearly all finger picking styles so, make sure before you start this series on classical guitar that you have studied volume 12 and also that you have a general knowledge of major and minor scales and your basic chords your open chords and your barre chords. Those are the prerequisites for this series on classical guitar. So, make sure you're familiar with that stuff so if you're not yet you might want to go back and study those things before you dive in.
OK the first thing we're going to do in this series is we're going to do a few exercises they are referred to sometimes as the Segovia scales Andre Segovia probably the world's best classical guitar player they are specific scales and patterns and fingerings we're gonna do major scales these first two lessons. but they focus on shifting to different positions this is something that I think is common in classical guitar so the first thing we're going to do is start with a C major scale it's going to be a two octave scale and the focus here is the shift and you'll see where it comes also our right hand technique we're going to be doing a rest stroke so a rest stroke is when you, you know in volume twelve basic finger picking style we do a free stroke. which is where your fingers free after you strike the strings. so it kind of moves back to your palm like that. A rest stroke rests on the string above it so I am resting it here so I'll preform the scale and you'll see what I'm talking about with my right hand rest stroke so it's So I'm alternating between my first and second fingers and you want to try to always alternate if you can sometimes it feels right especially if you're going backwards because my second fingers already resting in the D string it feels like i should just go like that.. but really you want to still alternate and use your index finger or vice versa depending on which finger you start with , so the rest.. this is a exercise to practice shifting positions and you'll see where this comes in in a second and also the rest stroke. So when i do the rest stroke I rest my thumb on the low E string unless I'm playing the low E string . With the low E string you can't do a rest stroke cause there's no other string above the E string . but in this case C major scale we're not starting on the low E string so, I'm gonna rest my thumb on the low E string. So we're gonna start on the third fret with our second finger then we're going to go pinkie on the fifth fret first finger on the second fret second finger on the third fret pinkie on the fifth fret the we're going to do first finger on the second fret G string third finger on the fourth fret G string this is where the shift comes in now so the scale one octave goes to here right so when we get to this note we're going to shift up with our first finger so we can play the rest of the scale here. OK. So let me play it for you all the way through. ok thats the entire scale in two octaves. so third fret A string that's our C note. Thats the root note we have really actually played a major scale in this finger patten starting on the A string. so this is a little bit new. Third fret second finger fifth fret fourth finger. Second fret D string first finger. second
finger third fret pinkie fifth fret second fret G string first finger fourth fret third finger then we shift up to the fifth fret with our first finger seventh fret third finger now we're on the b string fifth fret sixth fret eighth fret now on the E string fifth fret seventh fret eighth fret and back to our C. Now we're going to go backwards. OK so that's a C major scale two octaves Segovia style. ok so the the thing we're really working on is when we get to here doing this shift we're shifting up positions so right now we're in what we call second position because our first finger is basically laid here on the second fret right, so when we get to here and we shift to here now we're in fifth position because our first finger is covering the fifth fret right? ok so that's what you're really practicing here. And also your rest stroke . Now if you're not used to the rest stroke it might take some time. your fingers are gonna kind of get stuck on the string a little bit they're gonna get a little tied up sorta it takes some practice I'm still even working on that . there's a certain touch that you need to have that you'll find where it just kind of roles your finger will just kind of roll off the string. Ok now, it's also important with these scales to practice with a metronome. So in the next part of this lesson I'm going to pull up a metronome And we're going to practice with the metronome. ok if you don't have a metronome you can go to metronmeonline.com its a free metronome or find an app or something there's lots of places you can find free metronomes. We're gonna set it to 72, well I'm gonna start with 72 beats per minute. you can start lower and we're just going to try to play quarter notes with the metronome in time the scales so I'm gonna set mine up for actually lets go to 60 ok nice and slow . OK so once you get down one speed then you can bump it up a little bit a little faster so now we're gonna go 66 it looks like. Ok so that's the way you want to practice.`you want to get in the habit of practicing with a metronome these scales to help your timing to help keep you in time and as you get it down with one tempo you just bump it up slowly and slowly and it will help you with your speed as well. That's the first lesson so practice that. in the next lesson we're gonna do another Segovia style scale and we're gonna do this in the key of G and it's gonna be a three octave scale.
