If you’re looking to master the guitar, then you must have heard about the enigmatic 3 octave scale guitar lesson.
The 3 octave scale is a gateway for guitarists looking to break out of scale boxes and extend their reach across the whole guitar neck.
This particular lesson covers the c major 3 octave scale guitar positions. You can transpose the scale shapes as needed.
What is a 3 octave guitar scale?
A 3 octave guitar scale covers all 6 strings of the guitar, but in 3 different octaves. This means that there’s a new octave for every new set of two strings.
C Major 3 octave scale position 1
This particular position uses the root note C on the low E, D, and B strings
This position is played using the index (1), middle (2), and pinky (4) fingers.
Use the 3 fingers, in order from index to pinky, to play the first 3 notes for each string, and use the pinky to slide to the last note, B, in each octave.
C Major 3 octave scale position 1 PDF
C Major 3 octave scale position 2
This position uses the root note C on the A, G, and high E strings.
This position is played using the same fingering as used in the previous position, position 1.
The only difference, as you’ll notice, is the half-step between fingers 1 and 2 whenever you come to a B and C note.
C Major 3 octave scale position 2 PDF
3 octave scale guitar: What’s next?
Now that you’ve learned a couple of common 3 octave scale guitar shapes, why don’t you try out some of these scale lessons?
Extended Pentatonic Scale Guitar Lesson (PDF Included)
Chromatic Scale Guitar Lesson (How to Play)
C Major Scale Guitar Lesson: How to Play (Theory and Charts)
