Can i skip major scale?

[Real_music_Lucas]

Just wondering if its a bad idea to skip it for NOW and come back later, as Justin mentions, you should focus on one scale for now, no good knowing different ones if you dont know much of others, and as im more into my blues playing i would rather concentrate on the minor pent. and the blues scale.

So if its not recommended then never mind and il learn it along with the foundations

thanks

[shadowscott007]

No.  Well, I wouldn't.  I'm may be the biggest pentatonic fan on the forum.  Bassackwards as it is I lookk at everything through the lense of the pentatonic scale.  But I would be using the major scale patterns as practice fodder.  Not neccessarily to USE the but because:

You get three notes per (most) strings.  So that helps your alternate picking, it ends up changing what direction you pick as you swap strings.

Getting your fingers and ears the know the major scale, even before you can use it is valuable.

All the theory stuff, building chords, naming chords, uses the major scale.

That said jamming with the pentatonic is easier to get started on.  However somewhere along the way the two sorta merge knot almost the same thing.

I encourage people to use the major scale as rote learning and support for learning chord theory stuff.  And the pentatonic as instant gratification if you will.  And eventually the smash together and complement each other.

I understand what Justin is saying.  But even if you just mindlessly learn the major scale patterns as a physical exercise while you are learning to use the pentatonic I think the benefit outweighs the addition effort.  That might not work out for some folks though.

Shadow

[close2u]

I learned it ater the pentatonic ... just because I did ... I could already play heaps of songs and chords after years of doing it ... but couldn't play anything lead solo ish ...

the penatonics gave me that so it can work for some ... it did for me

the major scale is a thing to behold though and it's charms are many

you do / will need to learn it

[stitch101]

I'm in the learn the major scale first class but I'm not saying it the only road to walk.
Here's a diagram I made to show people why I feel learning the major scale first is the way to go.
The main point is once you have learned the major scale you have learned all the other scales
because all scale and modes come from the major scale.
The orange dots are the root notes

[Guitar_noob]

I was asking myself the same question actually.

I'm more into blues right now so I'm learning to solo with minor pentatonic. And Justin says it's better to focus on only one at a time so I've skipped the major.

Getting used to the major scale while learning the minor pentatonic scale seems to be a good advice. I'll do it. Thanks .

[Zman]

... I would actually say yes.
The major scale is probably the most important tool out there, but... if you are a beginner, and just starting out with scales, I think the pentetonic is the right place to start. Make sure you start with one position, but also make sure to learn all positions. when you tackle the major scale in the future, you will see how they blend in... 

[Real_music_Lucas]

Thanks for all the advice! well iv memorized it now and il just use the minor and major and just keep playing around with them! starting to make some basic funky solos with the minor! as i think i have an extraordinary imagination i can make a backing track in my head and make up stuff along the way good times....to be honest, its probably better if i just download the backing track ^_^   

[PattheBunny]

Think it depends on how you learn.    For me the major scale made more sense because it contains the pentatonic.   And I wanted access to all the notes in the scale from the beginning.  Also the major scale is where you build chords from and melody and everything else.   

Pat

[warth0g]

Digging up an old thread I know, but I do think there's an element of "why wouldn't you?" here. It's not a difficult shape to learn and, as others have pointed out, it's pretty fundamental. I'm glad that i learned it when Justin introduced it..