One of the first things I was taught when expressing interest in learning guitar is that scales are an imperative part of playing guitar.  Scales are a series of notes played in the same key.  They are used to create riffs and licks that are both important parts of creating the sound of guitar in most songs. Learning to play guitar scales can prove to be a bit tricky and is usually tackled after someone has been playing basic guitar for awhile.  The first scale that needs to be learned is the Chromatic scale.  Although I would love to learn to play the guitar, I found this information to be intimidating.