Introduction to Scales

"Why should I bother learning these boring scales?", the question asked by all beginners, the answer: So you can play lead guitar of course!  That's right, all of those cosmic solos you hear are just scales and a few riffs built from and around them played at super fast speeds!  The scales I'm posting here are Guitar scales.  I'm not sure if they can be played on any other instrument or not (frankly, I don't care because all I play is guitar anyway).  The cool thing about these scales is that you only need to memorize one patern per scale (unlike concert scales where you need to memorize one patern per key!).  All you have to do with these scales to change the key you're playing in is move the patern up or down the neck.  For example, if you were playing the Minor Pentatonic scale below, you would be playing in the key of A Minor, but if you moved the scale up two fretts, you would be playing in B Minor, cool eh?

Section 1: The Minor Pentatonic Scale

This is probably the most common and fundimental scale in just about any form of music from hard rock to metal.  It's also the easiest scale I know which makes it even better since it's so conventional.

e |--------------------------------------------5--8-------------------------------------------------
B|---T---------------------------------5--8-------------------------------------------------------
G|---A--------------------------5--7--------------------------------------------------------------
D|---B-------------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------------------
A|-----------------5--7---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |----------5--8----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Section 2: The Aeolian (Minor) Scale

This is a cool scale which has a fairly dark, scary sound.

e |----------------------------------------------------6--8--10------------------------------------
B|---T------------------------------------6--8--10-----------------------------------------------
G|---A-------------------------5--7--9-----------------------------------------------------------
D|---B---------------5--7--8---------------------------------------------------------------------
A|----------5--7--8-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Section 3: The Phrygian Scale

Unfinished
 

Section 4: The Spanish Flamenco Scale

This is the darkest, scariest sounding scale I've heard yet.  It sounds just like another scale at first, but after you play around with it for a while you can make it sound creepy!

e |---------------------------------------------------------5--6--9--------------------------------
B|---T-------------------------------------------5--6--8------------------------------------------
G|---A------------------------------------6--7----------------------------------------------------
D|---B--------------------------5--7--8----------------------------------------------------------
A|-----------------4--5--7--8---------------------------------------------------------------------
E |----------5--6----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you know of any scales that sound good in Metal that are not listed here, please feel free to e-mail me.