The quickest way to become a better player

[daveinspain]

You want to do cool blues solos all over the neck... Learn these pentatonic shapes or patterns. The note marked by a circle with R inside is the root note, thats the key you are in. When the root note falls in the same places as in the shape or pattern you can use the other notes around it in that pattern to solo with.

 

 

 

 

You want more freedom on the neck when doing solos... Learn the relationships between relative keys... You are not limited to soloing using the notes of just the key the song is in you are playing, you can also use the notes of relative keys...

 

 

 

These concepts take a while to sink in but the charts here will help you understand where you can go when you want to solo or improvise...

[zigzag]

If you are interested in learning the CAGED method, going clockwise, pattern 3 is a C shape, pattern 4 is the A shape, pattern 5 is the G shape, pattern 1 is the E shape, and pattern 2 is the D shape. Those are easy to remember because the chordal notes are contained within each pattern, and each pattern follows the other as one walks up the neck. The CAGED method works for all scales.

 

 

 

 

The Major pentatonic scale uses the Root, the II, the III, the V, and the VI notes in the Major scale.

 

The minor pentatonic scale is the relative minor of the Major pentatonic scale and uses the Root, the flat III, the IV, the V, and the bVII in that scale. As you can see from the circle of fifths, the relative minor is the VI of the major scale. All of the same notes are contained in both scales, and when playing the minor scale, the root is the VI of the relative Major scale.

 

The circle of fifths is complicated to explain, so I won't even try. I'm not sure I would have even posted it without an explanation. It is actually not that complicated to understand.

[daveinspain]

I am just starting to grasp these concepts and these charts are helping me... An exact explanation of the circle of fiths and relative notes is complicated I wouldn't even attempt it either... A spark of curiosity and asking a proper guitar teacher or looking for explanations on google would be a good idea if you are interested. If I find an easy to follow explanation I will post it. Or if anyone here can add to this please do...

[Twiz]

Thanks for posting this. I am just starting to learn about the circle of fifths. It was so confusing for me at first. It still is, but I'm starting to get it. I need more practice.

[badbluesplayer]

I learned by copying guys, like most of the great blues guitarists. I learned early that to play a lick like a certain guy, you have to play it from the same position as that guy. So what you learn is to play at the positions that the greats use and to play things the same way they do. I also feel like if you want to play like somebody, you need to learn the same way they did.

 

I always felt that the CAGED patterns were cool, but I don't think the greats developed their technique using those concepts. But then again, I'm an ear player and I don't have enough time to think about a lot of unnecessary stuff while I'm trying to play.

[Aster1]

Thanks for starting this Dave,

 

I'm just a rhythm hack and want to get MUCH better and beyond just Rhythm playing. Outside of in person lessons, what other way do you all suggest for learning MUSIC theory and the basis to move to a new level? With my businesses & required time, I can't set in person lessons into my schedule as my free time (ha) is mainly at 4:30-5am before I get into work.

 

Thanks again all for the info you're posting!!

 

Aster

[btoth76]

Great posts! These are definitely the most fundamental things a musician must learn. Cheers... Bence

[btoth76]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodaly_method

 

Cheers... Bence

[zigzag]

Okay.

 

It is important to understand that music is made up of intervals between notes, and the most important note is the root note, which is the tonal center of the chord, scale, or mode you are playing. The "I" of a chord, scale, or mode, is the root, and the scale is built using the 12 intervals which make up an octave. The root is the I, one fret up from the one is the flat II, two frets up is the II, three frets up is the bIII (aka #2), four frets up is the III, five frets up is the IV, six frets up is the bV (#4), seven frets up is the V, eight frets up is the bVI (#5), nine frets up is the VI, ten frets up is the bVII (#6), eleven frets up is the VII, and twelve frets up is the I (octave). Each one fret distance is a half step.

 

Chords are made up of the following notes in the scale (in any order, but the I is most often found on the 6th, 5th, or 4th string):

 

Major: I, III, V Major 7 (+VII)

Minor: I, bIII, V Minor 7th (+bVII)

Dominant (7th chord): I, III, V, bVII

Augmented: I, III, #V

Diminished: I, bIII, bV Diminished 7th (+bbVII same as VI)

Sus: I, III, IV (usually)

 

When playing a chord, the most important notes are the I, the III (whether it be major or minor), and the VII (whether it be natural or flat). The V is often not played in a chord. Chord extensions (add 9th, 11th, 13th) and alterations (add #/b5, #/b9, #/b11, #/b13) add color. Arpeggios are generally notes from the scale and out of the chord.