OK the first thing we're going to do in this series is we're going to do a few exercises they are referred to sometimes as the Segovia scales Andre Segovia probably the world's best classical guitar player they are specific scales and patterns and fingerings we're gonna do major scales these first two lessons. but they focus on shifting to different positions this is something that I think is common in classical guitar so the first thing we're going to do is start with a C major scale it's going to be a two octave scale and the focus here is the shift and you'll see where it comes also our right hand technique we're going to be doing a rest stroke so a rest stroke is when you, you know in volume twelve basic finger picking style we do a free stroke. which is where your fingers free after you strike the strings. so it kind of moves back to your palm like that. A rest stroke rests on the string above it so I am resting it here so I'll preform the scale and you'll see what I'm talking about with my right hand rest stroke so it's So I'm alternating between my first and second fingers and you want to try to always alternate if you can sometimes it feels right especially if you're going backwards because my second fingers already resting in the D string it feels like i should just go like that.. but really you want to still alternate and use your index finger or vice versa depending on which finger you start with , so the rest.. this is a exercise to practice shifting positions and you'll see where this comes in in a second and also the rest stroke. So when i do the rest stroke I rest my thumb on the low E string unless I'm playing the low E string . With the low E string you can't do a rest stroke cause there's no other string above the E string . but in this case C major scale we're not starting on the low E string so, I'm gonna rest my thumb on the low E string. So we're gonna start on the third fret with our second finger then we're going to go pinkie on the fifth fret first finger on the second fret second finger on the third fret pinkie on the fifth fret the we're going to do first finger on the second fret G string third finger on the fourth fret G string this is where the shift comes in now so the scale one octave goes to here right so when we get to this note we're going to shift up with our first finger so we can play the rest of the scale here. OK. So let me play it for you all the way through. ok thats the entire scale in two octaves. so third fret A string that's our C note. Thats the root note we have really actually played a major scale in this finger patten starting on the A string. so this is a little bit new. Third fret second finger fifth fret fourth finger. Second fret D string first finger. second
finger third fret pinkie fifth fret second fret G string first finger fourth fret third finger then we shift up to the fifth fret with our first finger seventh fret third finger now we're on the b string fifth fret sixth fret eighth fret now on the E string fifth fret seventh fret eighth fret and back to our C. Now we're going to go backwards. OK so that's a C major scale two octaves Segovia style. ok so the the thing we're really working on is when we get to here doing this shift we're shifting up positions so right now we're in what we call second position because our first finger is basically laid here on the second fret right, so when we get to here and we shift to here now we're in fifth position because our first finger is covering the fifth fret right? ok so that's what you're really practicing here. And also your rest stroke . Now if you're not used to the rest stroke it might take some time. your fingers are gonna kind of get stuck on the string a little bit they're gonna get a little tied up sorta it takes some practice I'm still even working on that . there's a certain touch that you need to have that you'll find where it just kind of roles your finger will just kind of roll off the string. Ok now, it's also important with these scales to practice with a metronome. So in the next part of this lesson I'm going to pull up a metronome And we're going to practice with the metronome. ok if you don't have a metronome you can go to metronmeonline.com its a free metronome or find an app or something there's lots of places you can find free metronomes. We're gonna set it to 72, well I'm gonna start with 72 beats per minute. you can start lower and we're just going to try to play quarter notes with the metronome in time the scales so I'm gonna set mine up for actually lets go to 60 ok nice and slow . OK so once you get down one speed then you can bump it up a little bit a little faster so now we're gonna go 66 it looks like. Ok so that's the way you want to practice.`you want to get in the habit of practicing with a metronome these scales to help your timing to help keep you in time and as you get it down with one tempo you just bump it up slowly and slowly and it will help you with your speed as well. That's the first lesson so practice that. in the next lesson we're gonna do another Segovia style scale and we're gonna do this in the key of G and it's gonna be a three octave scale.