• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: Found out something new

OK I'm not a trained musician, I'm a wanna be guitar player that knows how to apply a couple of licks.  Anyway now you know my background.  I found out how to do major/minor relative keys.  So most people do minor pentatonic, but if you wanna solo in a different key you could do the relative major key for your soloing.  So take a root note of C and starting minor pentatonic you would use your index finger to find the root note.  Instead of doing this use your pinky on that root note.  Now your index finger will be on the A note on the E string.  So if you wanted to play in the key of C you could play in the relative major A for a happier sound.  IS that cool or what?  I just doubled my vocabulary on guitar and I didn't have to learn a thing!

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2011-05-28
  • Posts: 28

Re: Found out something new

AD3THREE wrote:

OK I'm not a trained musician, I'm a wanna be guitar player that knows how to apply a couple of licks.  Anyway now you know my background.  I found out how to do major/minor relative keys.  So most people do minor pentatonic, but if you wanna solo in a different key you could do the relative major key for your soloing.  So take a root note of C and starting minor pentatonic you would use your index finger to find the root note.  Instead of doing this use your pinky on that root note.  Now your index finger will be on the A note on the E string.  So if you wanted to play in the key of C you could play in the relative major A for a happier sound.  IS that cool or what?  I just doubled my vocabulary on guitar and I didn't have to learn a thing!

Yep, you are discovering the world of modes!! For example over a Cm key you could play a Bflat major scale.. Fwalah - instant Dorian scale!

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Line 6 PODxt
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Found out something new

I'm ashamed to say I never learned too many things about theory.  I was always a stay in the box pattern player, but I never learned the box pattern.  I learned songs I liked and stole all my guitar licks from Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and a few others.  I just took what I knew worked in keys of the same thing and could play around and make it sound like I knew what I was doing a little bit.  Spoon Full covered by Cream gave me about every lick I know!  The rest is bad habits.  Now I can apply more of the same to songs and feel like I'm doing something new.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Devan
  • Devan
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: Darwin, Australia
  • Registered: 2010-04-13
  • Posts: 1,304

Re: Found out something new

Hey - I SO there!  I spent over 20 years just noodling in the standard pentatonic boxes and thinking that I never needed to know any of that theory guff.

Recently though, I have started taking lessons with a great teacher, and he has really opened my eyes by showing me 'modes' and switching between major and minor pentatonics during a solo.  Also, he is making me learn the exact notes on EVERY spot on the fretboard.  Previously I knew the notes on all strings within the first 5 frets OK, but after that I never bothered to learn the others so he is familiarising me with ALL the notes from the 6th to the 11th frets as well so I can land on ANY fret on ANY string and immediately call out the note - boy that opens the mind a little bit too.

He is also now taking me through triads and building solos from those - very very exciting, and it is really breaking me out of the 'boxes' that I was trapped in before, plus making my solos much more melodic rather than just 'lick bashing'.

Here is a quick Bonamassa lesson (via GuitarEdge mag) where Joe talks about using modes to move around the fretboard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6ZCgcsTiCM

Strangely, according to my teacher, a lot of the older players were doing these things back in the 50's and 60's without really knowing the theory behind it.  They just had a natural instinct for it I guess.

I am so glad I am learning this stuff now though - it is really opening up how music is strangely matched to mathematics, in that there are certain mysterious 'formulas' that apply that can do wonderful things...

Best of luck with your learning!

JBLP Gold Top #129 - redubbed "#1 in Oz"
  • Registered: 2011-05-28
  • Posts: 28

Re: Found out something new

AD3THREE wrote:

I'm ashamed to say I never learned too many things about theory.  I was always a stay in the box pattern player, but I never learned the box pattern.  I learned songs I liked and stole all my guitar licks from Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and a few others.  I just took what I knew worked in keys of the same thing and could play around and make it sound like I knew what I was doing a little bit.  Spoon Full covered by Cream gave me about every lick I know!  The rest is bad habits.  Now I can apply more of the same to songs and feel like I'm doing something new.

I have to confess.. I only know about the Dorian mode from a friend who briefly described it to me! I play mainly pentatonic runs, but with minor scale influences. However, I made a job of learning them all over the neck! And in every key.

Here's a vid of me about a year back playing a funky blues, but not really moving out of pentatonic..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt4JCJXKOoM

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Line 6 PODxt
  • Bailz
  • Bailz
  • Silver Member
  • Offline
  • From: Aberdeen, Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-01-05
  • Posts: 60

Re: Found out something new

Turns out I've been doing this for years...!

Rather than thinking of it as A major I was thinking of as a C Dorian or something similar.

7 Reply by conorb (edited by conorb 2011-06-13 12:00:33)

  • Registered: 2010-11-16
  • Posts: 366

Re: Found out something new

About a year or so ago I took out a piece of paper and drew the fretboard on it.

Then I penciled in the A minor pentatonic scale in position 1 (fret 5).

Then I added A major pentatonic in position 1 starting at fret 2 (also F# minor) as others have recently pointed out - 3 frets down (or is it up?) the board.

Then I added notes for A dorian mode (or I guess G major).

Then I added notes for the A minor pentatonic in the 5th position (wrapping around the board) starting at fret 3.

Guess what?

Nearly every spot on the fretboard between the 2nd and 8th frets is "in play."

I nearly killed myself with analysis/paralysis but once I learned it I had to let it go and not think too much.

I remember hearing jazz players say "there are no bad notes, just bad intentions" and now I know what they mean.

conorb

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Found out something new

YES!

I remember them in pairs

Aminor/Cmajor
Eminor/Gmajor

etc.

when you're soloing, you can float inbetween the major and minor scales... and it sounds like you're having a conversation with yourself. cool

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool