Guitar Scales and Modes

"What is a guitar scale?"

According to the Equal Temperment Tuning System, a scale is a series of notes that are within an octave (12 notes). Here's the easy definition, remember growing up as a little kid and learning "do re mi fa so la ti do". "Do re mi fa so la ti do" is the major scale. There are 8 notes in the major scale and the major scale starts on a certain note and ends on the same note one octave higher. "Do" is the first note in the scale, "Re" is the second "Mi" is the third and so on. 

Here are 168 guitar scale formula's. These are extremely fun to mess around with. Just remember... whichever not you start on determines the key. 

Also, don't get overwhelmed with all these scale formula's and no you don't have to memorize all of them. The reason why I have given you this list is so that you can get the gist of each one of these scale formulas and the mood and sound that they give off. Each one is unique in it's own way. Find a couple you like and take them with you. All of these scale formulas are built off of the major scale.

168 Scale Formulas 

(bb=Double Flat N=Natural)

Major: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1
Dorian: 1-2-3b-4-5-6-7b-1
Phrygian: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6b-7b-1
Lydian: 1-2-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Mixolydian: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7b-1
Aeolian: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-7b-1
Locrain: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Melodic: 1-2-3b-4-5-6-7-1
Dorian b2: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6-7b-1
Lydian Aug: 1-2-3-4#-5#-6-7-1
Lydian Dom: 1-2-3-4#-5-6-7b-1
Hindu: 1-2-3-4-5-6b-7b-1
Locrian N2: 1-2-3b-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Super Locrian: 1-2b-3b-4b-5b-6b-7b-1
Harmonic Minor: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-7-1
Locrian N6: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6-7b-1
Ionian #5: 1-2-3-4-5#-6-7-1
Dorian #4: 1-2-3b-4#-5-6-7b-1
Phrygian N3: 1-2b-3-4-5-6b-7b-1
Lydian #2: 1-2#-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Alt bb7: 1-2b-3b-3-5b-6b-7bb-1
Harmonic Major: 1-2-3-4-5-6b-7-1
Dorian b5: 1-2-3b-4-5b-6-7b-1
Phrygian b4: 1-2b-3b-4b-5-6b-7b-1
Lydian b3: 1-2-3b-4#-5-6-7-1
Dominant b2: 1-2b-3-4-5-6-7b-1
Lydian Aug #2: 1-2#-3-4#-5#-6-7-1
Locrian bb7: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6b-7bb-1
Hungarian Minor: 1-2-3b-4#-5-6b-7-1
Oriental: 1-2b-3-4-5b-6-7b-1
Ionian Aug #2: 1-2#-3-4-5#-6-7-1
Ionian bb3 bb7: 1-2b-3bb-4-5b-6b-7bb-1
Double Harmonic: 1-2b-3-4-5-6b-7-1
Lydian #6 #2: 1-2#-3-4#-5-6#-7-1
Alt N5 bb7: 1-2b-3b-3-5-6b-7bb-1
Hungarian Major: 1-2#-3-4#-5-6-7b-1
Alt bb6 bb7: 1-2b-3b-3-5b-6bb-7bb-1
Locrian N2 N7: 1-2-3b-4-5b-6b-7-1
Alt N6: 1-2b-3b-3-5b-6-7b-1
Melodic Aug: 1-2-3b-4-5#-6-7-1
Dorian b2 #4: 1-2b-3b-4#-5-6-7b-1
Lydian Aug #3: 1-2-3#-4#-5#-6-7-1
Neapolitan Minor: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6b-7-1
Lydian #6: 1-2-3-4#-5-6#-7-1
Dominant Aug: 1-2-3-4-5#-6-7b-1
Hungarian Gypsy: 1-2-3b-4#-5-6b-7b-1
Locrian N3: 1-2b-3-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Ionian #2: 1-2#-3-4-5-6-7-1
Alt bb3 bb7: 1-2b-3bb-3-5b-6b-7bb-1
Neapolitan Major: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6-7-1
Lydian Aug #6: 1-2-3-4#-5#-6#-7-1
Lydian Dom Aug: 1-2-3-4#-5#-6-7b-1
Lydian Minor: 1-2-3-4#-5-6b-7b-1
Major Locrian: 1-2-3-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Alt N2: 1-2-3b-3-5b-6b-7b-1
Alt bb3: 1-2b-3bb-3-5b-6b-7b-1
Enigmatic Minor: 1-2b-3b-4#-5-6#-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2-4-4#-6-6#-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2#-3-5-5#-6-7b-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-3-4-5b-6bb-7bb-1
Mode 5: 1-2#-3-4-5b-6b-7-1
Mode 6: 1-2b-3bb-3-5bb-6b-7bb-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-3bb-3-5-6b-7-1
Enigmatic: 1-2b-3-4#-5#-6#-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2#-4-5-6-6#-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3-4#-5-6b-7bb-1
Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-5b-6bb-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2-3b-3-4-6b-7b-1
Mode 6: 1-2b-3bb-3-5b-6b-7b-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-3bb-4-5-6-7-1
Composite II: 1-2b-3-4#-5-6b-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2#-4-4#-5-6#-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3b-3-5b-6b-7bb-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-3bb-4-5b-6bb-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2b-3-4-5b-6-7-1
Mode 6: 1-2#-3-4-5#-6#-7-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-3bb-4-5-6b-7bb-1
Ionian b5: 1-2-3-4-5b-6-7-1
Dorian b4: 1-2-3b-4b-5-6-7b-1
Phrygian bb3: 1-2b-3bb-4-5-6b-7b-1
Lydian b2: 1-2b-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Super Lydian Aug: 1-2#-4-4#-5#-6#-7-1
Aeolian bb7: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-7bb-1
