The Sliding Scale

The perfect tool to help you play in all 12 keys, using the Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Minor Scales (and all their modes). Expand your knowledge and spend more time practicing!

Add this tool to your arsenal and you will be unstoppable! Effortlessy craft fresh chord progressions in new keys, using popular scales.

DRUMROLL……

Inside your pack,

you’ll find:

• The main A5 Sliding Scale sheet.

• Four scale sheets: 

Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Minor

• Two paper clips

IT COULDN’T BE SIMPLER!

Setting Up:

1. Choose a scale sheet (e.g. Major Scale).

2. Place it onto the Sliding Scale with your desired key note sitting in the top box.

3. Secure the sheet in place using the paper clips.

Reading the Scale

• Read the scale notes downwards, following the alphabetical order. Each note of the scale is listed, and the key notes are highlighted in bold.

•Important: Do not read any note that breaks the alphabetical sequence.

• For example, if you select A as your key note using the major scale sheet, you’ll get: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G# (the notes of the A major scale).

WHAT CAN IT DO?

Find Chords

To the right-hand side of the scale, you’ll find a list of chords that match each scale note. In the A major example:

1. A major (or A major 7th)

2. B minor (or B minor 7th)

3. C# minor (or C# minor 7th)

And so on, following the harmony of the scale.

Play the Modes

The Sliding Scale also makes playing modes simple. For instance, with A major, if you shift your focus to B, you’re now in B Dorian. You’ll now have: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A

You’d begin with the B minor chord (or  B minor 7th), and follow with other chords from the same set.

Each mode is listed on the right above the correct chord degree.

Quickly Play the Correct Chords!

Roman Numerals

You’ll also notice Roman numerals on the scale sheets, which help you quickly identify whether to play a major, minor, diminished, or augmented chord.

Capital Roman numerals = Major

Lowercase Roman numerals = Minor

+ = Augmented

ø = Half-diminished

◦ = Diminished 7th

For example, in the major scale, the I chord is major, the ii chord is minor, and so on.

Scale Intervals

On the left-hand side of each scale sheet, you’ll also find the interval formula. For example, the major scale is:

W - W - H - W - W - W - H

W = Whole step (two semitones or two frets)

H = Half step (one semitone or one fret)

This is useful for those who want to deepen their understanding of how scales are built.

Using The Sliding Scale in Any Key

The beauty of this system is its flexibility. The Sliding Scale works for all keys by simply sliding to the desired key. The keys are: 

A, Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab

Choose any of the four scale sheets (Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor, or Harmonic Minor), and both the notes and chords will adjust according to the key and scale you select.

The Perfect Companion to the Sliding Scale…

Every Essential Scale and Chord You Will Ever Need, is the companion book for the sliding scale. It has been created for Piano, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Banjo and Mandolin. A unique book that includes every essential open chord, CAGED chord, inversion, note, scale, mode and when to use them (in every key).

Every 3 and 4 note Open Chords

Featuring all the Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, Major 7th, Minor 7th, Dominant 7th, Half-Diminished, Minor/Major 7th, Major 7th #5 and Diminished 7th chords in every key (for each instrument). All based on the chords included with the sliding scale.

Chord Inversions and CAGED Chords

Chord inversions and CAGED chords allow you to play the chords you know in different ways. This book has each of the chords and their inversions all in the key of C (all can be quickly applied to all keys).

Major, Minor, Melodic and Harmonic Minor scales in all keys

Clear diagrams for each scale in every key, including the intervals and position for each CAGED shape. Learn the shapes in all keys.

Modes for every style

Included in this book are all the modes for the Major, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Minor scales. Modes allow you to play in different ways, and will help you achieve different sounds. So it is an important concept to understand in order to full master playing scales and improvising over certain chord progressions.

Scale Notes and Degrees

Detailed tables with each scale and its related notes and chords are included. Finally if you haven’t yet got your head around the notes on the fretboard we have created clear portrait and landscape diagrams with all the notes highlighted.