Help! I’m in a pentatonic box and can’t get out!
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Here it is, the next step in my plan for fretboard domination!!!
Except I need your help.
Now for getting out of the box, I’m looking for a good DVD or book on pentatonic / blues scales and licks. I know the theory, and I’m not completely in the box, but my ideas are stale. What I need is some good material that shows how all of it can be put together, so as to effortless and smoothly move around the entire fretboard. I’m open for suggestions here as I have not found a thing yet to help me with this. I’ll just start getting the muscle memory happening by playing the scales but any guidance is appreciated.
Has anyone got any suggestions on material that is really good here?
oracle said
am April 28 2008 @ 2:40 pm
When I was first learning the boxes, this video help a little in breaking beyond the boxes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qw03-3gFg
Michael Moncur said
am April 28 2008 @ 5:01 pm
This is probably the obvious response, but i’ve been getting a lot out of “Blues You can Use” by John Ganapes.
It starts with the boxes, but goes on from there (and there are two sequel books) - what I like best is the example sheet music (and CD track) for each section, which is always something more than simple scales.
Wookie said
am April 28 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Wow.. Thank you. I’m ordering my copies from Amazon right now. That is exactly what I’m after.
Wookie said
am April 28 2008 @ 7:40 pm
That is very cool. I’ve added that to my growing list of YouTube favourites. I was going to come up with something similar for drills myself, but the way he describes it makes it much more useful.
IG said
am April 29 2008 @ 12:36 pm
One thing you should do too, is listen to some of the great blues players, pay attention to their licks, and try to play them using the pentatonic scale.
Like, say you get an Albert King CD. Pick a song, figure out they key (that way you know what pentatonic scale to use), then hum licks and parts of solos in your head, and try to find some of the most obvious notes in the pentatonic scale.
The goal really is to internalize each scale note in you and know where to go when you hear a lick in your head. That’s the beauty of the pentatonic scale, that you can depart from any of its notes and come right back. Each note has its little branch of places to go. So, when you know in your blood what each note sounds like, you free yourself up with the scale and just run with it.
Like, for example, you should know where the flat 7ths are in the pentatonic scale, since that note is one of the scale’s most go-to notes. Stuff like that.
The pentatonic scale is way too fun, also very rhythmically inclined. Schweet.
IG
Sammy said
am May 2 2008 @ 7:38 am
Hey Oracle, that’s a great tip! That YouTube vid is great. It’s similar to the Dan Denley series on two-string and 3-string pentatonics. Excellent!