This lesson explains how to play the Josh Homme scale on guitar. Josh Homme is a guitarist mostly known for his work with Queens of the Stone Age.
QOTSA’s songs feature many classic guitar riffs which sometimes result in Josh Homme’s lead guitar playing getting over looked.
A student of mine recently sent me this fantastic interview in which Josh Homme explains what is known on the internet as the ‘Josh Homme scale’.
This article aims to shed some light on the Josh Homme scale so that you can use to better your own improvisational skills.
On the video Josh Homme says that he adjusted the blues scale to get this cool sounding scale.
Although it is easy to see how you could adjust the blues scale to the John Homme scale, the blues scale doesn’t really have much to do with the harmony of the new scale.
Though there is no mention of it on the video, the scale which he plays could be thought of as a Hungarian Major, Mixolydian #2 #4 or Lydian Dominant #2.
I personally like Lydian #2 because it is self explanatory. Check out this link for more less common modes.
Lydian Dominant #2 Formula: R, #2, 3, #4, 5, 6 7
Lydian Dominant #2 in D: D, F, F#, #G, A, B, C
Josh Homme Scale — Lydian Dominant #2
Though this is a cool scale that can be used in modern jazz guitar soloing, it might not sound like the Josh Homme scale at first.
This is because he mostly uses a two note per string pattern based of this scale shown in the diagram below. Josh actually plays this exact figure around 4.01 in the video.
To conclude this Josh Homme guitar scale article here is a lick that he uses at 3.53 in the interview. This lick is based of the two note per string scale shame above.
All the other licks that he plays in the video are based of this shape and are well worth learning.
Josh Homme Scale Patterns
To get the most out this cool sounding Josh Homme scale I recommend playing it different areas on the guitar neck, applying it different keys, and using it in tunes that you are working on.
The diagram below shows how the 2 note per string scale pattern in different areas of the neck.
The formula for this scale pattern is: b7th, R, 3rd, #4, 5th, 6th, 8th and #9.
Hey Jamie,
Very cool scale but I think you meant to call it Lydian Augmented #2.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks! Not sure why you could call it Lydian Augmented though as the 5th is A natural? Cheers
Maybe I’m confused but here’s the formula you posted above:
“Lydian Dominant #2 Formula: R, #2, 3, #4, #5, 6 7”
So the 5th is sharp, yes?
By my understanding, the lydian dominant is: R, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, b7 (basically a mix of lydian and mixolydian).
The scale I’ve generally referred to as lydian augmented is the 3rd mode of melodic minor: R, 2, 3, #4, #5, 6, 7
Raise the 2 and we have the Josh Homme scale. It might just be a mixup of terminology. In any case, I’ve been enjoying playing around with it since I saw your post. So thanks!
Actually, I was just going by that first formula you posted. It seems that all the examples you posted after that do agree with the Lydian Dominant #2 idea.
I find there’s one major and one minor Homme-Scale if you will. He usually plays the minor one, like on the Mexicola solo, the One Inch Man solo, The Fun Machine Took a Shit And Died, and so on. I think I’ve only seen him playing the major scale in the Guitar Moves video, the Whitewater-Jam and probably a few times in Lullabies To Paralyze.
So cool! Thank you for the clear explanation. Finally some light is shed on Homme’s thing.
No problem, thanks for checking it out!
Hey thanks! I don’t know so much about musical theory, but this helped me a lot, so I surely will read some of your articles, because I find this website very interesting
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/images/scales/gmcscale__e11010010001001_b0010110100100_g0000001011010_d0110100100010_a1000101101001_e61010010001000.jpg
Here is the scale up to the 12th fret
Thanks for the diagram!
Anyone knows whats the intro song? Love it.
Thanks for the work on this page, very interesting!
It’s Give the mule what he wants from the self-debut titled QOTSA album.
I think the intro song it’s “Give the mule what he wants”, buy Queens of the stone age, but with the guitar tuned in standard (E) instead of tuned two tones lower (C).
* by Queens of The Stone Age
I found a site where you can view the scale in any key along with with associated chords. They call it Hungarian Major.
http://chord.rocks/guitar/scales/e-hungarian-major
Thanks for the lesson.
Hi, I’d like to contribute with my take on this. Josh apparently discovered this as a happy accident in years when he didn’t know much about music theory. I see it as an asymmetric scale (root-semitone-tone-semitone-tone etc.) It’s almost Hungarian major, but with ♭2. This scale has that broken “sinister toy” kind of feel. You can have a lot of fun with it, since every tone has it’s minor third, but only every other tone has it’s major third and so on. It’s quite an untapped territory, lot of ideas waiting to be discovered within it.
Just noticed your scale formula has a natural 7th in. The notes underneath and tab are correct. Really great lesson, very enjoyable. Thanks for all your hard work putting it together.
Excellent share. Just what I was looking for while I am working on a song. Queens of the Stone Age are BADASS!!!! Just as much attitude as technique.
I’m not as familiar with music theory and creating scales, but what does “R” mean in “b7th, R, 3rd, #4, 5th, 6th, 8th and #9”?
Hey R means root. Thanks!