Lesson 4 of 10
C Major Scale Exercises
Three-note pattern drills to build speed, accuracy and finger memory in the C Major scale.
← Back to Guitar Lessons
About These Exercises
Scale exercises are not songs — they're finger workouts. The goal is to build muscle memory, accuracy and speed without thinking about which note comes next.
The format is simple: each row shows a small group of notes (3 or 4). Play each row 4–8 times before moving to the next row.
Exercise 1 — 3-Note Groups
Three notes per row, starting from C and climbing the scale. Pick each note slowly and clearly using alternate picking.
| Exercise 1 — C Major (3 notes) | ||
|---|---|---|
| C | D | E |
| D | E | F |
| E | F | G |
| F | G | A |
| G | A | B |
| A | B | C |
| B | C | D |
| C | D | E |
| D | E | F |
| E | F | G |
| F | G | A |
| G | A | B |
Exercise 2 — 4-Note Groups
Same idea, now four notes per row. This builds longer phrases and tests your stamina.
| Exercise 2 — C Major (4 notes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| C | D | E | F |
| D | E | F | G |
| E | F | G | A |
| F | G | A | B |
| G | A | B | C |
| A | B | C | D |
| B | C | D | E |
| C | D | E | F |
| D | E | F | G |
| E | F | G | A |
| F | G | A | B |
| G | A | B | C |
Practice Routine
- Start slow: 60 BPM, one note per click. Speed comes later.
- Use alternate picking: down-up-down-up. No exceptions.
- Say the note names out loud as you play them.
- Practice each exercise for 5 minutes a day. Five minutes daily beats one hour on weekends.
- Increase tempo by 10 BPM only when you can play the previous tempo cleanly three times in a row.
- Once you can play these exercises smoothly, you're ready for Lesson 5 — Positions 2 & 3.