Session 14: The C Major Scale

Duration: 50 minutes

Break: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 30 minutes.

Until now, you have been playing chords (multiple notes together) and simple riffs (short melodic patterns). Today you learn your first complete scale — the C major scale. A scale is a set of notes arranged in order from low to high (ascending) and high to low (descending). Scales are the raw material of melody: every song melody, every solo, every riff is built from scale notes. Learning the C major scale gives you the foundation to play melodies by ear, understand how songs work, and eventually improvise. You will apply the scale to “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” by Kishore Kumar — a melody that uses only these seven notes, but comes to rest on A instead of C.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

Play the C major scale ascending and descending: one octave (from C up to the next C) in open position (the open strings plus frets 1 to 3)
Name the seven notes of C major (C-D-E-F-G-A-B)
Play the scale with even rhythm at 60 BPM, one note per click, by the end of the week
Identify notes on the fretboard across strings 1–5 in the open position
Play the opening lines of “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” (simplified, in A minor)

Materials Needed

Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
A guitar pick
A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
A metronome
A phone or other recorder, six slips of paper and a pen (for this week’s ear check)
A way to play the recording of “Mere Sapno Ki Rani”
Handout for this session: Notes On The Fretboard (read before the session, 10 minutes)
Handout for this session: Scales Major (read after the session, 10 minutes)
Handout for this session: Weekly Plans Phase 3 4 (the end-of-week check for Week 14)
Reference: Scale Diagrams
Reference: Fretboard Note Map
Glossary

Read before this session (10 minutes, not part of the 50): Notes On The Fretboard, the sections “Sharps and Flats — The Notes Between”, “How Frets Work”, “The Open String Notes” and “Fretboard Note Map — Open Strings to Fret 5”. Read them without the guitar, any time before you start Segment 1.

Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Hand Warm-Up

Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look.

Warm-Up

Play the syncopated strumming pattern from Session 13 on the G–Em–C–D progression at 65 BPM, 8 measures. Then play the “Come As You Are” riff (Session 4) at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), for 4 measures to activate your single-note picking.

Waltz review (Session 7): Waltz strum, D d d, on D and Am, four measures each, at 70 BPM in 3/4.

Spider crawl: frets 3-6, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. Stop if it pulls or aches.

Mini-barre. Lay finger 1 across strings 2 and 1 at fret 5. Pluck string 2, then string 1. Release completely. 5 presses. Tuner check: E, then A. (A barre is one finger laid across more than one string. This small one is the first step towards the F chord of Session 17.)

Barre work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total. Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Scale Technique (10 minutes)

How to Play a Scale

Playing a scale is different from playing chords or riffs:

One note at a time — Each note rings clearly before you move to the next.
Even rhythm — Every note gets the same duration. No rushing, no lingering.
Alternate picking — D U D U throughout. This builds even tone and speed.
Finger assignment — Each fret has a designated finger (finger 1 for fret 1, finger 2 for fret 2, finger 3 for fret 3). Open strings use no finger.

Scale Preparation Exercise

Before learning the full scale, practise clean single-note playing across multiple strings. At 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes):

e|----------------------|-------------------|
B|----------------------|-------------------|
G|------0---1---2---3---|---2---1---0-------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3  (4)
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D
Finger: -   1   2   3       2   1   -

A number in brackets, such as (4), is a silent beat: play nothing and keep counting. In the Finger row, a dash means an open string (no finger).

Then move to string 4:

e|----------------------|-------------------|
B|----------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|------0---1---2---3---|---2---1---0-------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3  (4)
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D
Finger: -   1   2   3       2   1   -

Focus on:

Clean transitions between open strings and fretted notes
Each note ringing for its full beat — no gaps, no overlap
Alternate picking (D U D U)

Segment 3 — New Learning: The C Major Scale (15 minutes)

The C Major Scale — Notes

The C major scale has seven notes: C - D - E - F - G - A - B

Then it returns to C, one octave higher. An octave is the distance from one note to the next note with the same name, 12 frets up one string. No sharps, no flats — all natural notes. This is why C major is the simplest scale to learn.

A sharp (#) is the note one fret higher than the letter; a flat (b) is the note one fret lower. Each in-between note has two names: A# and Bb are the same fret.

C Major Scale — Open Position TAB

Open position means the open strings plus frets 1 to 3. In open position the one-octave scale runs from C on string 5 up to C on string 2:

C Major Scale — Ascending (low to high)

e|--------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------0---1---|
G|----------------------0---2-----------|
D|----------0---2---3-------------------|
A|------3-------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Finger: 3   -   2   3   -   2   -   1
Notes:  C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C

The Count row shows the scale in eighth notes (two notes per click). You will start more slowly, with one note per click: the notes and their order are the same.

