Scale Pattern Studies For Guitar by Aaron Shearer

Scale Pattern Studies For Guitar by Aaron Shearer – Supplement 3: Classic Guitar Technique. Open and upper-position scales and sight-reading. 272 pages. Published by Alfred Music.

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This book is amazing and will teach students to read melodic music over the entire fretboard. It is extremely comprehensive and straightforward which is why it works. That said, with nearly 300 pages of scales and sight reading you’ll want to practice it in small doses rather than binge on it. I wouldn’t call it fun, but it’s exactly what students need to read and understand scales on the guitar.

Why/how to use this book? Learn the scale and then learn how to read music using the scale. This connection between reading and scales is very important and often very overlooked. This book goes through every key in open position (both major and minor) and after each scale gives a few pages of melodic sight reading to try the scale out in the context of melodic reading. Then it goes through every scale in every position so no rock is left unturned. I highly recommend using it for 5-10 minutes every day forever but not more. Just make it part of your daily practice session because if it’s not a routine thing it is too long and boring (I actually find engaging with scales in this way very enjoyable though). You might want to study it with a teacher depending on your level. I use this book with students who have gone through a few of my method books already.

This book is so comprehensive that I haven’t made my own version for the site because I don’t have anything to add to it. Maybe I would integrate some melodies from the classical music literature and more rhythm variation but really, repertoire adds that. This book is solid.