 

It also helps to understand this relationship:

 

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 string

============

I IV bVII bIII V I same fret

 

0 5 10 15 19 24 fret distance, same fret

 

 

 

When looking at the circle of fifths, I would recommend finding the notes on the fifth and sixth strings and see how the pattern builds. Then play the chords where those notes are the roots. It'll make it easier to understand.

[milod]

Well...

 

I don't know how you can transpose without knowing basically the cycle of 5ths.

 

OTOH, I think much of the rest has to do with how you wanna play and how you figure your fingerings whether you're essentially a chord player, a note player or a piano player (chords plus melody more or less like classical, Joe Pass jazz or Chet Atkins whatever.)

 

It'd be easy to say, "you should ought to think this way," but I think each of us has a sufficiently different head and perspective on music we wanna play that I doubt that there's "one way."

 

m

[jdgm]

Or if anyone here can add to this please do...

 

Every major scale is 2 halves with the same intervals (if you include the root note at the top as well)....

So the top half of one must be the bottom half of another.

Going 'up', i.e. making the 5th note the start of the next scale (CDEF>GABC), the 7th note of that next scale has to be sharpened (GABC>DEF#G). This maintains the intervals.

So going 'back'; the bottom half of C major = CDEF and is also the top half of F major. Count up from F; FGAB>CDEF and flatten B in order to get it next to A and away from C. F major scale - FGABb>CDEF.

Regards!

[AXE®]

Whut

[krock]

this is way over my head

[milod]

Krock...

 

Basically I think what we have is the longtime dichotomy of those who read and play through theory and those whose reading and "book" knowledge of theory is either low or put in the back seat of their music needs and concepts.

 

A very few of us have the talent and/or inclination to excel at both.

 

For example, I've done the college theory "thing," but I'll freely admit I'm a really horrid sight reader. That really puts me at a personal disadvantage as a "classical" sort of musician regardless of the music style.

 

On the other hand, knowing a bit of theory makes transposing pretty easy for me and then thinking that chord structure, I can usually come up with something appropriate outa my head to work either as a vocal backup or solo guitar "thing."

 

But that latter ain't playing off the "map."

 

The marvelous, and yet incredibly frustrating thing for most of us is that guitar can literally be anything from a very simple strumming vocal accompaniment to an incredibly complex solo jazz or classical instrument.

 

A lot has to do with our personal talent and expectations, and whether we're consciously following rules and/or written music - or whether we are seat-of-the-pants musicians. Both require a degree of knowledge of theory, but one is intellectually driven and the other is driven by ear.

 

Personally, I guess you could say that I've figured my own parameters in that I just wanna be able to sit and do a batch of various styles as a solo "act," or to do my share in a jam whether it's rock, country, jazz, blues, polka or folksie - without making too much of a fool of myself.

 

I can catch chords either on sheet or by ear half decently, but - not notes. For example, I once hadda learn the guitar part of the musical "Man of la Mancha" in a cupla days as an emergency fill-in. But had it been notes and not chords, I doubt that I could have managed.

 

Some of us here simply have more experience and talent, and a lot of that is above my pay scale too.

 

m

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Just to say that in Dave's first pic the roots are marked as to make these major pentatonic scale shapes. I only wanted to clarify this because I think most people start with minor pentatonics.

[quapman]

Just to say that in Dave's first pic the roots are marked as to make these major pentatonic scale shapes. I only wanted to clarify this because I think most people start with minor pentatonics.

 

 

Right Farns,

 

And you can use this same picture for the Minor Pent.

by simply shifting them all back one moving "pattern 1" into "pattern 5" and going in the exact same order.

 

In Dave's picture "pattern 5" is "pattern 1 of the Minor pentatonic, pattern 1 is 2,, and so on.

[zigzag]

krock, this is not over your head. The problem with a thread like this is that you have to try to jam a lot into a little space, and if your not a teacher, it is easy to assume that whoever is reading it has some small prior knowledge of music theory. What I have put into my two previous posts is pretty basic, but if you understand it, you will know pretty much, and it will help you move into more sophisticated areas. I would suggest that if you are interested, you should spend some time mulling over what I have written, with your guitar, and try to put it into some context that makes sense.

 

We've had this discussion many times on this board, and though a knowledge of music theory is not necessary to be a great guitarist, I think that great guitarists have an inherent understanding of theory, and knowing theory never made anyone worse. Plus, it makes it easier to communicate with others.

