Your one-stop shop for fiddle practicing scales

Here is a collection of all the main scales you need to know for playing fiddle music. Use this page as a reference or use it to practice. Within each tab you’ll find sheet music, tabs, audio and lessons links for each scale (including pentatonics and triads). At the bottom of the page you’ll find other lessons on scales (practice, variations, etc.).

B Flat Major (Bb)

B Flat Major Diatonic (7-note scale)

Lower octave: GL2-3-D0-L1-L2-3-A0-L1

 

Use this audio for both octaves

Upper octave: AL1-L2-3-L4-EL1-L2-3-L4

Two octave: GL2-3-D0-L1-L2-3-A0-L1-L2-3-L4-EL1-L2-3-L4


B Flat Major Pentatonic

GL2-3-D0-L2-3

Full range: G0-GL2-3-D0-L2-3-AL1-L2-3-EL1-L2-L4


Lessons

F Major And B Flat Major Scale Variations

B Flat Major Scale (Upper Octave) Exercises


Relevant tunes

Done Gone

Lucy Farr’s (coming soon)

 

C Major

C Major Diatonic (7-note scale)

C Major is like the upper octave of G Major, except you start on G3 instead of D3.

G3-D0-1-L2-3-A0-1-L2 (two bows)


C Major Pentatonic Scale

G3-D0-1-3-A0

Full range: G0-1-3-D0-1-3-A0-L2-3-E0-L2-3

 


C Major – D Dorian alternation


Lessons

G and C Major Scales

G and C Major Scale Practice

Play tunes in the upper octave of G Major, but start one string to the left: Three Tunes in G Major Upper Octave

E Major

E Major Diatonic (7-note scale)

D1-2-H3-A0-1-2-H3-E0

E major has the same fingering as the lower octave of the A major scale. Practice with an E Drone.

E Drone

E Minor

E Dorian (7-note scale)

 

 

The E Dorian scale is built from the D major scale. To make an E Dorian scale, start on the second step of the D major scale.

 

Alternating between D Major and E Dorian scales


E Minor Pentatonic

D1-3-A0-1-3-E0


E Minor Triad

Two-octaves: D1-3-A1-E0-L2-4


Z Chromatic Scale!

It seemed fitting to give the chromatic scale the letter Z because it’s a weird, more challenging scale. Plus, unlike other scales which can be played with different root notes, there is only ONE chromatic scale (which contains all 12 notes of Western harmony). However, I teach the chromatic scale on each string. These “learning chunks” make it easier to practice this.


Learning chunks

G chromatic 

G0-L1-1-L2-2-3-L4-D0-0-GL4-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

or 

G0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-D0-0-GH3-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

D Chromatic 

D0-L1-1-L2-2-3-L4-A0-0-DL4-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

or

D0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-A0-0-DH3-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

A Chromatic

A0-L1-1-L2-2-3-L4-E0-0-AL4-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

or 

A0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-E0-0-EH3-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

E Chromatic

E0-L1-1-L2-2-3-L4-4-4-L4-3-2-L2-1-L1-0

or

E0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-4-4-H3-3-2-L2-1-L1-0


Lessons

Chromatic Scale

Chromatic Scale Exercises

Chromatic Scale – Practice Tips

The Chromatic Scale Will Help You Slide


Relevant tunes

Peacock Rag

Lonesome Fiddle Blues

Berdichiever Khosid


Practicing scales


Scale technique

See the tabs above for scale lessons on particular notes (for example G Major, D Minor).


Take a practice journey..

 


Leave a Reply

4 responses to “Scale Central

  1. On the A major triad, the upper octave and two octave (starts with G1)
    the drone is the same. The A0 first note of the upper octave sounds the same as what would be G1 of the two octave drone. Am I not hearing it correctly or am I missing something about the scale?