Step-by-step with finger assignments:

Note	String	Fret	Finger	Pick
C	5 (A)	3	3 (ring)	D
D	4 (D)	0 (open)	—	U
E	4 (D)	2	2 (middle)	D
F	4 (D)	3	3 (ring)	U
G	3 (G)	0 (open)	—	D
A	3 (G)	2	2 (middle)	U
B	2 (B)	0 (open)	—	D
C	2 (B)	1	1 (index)	U

The one-octave scale runs from C (string 5, fret 3) to C (string 2, fret 1): eight notes. The same notes carry on above the top C: D (string 2, fret 3), E (string 1, open), F (string 1, fret 1) and G (string 1, fret 3). They are not part of the one-octave scale, but you will meet them on the fretboard map below and in this week’s ear check.

Full TAB — Ascending and Descending

C Major Scale — Up and Down

e|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
B|------------------------------0---1---|---0---------------------------|
G|----------------------0---2-----------|-------2---0-------------------|
D|----------0---2---3-------------------|---------------3---2---0-------|
A|------3-------------------------------|---------------------------3---|
E|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4
Pick:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D
Finger: 3   -   2   3   -   2   -   1       -   2   -   3   2   -   3
Notes:  C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C       B   A   G   F   E   D   C

This is the scale up and down in eighth notes. The top C is played once; the last C lasts a full beat. In quarter notes the same notes are played one per click.

How to Practise the Scale

Step 1 — Very slow (40 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes)): Play ascending only. Say each note name aloud as you play it: “C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.” This connects the sound to the note name.

Tuner check: Check each note with your tuner (use the mode that shows any note, often called chromatic). Play the notes slowly one at a time; the display should read C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. It is the familiar rising do-re-mi (sa-re-ga-ma) scale, ending on a note that sounds like the first one, only higher.

Step 2 — Ascending and descending (45 BPM, then 50 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes)): Play up and down without stopping. The descent is the reverse of the ascent — same notes, same frets, opposite direction. Play the top C once.

Step 3 — Naming the notes: As you play up and down, say every note name aloud: “C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, B, A, G, F, E, D, C.”

Not yet — two notes per click: This week you stay at one note per click and work up to 60 BPM; the practice plan gives the steps. Next week you carry on to 80 BPM and only then change to two notes per click (eighth notes) at 40 BPM, which is exactly as fast as one note per click at 80.

Notes on the Fretboard

Learning the scale teaches you where notes live on the fretboard. Here is a map of the notes in open position on strings 1 to 5:

Fret:           0      1      2      3
String 1 (E):   E      F      F#     G
String 2 (B):   B      C      C#     D
String 3 (G):   G      G#     A      A#
String 4 (D):   D      D#     E      F
String 5 (A):   A      A#     B      C

The C major scale uses only the notes without sharps (#): C, D, E, F, G, A, B. You can see exactly where each one sits. For a complete fretboard map, see Fretboard Note Map; the scale is also drawn in Scale Diagrams.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

Segment 4 — Song Workshop: “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” — Kishore Kumar (15 minutes)

“Mere Sapno Ki Rani”: opening lines (simplified, in A minor)

Credits: Music by S. D. Burman, lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Sung by Kishore Kumar in the film Aradhana (1969).

Listen first: Find Kishore Kumar’s recording of “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” (Aradhana, 1969) and listen to the first three sung lines, which come after the instrumental opening, three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) each line starts with the same two low notes and the same run; (2) only the endings differ. Phrases 1, 2 and 3 below do exactly that.

About this arrangement: This is a simplified arrangement written for this course. It has not yet been play-tested against the recording. It is a simplified excerpt: the first three sung lines, with the first line played again to finish. The notes come from two independent published notations that agree once moved to the same key. Every note is written as an even eighth note, which is how both notations space them.

Key: This version is in A minor. It uses only notes of the C major scale, but it comes to rest on A, not C. Published notation puts the recording in or near B minor, a whole step (two frets) higher, at about 120 beats a minute. So this version sounds lower and slower than the recording and cannot be played along with it as written.

What you are learning: The first three sung lines, simplified. It uses notes you have just learned (E, F, G, A, B and C) on strings 4, 3 and 2, and it comes to rest on A.

Tempo: Start at 60 BPM, one note per click, and work up to 65 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). Stretch: 70 BPM. The recording is at about 120 BPM; that is not a target for this session. Picking: Alternate picking: down on every number, up on every ”&“

Two New Ideas

Pick-up notes: The first two notes come before measure 1. Count 1, 2, 3 and play them on 4 &.
Home note: This tune uses the notes of the C major scale but keeps coming back to A. A scale that starts from A with these same notes is called A minor.

