root 5 and root 6 scales

Hi, can someone please answer this?

I ask a guy what scales he uses most and he said

root 6 major
root 6 minor
root 5 minor

When I tried to look them up I was very confused on which scale he was talking about. Was he just trying to confuse a beginer or is that a scale? please help me!

Answer

Sounds like he's referring to the strings on which the lowest root note for the major and minor scale patterns lie.

Root 6 = lowest root note on the low E string

E.g. the major scale E string pattern...



Root 5 = lowest root note on the A string

E.g. the major scale A string pattern...



These are the two most common patterns for any given scale. I assume when he says "minor" he means the natural minor scale.

Referring to the low root note strings like this is a quick reference point for finding the right key and a starting point for your solo.

However, don't "box yourself in" like this.

Make sure you learn scales outside these root patterns. I provide lessons for this in the scales section.