Locrian bb6: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6bb-7b-1
Locrian N2: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6b-7-1
Ionian #6: 1-2-3-4-5-6#-7-1
Dorian Aug: 1-2-3b-4-5#-6-7b-1
Phrygian #4: 1-2b-3b-4#-5-6b-7b-1
Lydian #3: 1-2-4-4#-5-6-7-1
Dominant #2: 1-2#-3-4-5-6-7b-1
Alt Alt: 1-2b-3bb-3-5b-6bb-7bb-1
Persian: 1-2b-3-4-5b-6b-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2#-3-4-5-6#-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3bb-3-5-6b-7bb-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-3b-4#-5-6b-7-1
Mode 5: 1-2-4-4#-5-6#-7-1
Mode 6: 1-2#-3-4-5#-6-7b-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-3bb-4-5b-6bb-7bb-1
Minor Pent: 1-3b-4-5-7b-1
Major Pent: 1-2-3-5-6-1
Mode 3: 1-2-4-5-7b-1 
Mode 4: 1-3b-4-5#-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2-4-5-6-1
Kumoi: 1-2-3b-5-6-1 
Mode 2: 1-2b-4-5-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-3-5b-6-7-1
Mode 4: 1-2-4-5-6b-1
Mode 5: 1-3b-4-5b-7b-1
Hirojoshi: 1-2-3b-5-6b-1
Mode 2: 1-2b-4-5b-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-3-4-6-7-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-4-5-6b-1
Mode 5: 1-3-4#-5-7-1
Whole Tone: 1-2-3-4#-5#-6#-1
Augmented: 1-2#-3-5-6b-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2b-3-4-5#-6-1
Pelog:1-2b-3b-3-5-6b-1
Mode 2: 1-2-3b-4#-5-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2b-3-4-6-7b-1
Mode 4: 1-2#-3-5#-6-7-1
Mode 5: 1-2b-4-5b-6b-7bb-1
Mode 6: 1-3-4-5-6b-7-1
Dominant Sus: 1-2-4-5-6-7b-1
Mode 2: 1-3b-4-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3-4-5-6-1
Mode 4: 1-2-3b-4-5-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2b-3b-4-6b-7b-1
Mode 6: 1-2-3-5-6-7-1
Dimin: Whole-Half: 1-2-3b-4-5b-6b-6-7-1
Half-Whole Dimin: 1-2b-3b-3-4#-5-6-7b-1
8 Tone Spanish: 1-2b-3b-3-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Mode 2: 1-2-3b-3-4-5-6-7-1
Mode 3: 1-2b-2-3b-4-5-6-7b-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-2-3-4#-5#-6-7-1
Mode 5: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6b-7b-7-1
Mode 6: 1-2-3-4#-5-6-7b-7-1
Mode 7: 1-2-3-4-5-6b-6-7b-1
Mode 8: 1-2-3b-4-5b-5-6b-7b-1
Bebop Locrian N2: 1-2-3b-4-5b-6b-7b-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2b-3b-3-4#-5#-6-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-6-7-1
Mode 4: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-5-6-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2-3-4-5b-6b-6-7-1
Mode 6: 1-2-3b-3-4#-5-6-7b-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-2-3-4-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 8: 1-2b-3b-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Bebop Dominant: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7b-7-1
Bebop Minor: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-6-7b-1
Bebop Loc add 5: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-5b-5-6-7-1
Mode 5: 1-2-3b-3-4-5-6-7b-1
Mode 6: 1-2b-2-3b-4-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-2-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Mode 8: 1-2b-3b-4-5b-6b-7b-7-1
Bebop Dorian: 1-2-3b-4-5-6-7b-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2b-3b-4-5-6b-6-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-2-3-4#-5-6b-6-7-1
Mode 4: 1-2-3-4-5b-5-6-7b-1
Mode 5: 1-2-3b-3-4-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 6: 1-2b-2-3b-4-5b-6b-7b-1
Mode 7: 1-2b-2-3-4-5-6-7-1
Mode 8: 1-2b-3b-3-4#-5#-6#-7-1
Bebop Major: 1-2-3-4-5-6b-6-7-1
Mode 2: 1-2-3b-4-5b-5-6-7b-1
Mode 3: 1-2b-3b-3-4-5-6b-7b-1
Mode 4: 1-2-3b-3-4#-5-6-7-1
Mode 5: 1-2b-2-3-4-5-6-7b-1
Mode 6: 1-2b-3b-3-4#-5#-6-7-1
Mode 7: 1-2-3b-4-5-6b-7b-7-1
Mode 8:1-2b-3b-4-5b-6b-6-7b-1

What is a mode?"

A mode is kind of like a "mood". There are a large amount of modes out there and every mode gives a specific run a different feel. Some modes are major and some are minor, which means some sound happy, and some sound sad. Modes are also built around the major scale.

Memorizing the fretboard

When learning, memorizing or practicing scales or modes, it is extremely helpful to memorize the notes on the fretboard. If you memorize the notes on the fretboard, you will be able to connect scales and locate the root of keys that you are playing in while soloing, easily. You don't necesarilly have to memorize all the sharps and flats, just remember where all the: A, B , C, D, E, F and G notes are. I first started off memorizing where the notes are on the low e and the a string. From there you can develop patterns in your head and see where all the flats and sharps are. The flats are 1 fret lower than a note. For example Ab (A Flat) is 1 fret lower than A. A flat is on the 5th fret and Ab is on the 4th fret. The Sharps are one fret higher than a given note. For example, A# is higher than Ab. I definately recommend memorizing or becoming familiar with the fretboard.

 "Atleast memorize where the following notes are"