Melody TAB: opening lines (simplified)

Phrase 1 starts with two pick-up notes on “4 &” of the count-in measure.

Count-in measure and measure 1

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-------------------0---0---0-------|
G|--------------------------------------|---2---2---2---0---------------0---|
D|------------------------------2---2---|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count: (1)     (2)     (3)      4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:                           D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Notes:                          E   E       A   A   A   G   B   B   B   G

Phrase 1 ends on the four A notes. Phrase 2 starts on “4 &” of measure 2.

Measures 2 and 3

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-------------------0---0---0-------|
G|------2---2---2---2-------------------|---2---2---2---0---------------0---|
D|------------------------------2---2---|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &  (3)      4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:   D   U   D   U           D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Notes:  A   A   A   A           E   E       A   A   A   G   B   B   B   G

Phrase 2 ends A F F F. Phrase 3 starts on “4 &” of measure 4.

Measures 4 and 5

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-------------------0---0---0-------|
G|------2-------------------------------|---2---2---2---0---------------2---|
D|----------3---3---3-----------2---2---|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &  (3)      4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:   D   U   D   U           D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Notes:  A   F   F   F           E   E       A   A   A   G   B   B   B   A

Phrase 3 ends on the four C notes. Phrase 1 comes back on “4 &” of measure 6.

Measures 6 and 7

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|------1---1---1---1-------------------|-------------------0---0---0-------|
G|--------------------------------------|---2---2---2---0---------------0---|
D|------------------------------2---2---|-----------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &  (3)      4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Pick:   D   U   D   U           D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
Notes:  C   C   C   C           E   E       A   A   A   G   B   B   B   G

Phrase 1 ends on the home note, A. Let the last A ring.

Measure 8

e|--------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|
G|------2---2---2---2-------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &  (3)     (4)
Pick:   D   U   D   U
Notes:  A   A   A   A

A number in brackets, such as (3), is a silent beat: play nothing, keep counting and let the last note ring. Pick down on every number and up on every ”&”.

Finger guide:

E = string 4, fret 2, finger 2 (middle).
A = string 3, fret 2, finger 3 (ring). These are the same two fingers, in the same places, as in your Am chord; using finger 3 for A (not the usual finger 2 for fret 2) means no finger has to jump between strings.
G = string 3 open: lift finger 3.
B = string 2 open.
C = string 2, fret 1, finger 1 (index), also part of the Am chord shape.
F (Phrase 2 only) = string 4, fret 3: move finger 3 across from string 3; this is the one jump in the piece.

Simplified excerpt, moved to A minor so that it uses only notes from this session’s scale. Not yet play-tested.

Full Melody Structure

Count-in measure, then measures 1 to 8: Phrase 1, Phrase 2, Phrase 3, Phrase 1 again. Each new phrase starts on “4 &” of the measure in which the last one ends.

How to Learn This Melody

Step 1 — Phrase 1 alone: Play each note slowly. Say the note names aloud: “E, E, A, A, A, G, B, B, B, G, A, A, A, A.” These are all C major scale notes. The first two notes come before measure 1: count 1, 2, 3 and play them on 4 &. No metronome yet — just accuracy.

Step 2 — Add rhythm: Set the metronome to 60 BPM and play one note per click. At this speed every count mark, number or ”&”, gets one click; on a silent beat such as (3), let two clicks go by. Get the rhythm steady before worrying about speed.

Step 3 — Learn Phrases 2 and 3: Same process. Phrase 2 is Phrase 1 with a new ending: A, F, F, F. Phrase 3 changes the last five notes: A, C, C, C, C.

Step 4 — Connect the phrases: Play Phrase 1 → Phrase 2 → Phrase 3 → Phrase 1 without stopping: the count-in and all eight measures.

Step 5 — Build to 65 BPM, two notes per click: Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, still one note per click, from 60 up to 100. Then halve the metronome to 50 BPM and play two notes per click (eighth notes), counted 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &: this is exactly as fast as one note per click at 100; only the counting changes. Then 55, 60 and 65 BPM. You will not finish this ladder today; carry on from where you stop on your practice days.

What it should sound like: Brisk and light — like riding a jeep through the mountains (which is literally the scene in the film). Three checks:

Count check: every phrase starts with two notes on “4 &”, and your counting never stops through the silent beats.
Click check: play the count-in and all eight measures with the metronome. You never stop and you finish with the click.
Check it against the recording: hum the first line, then play Phrase 1. The tune should rise and fall the same way, a little lower and slower than the recording.

Performance Notes

This melody lives on strings 4, 3 and 2. Use a lighter pick attack than you would for power chords. Let the melody sing rather than punching each note.
The key moment is the move from string 4 (the two E notes) to string 3 (the note A) at the start of every phrase. Practise this move specifically — pick string 4 twice, then land on string 3 without hitting string 4 again.
Sing or hum along as you play. Even if you cannot match the pitch, feeling the melody with your voice helps your fingers find the phrasing.

Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

The C major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) in open position
Note names on the fretboard (strings 1–5, in open position)
Scale technique: even rhythm, alternate picking, finger assignment
“Mere Sapno Ki Rani” by Kishore Kumar — opening lines (simplified, A minor), using notes of the C major scale

Common Mistakes

Uneven note duration — Every note in the scale should ring for the same amount of time. Use a metronome. If you play some notes quickly and linger on others, the scale sounds sloppy.
Buzzing on the string-crossing notes — When moving from one string to the next (e.g., string 4 fret 3 to string 3 open), your fretting finger may accidentally brush the new string. Lift your finger cleanly before crossing.
Forgetting note names — Saying the note names aloud is not optional. If you just play the fret numbers without knowing the note names, you miss the theoretical understanding that makes scales useful.
Rushing the melody — Stay at or below 65 BPM, two notes per click, until every note is even.
Neglecting the descending scale — Playing down is harder than playing up because your fingers approach from the opposite direction. Spend equal time on ascending and descending.

Self-Check Questions

Record the C major scale once, ascending and descending, at 50 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes). On playback, is the speed the same throughout, with no pause before any note? If not: go back to 45 BPM (Step 2 of “How to Practise the Scale”) for two days, then record again.
Can you name all seven notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) as you play them? Check: play the scale up and down once without looking at the page, saying each name aloud, with no wrong name and no stop. If not: repeat Step 3 of “How to Practise the Scale” with the page open, and try again the next day.
Can you play the C major scale up and down at 60 BPM, one note per click, three times in a row with no wrong note and no stop? If not: go back to 50 BPM for two days, then try again.
Can you play the opening lines of “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” (count-in and all eight measures) at 65 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), without stopping? If not: go back one step on the tempo ladder in Segment 4 (Step 5) for two days, then try again.
Can you point to where C, E, G, and A are on the fretboard (open position)? Check: play each place you point to with your tuner on; it shows the letter you named, for all four. If not: find the notes you missed on the map under “Notes on the Fretboard” in Segment 3, and try again the next day.

Practice Plan for Week 14 (each practice day, 25 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune. On practice days that means the hand movements, the “Come As You Are” riff, the waltz review and the spider crawl; the syncopated pattern and the mini-barre have their own rows below
C Major Scale	7 min	Ascending and descending, one note per click (quarter notes), saying the note names. Start at 50 BPM; after three clean runs in a row move to 55 BPM, then 60 BPM. Repeat until the time is up
Fretboard Notes	3 min	Point to and name: C (string 5 fret 3), E (string 4 fret 2), G (string 3 open), B (string 2 open), D (string 4 open). Quiz yourself; repeat until the time is up
Mere Sapno Ki Rani	7 min	Phrase by phrase, then the count-in and all eight measures, following the tempo ladder in Segment 4 up to 65 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes). 4 repetitions, then repeat the phrase that went least well until the time is up
Syncopated Strumming	4 min	Session 13 pattern on G–Em–C–D at 65 BPM, one measure per chord. Keep your strumming skills progressing alongside melody skills. Repeat until the time is up
Mini-Barre	1 min	Mini-barre: 5 presses. Finger 1 across strings 2 and 1 at fret 5; pluck string 2, then string 1; release completely

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 3 4, Week 14.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Single notes show up things that chords can hide. If one note of the scale buzzes or sounds dull on your Saga’s steel strings while the others are clear, look at that fingertip first: it should press just behind the fret wire, not on top of it and not halfway back towards the next fret. The open strings in the scale (D, G and B) are your reference: a fretted note should ring as clearly as they do.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

Read: Scales Major, the sections “The Major Scale Formula” (a half step is one fret; a whole step is two frets) and “Building the C Major Scale”, then answer questions 1 to 4 of the Quick Quiz. Question 5 is about the G major scale, which has its own section further on, “The G Major Scale”: read that too if you want to try it. Do this today or before your first practice day; it does not come out of your practice minutes. (10 minutes)
Record: this week’s ear check. Mark it on any later practice day. Use the recorded card test (Session 6), Test 3, play it back. Write six slips, each with a two-note phrase of your own on strings 1 and 2, using only E (string 1 open), F (string 1 fret 1), G (string 1 fret 3), B (string 2 open), C (string 2 fret 1) and D (string 2 fret 3). Play each phrase twice, slowly. Next day: listen to both playings, then play the phrase; turn the slip and compare the strings and frets you played with the slip. Right only if every note matched. Pass: 4 of 6. (3 minutes)