[MissouriPicker]

I sincerely appreciate the folks who take the time and make the effort to put these charts and other information on here. I suspect most of them are far-more skilled guitar players than I am, yet they spend time providing information that is very useful to myself and others in here. Certainly, if we search the internet, we can find all of this info, BUT, it will likely be scattered on various sites. In this thread, we've got all of it right here, AND, we can ask questions if something is confusing...... This inspires me to get better on my weak areas and keeps me focused on doing what I do better......Thank you.

[LarryUK]

You want to do cool blues solos all over the neck... Learn these pentatonic shapes or patterns. The note marked by a circle with R inside is the root note, thats the key you are in. When the root note falls in the same places as in the shape or pattern you can use the other notes around it in that pattern to solo with.

 

 

This could be deceiving for someone learning as I was shown this as, eg, A minor, not C major (in theory, both the same). Eg, The root shown here is shown as C major (pattern 5 starting at fret 5), But in blues this would be played over A.

[zigzag]

Note the differences in where the root notes are between Major and minor pentatonic scale patterns:

 

Major Pentatonic shapes:

 

 

 

Minor Pentatonic shapes:

 

[jdgm]

The whole thing with theory is realising what it means in your own "guitar-mind".

I used to read articles and books with charts and numerals - as above - and had no idea, found it frustrating as I thought I'd never understand.

 

But I knew that to achieve any fluency at all you had to play your scales and that classical musicians are scale monsters.

So I practiced major scales out of the Johnny Smith book; 1st, 2nd, 4th finger start on E string and 1st, 2nd and 4th start on A string. 2 octaves.

Hard, very dull and boring sometimes but I kept it up because even when I was uninspired it gave me something to practice.

 

One day after....5 years? the lightbulb came on at about 5000 watts. Literally like that bright. I stopped in amazement and saw what I was doing. And why it was good to do. And how it works.

 

Revelation, epiphany, realization - call it anything but suddenly the guitar neck became one BIG position in my "guitar-mind".

You have got to experience this sometime somehow, one of the greatest things I've ever felt.

 

I still haven't finished the Johnny Smith book. Doesn't matter. I probably won't. There are 2 volumes.

[quapman]

 

 

 

 

This could be deceiving for someone learning as I was shown this as, eg, A minor, not C major (in theory, both the same). Eg, The root shown here is shown as C major (pattern 5 starting at fret 5), But in blues this would be played over A.

 

 

Not quite true but I think I see what you are trying to say.

 

That picture is the major pentatonic patterns. End of story. The root in that picture is where ever you want to play it.(what key you are in)

 

It just so happens that the minor pentatonic is in there as well. So you don't have to learn 2 scales patterns, only one.

 

But you do have to know that every majors relative minor, is 3 semitones down.

 

So in that pic pattern 1 is the first pattern of the major pent scale.

If you want to play the minor pent scale then make pattern 5 pattern 1 and that is the first pattern.

 

a is Cs relative minor.

[Izzy]

So...the five patterns above this post...

 

How do I know what fret it starts at?

 

 

Now that I'm hearing music in my head...I find the closest starting note on the piano (assuming the note I hear isn't on there) and move from there. Knowing where to move next and what other notes sound good with it to make chords has made me realize that

 

1. knowing scales and chords is useful because there's nothing I will discover that isn't already there

 

2. knwoing scales and chords may have prevented me from hearing what I hear in my head as it is (I'd be trying to fit it to what theory sais sounds good or would sound less amateurist or whatever...)

 

Conflicted. Music and letters...makes me feel wierd when they combine.

 

But for guitar it seems really useful to know what the fingers should avoid to keep from screwing up.

[quapman]

So...the five patterns above this post...

 

How do I know what fret it starts at?

 

 

Now that I'm hearing music in my head...I find the closest starting note on the piano (assuming the note I hear isn't on there) and move from there. Knowing where to move next and what other notes sound good with it to make chords has made me realize that

 

1. knowing scales and chords is useful because there's nothing I will discover that isn't already there

 

2. knwoing scales and chords may have prevented me from hearing what I hear in my head as it is (I'd be trying to fit it to what theory sais sounds good or would sound less amateurist or whatever...)

 

Conflicted. Music and letters...makes me feel wierd when they combine.

 

But for guitar it seems really useful to know what the fingers should avoid to keep from screwing up.

 

 

"How do I know what fret it starts at? "

 

The 'R' is the root so what ever note/fret you start on that is the key.

If you start pattern 1 one the 5th fret you are playing in A major.

[quapman]

Izzy,, you will notice how the bottom of pattern 1 fits the top of pattern 2, and so on. They all fit together.

 

The key you are playing in determines the root ®.