The SECRET SCALE used by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Slash & John Squire

The great British lead guitarists of the 20th Century had one intriguing thing in common with each other - they all used a very specific lead guitar solo scale with its own set of unique rules. Join me to uncover what it is, and how it works.

CORRECTION: On the D Hybrid Scale at 16:45 the 11 on the D string should have been a 10. As usual, I managed to put the video up with a bloody mistake in it...

[richardbrown]

Flippin' heck mate - that is the best guitar lesson I've ever had! So in terms of scale tones its: 1 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 6 b7 BUT you shift to match the current chord. [corrected - I missed out the 5] You absolute star! You have completely blown my mind. I've been playing guitar for years and never discovered it. Thank you so much! You know on the inside of the gatefold sleeve of Led Zep IV there is a mysterious figure holding a lantern? Thats you that is.

[jMerkyJJ]

Dude its simple, if you burn a candle in front of any les paul at midnight the fret board glows with said scale

[lisakuykendall]

I'm 38 years old. Been playing since around 5th grade. The best and easiest explanation I've ever come across. When you start playing in a band and meeting musicians out in the world and setting in with them and them setting in with you, you start to see how much talent is out their. Attitude will make or break you. Your gonna run into people not as good as you, people better than you, and people on another level. I am self taught. When I started getting out their I realized pretty quick I was lacking in some areas. What this man just gave us is where you need to go to (find yourself) so to speak. And some of the best advice I've ever gotten is play what you feel. And treat the other musicians with respect. Play rhythm just as good as you do lead. I've played with lots of good lead players. But when it came for my turn, the rhythm wasn't their like It was for them. And no matter how good your lead is if the rhythm isn't their your lead is not going to sound like it should no matter how good you know the scale. Support each other like you want to be supported. This took me awhile to figure out. It's really hard to find musicians that understand this is a team effort. Their are egos, and everything else you can think of out their on stage with you. Always respect each other, play what you feel, from your heart, and when you play with another guitar player and he is on another planet with his chops. Appreciate the time and effort he put in honing his craft. Instead of feeling some type of way about him shining more than you. Doing that got me alot of places that other wise I wouldn't have been able to go.

Great video man, I feel like i owe you money.

[haydraismaeel]

Dude i've been learning for months just tryna figure out how to go with a chord progression through a solo and u literally explained it in just 7 minutes, every second of this video is A MUST TO LEARN AND LISTEN TO.... keep it up man your videos feel like they're made of GOLD

[computermediaonline]

Thanks !!! You filled in some gaps in what I've taken 60 years to work out by ear. I'm 73 and playing in a classic rock band that only does benefits: wounded veterans, first responders, hurricane victims, etc.

[rosewoodsteel]

I use a secret scale to weigh myself in the morning.

[Quintao]

“Blues is the constant tension between major and minor” - Adam Gussow

[scottroewe]

This an excellent presentation...I've been teaching high school students age 14 - 18 how to solo for 15 years, and what you are talking about is quite on target. You are talking about using the appropriate scales for each chord. Jazz players call these "chord scales". Your scale is based on the mixolydian mode, with additional notes of b3 and b5. Many jazz playerds will call these approach notes, meaning one can use these notes to approach the major 3rd starting with theb3rd or the major 5th starting with the b5, but in the blues, one can sit on these notes, and that is what makes the solo sound bluesy. In other words, while the b3 and b5 can used used as approach notes, they are also notes that can be used as melody emphasis. Your scale needs a name, and I suggest it be called the mixolydian blues scale, ss the scale contains all the notes of a mixolydian scale as well as all of the notes of a minor blues scale. This scale works over dominat 7th chords when playing in a blues style. 😀

[ManuelWendt-kd]

My first comment ever on YouTube, really, that means something. But I had to thank you so damn much, fellow, for filling the last (at least alot) mind gaps about blues and why it works in so many kinds of creativity and sounds. Thanks for your will to share with us, and greetings from Berlin. SmileeDime

[michaelseay]

This was featured in the mid 1980s by Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. It was explained differently and had a couple different names, really quite simple. Take the pentatonic major scale and combine the notes with the pentatonic minor notes of the same root note, then add the blue note (b5): 1 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 6 b7 8
The pentatonic major/minor combo scale, aka the modified mixolydian scale. The b5 is optional of course, you don’t have to use it. But now let’s get really crazy: take the same combo scale and add the b6 and major 7 notes, and pick a few spots to play those 2 notes sparingly. Chromaticism galore! It works! Or try leaving out the 2nds and 6ths with more emphasis on the b3 and 3rd.
B.B. King city!!

Featured artists in the magazine lesson were Eric Clapton and Gary Rossington - major proponents of the pentatonic major/minor scale.

Many slide players also use/used this scale: Dwayne Allman, Rod Price, Billy Gibbons, Ed King, Joe Walsh, and probably all of their blues predecessors.

[Diplomat]

Brilliant lesson. I am almost 70 years old and have sort of figured this out on my own, but having your clear description validated everything I have worked for these many decades. Now all I need to do is to work on artful phrasing that conveys emotion. Part of that, I think, is to imagine your riff before you play it. I call that thoughtful phrasing. It is harder than you think. Maybe that is why Clapton has that pained, closed eyed look when he plays at his best. He is thinking about what he wants to say, rather than just riffing along with the chords in time. Thanks so much James.

[CatharticGuitar]

This is a nice way to present “following the chords.”
I actually learned this on my own before I figured out, “Hey wait, I can actually stay in the same box for all the chords!”

[Pageyeah]

Suddenly, I'm playing guitar with the same excitement I had as a teenager again. Thank you, good sir!

[cradd]

This is the most valuable guitar lesson I've ever had. I've been playing for over 40 years, and I've known about the blue note and all of those "secret" licks and phrases, but you lay it out in a perfectly organized and coherent thought. I've be playing like this for many years, but never really knew how to pass the information onto my students so they could understand without confusing them. Thanks for the great video and sharing your knowledge!

[wdfusroy]

What about Mark Knopfler? I think his technique is so unique that he should be considered the greatest British guitarist of the 1980s!

[daveprietojazz]

You're playing a jazz blues scale (Dorian + b5) adding a M3 depending on if the chord you've playing over is major. Playing on the chord is called "vertical playing ". Wonderful theory lesson for an intermediate player.

[MattHumphrey]

Jeff Beck has to be in there somewhere

[michaelmccullough]

This is, by far, the best guitar instruction video for the Blues ever made.

[london-vasari]

Jim –– absolutely brilliant vid. Both inspirational & informative and you are a natural teacher. It's like a best mate giving you guidance rather than an online pro demonstrating how clever they are. And thanks for the time you take to share this stuff ... !

[hackfraud]

Dude, i fuckin love your passion about finding/helping create the next oasis/nirvana, you are doing the lords work