As an Amazon Associate Playslideguitar.com earns from qualifying purchases. This page contains affiliate links.
Major Scales
The major scale can be one of the most beneficial musical tools that a musician can utilize. Not only does it contain the ingredients for harmony, melodies, and riffs, but it also has many of the modes and scales that are commonly used within countless forms of music.
Below are tabs and scale diagrams that display the major scale for open D tuning when playing slide guitar. The notes are located over the actual frets, just as you would see them visually when using a slide on the guitar’s fretboard…
Minor Pentatonic Scales
Perhaps one of the most utilized scales for slide guitar, the minor pentatonic scale can be articulated with a lot more versatility when using a slide. It can be a great scale to use for certain songs and styles of music, especially when playing blues or rock n’ roll tunes.
Here are scale diagrams that depict the scale on the fretboard for open D tuning. The notes are also located above the actual frets, just like when you’re using the slide on the guitar…
- A Minor Pentatonic Scale
- B Minor Pentatonic Scale
- C# Minor Pentatonic Scale
- D Minor Pentatonic Scale
- E Minor Pentatonic Scale
- F# Minor Pentatonic Scale
- G Minor Pentatonic Scale
Major Pentatonic Scales
The major pentatonic scale can go a long ways in the hands of a slide guitar player. For blues tunes, melodic riffs, solos, and more, the scale has a distinct sound that is simple and pure.
It is a great scale to use for making the slide really “sing” the notes and emulate the vocals of the human voice. Check out the scale diagrams below that show this scale on the slide guitar’s fretboard for open D tuning. The notes are located over the frets, so that you can easily visualize them in a similar manner to actually using the slide on the guitar as you play…
- C Major Pentatonic Scale
- D Major Pentatonic Scale
- E Major Pentatonic Scale
- F Major Pentatonic Scale
- G Major Pentatonic Scale
- A Major Pentatonic Scale
- Bb Major Pentatonic Scale
For more info on the open D tuning, click here…