Another Good Blues Trick

[Vinni Smith]

Here is another motif for you guys and gals to try. It is very easy to do and it sounds like you are really thinking ahead but, quite frankly it is bone-head stuff. But I like to do it and I think it sounds kind of hip.

There are only two modes or scales required for this trick. The strait major scale and the Pentatonic scale.

Then again this sounds great when done over a I-IV-V progression.

When the band is playing the I chord, just stay in the pure major scale. Almost country style, like Dickey Betts would do. Then when the band goes into the IV chord, stay in the same key but now just play the Pentatonic. This almost makes it sound like you thought ahead and moved scales and tonics but you did not. It creates a great mood change and pull towards the orignial major key. There are some wonderful tension points in this Pentatonic that creates a lot of interest. Then go back to the major licks when the band is back in the I chord.

On the IV chord I always like to do anything in the IV realm, either major or Pentatonic or whole tone. It all seems to work well with the IV chord. I wish women were as easy to get along with as IV chords are! LOL

Try this and let me know what you think and what you come up with.

Cheers to you all. Do good things.

Your friend,

Vinni

[tone4days]

when you say "stay in the same key but now just play the Pentatonic" for the IV chord, is that a major pentatonic or a minor pentatonic?

example ... for a I - IV - V in A .. i understand that you play A major over the I .. when it goes to the D, would you play A major pentatonic? or A minor Pentatonic? or some other A pentatonic?

i am confused when you say 'stay in the same key' because A major pentatonic is in the same key as A major ... but A minor pentatonic is the key of C ...

did you mean to say "stay with the same root note, but play the minor pentatonic scale " ?


or something else altogether?

thanks
t4d

[Vinni Smith]

Great question and thanks for asking.

"stay with the same root note, but play the minor pentatonic scale " is a MUCH better way of putting it. Thank you.

I meant to go into A Minor Pentatonic. Some folks call it "The Blues Box". Then, as I stated in another post, the D# or Eb or lowered 5th or, whatever you want to call it, sounds good when injected here and there but not as a holding tone, only as a passing tone.

vinni

[tone4days]

a - great ... much clearer ...

yeah, i think this could create a Dorian feel over the IV, which is very cool .... the notes in the A Minor Pentatonic scale (A C D E G) are the 5th, 7th, Root 9th and 11th of D Dorian (D E F G A B C D ) ... given that you are avoiding the 3rd - you can imply either a major or minor flavor as you see fit ... very cool indeed ... thanks for sharing it

cheers
t4d

[Vinni Smith]

It is fun stuff. Kind of weirds me out when you talk of scales like Dorian and all. Not that it is bad in any way at all. I just don't think like that and it throws me into a tailspin when I hear it and try to imagine all that stuff.

I am just a simpleton I guess.

Thanks again for sharing and adding a different twist and a different way to look at it. It adds a lot to the original post.

vinni

[gretsch63]

It is fun stuff. Kind of weirds me out when you talk of scales like Dorian and all. Not that it is bad in any way at all. I just don't think like that and it throws me into a tailspin when I hear it and try to imagine all that stuff.

I am just a simpleton I guess.

Thanks again for sharing and adding a different twist and a different way to look at it. It adds a lot to the original post.

vinni
I would say your more like being very creative!!
thanks for sharing...!:dude:

[tone4days]

sorry for weirdin' ya out .. :D ... and no, your not a simpleton at all ... you just have better ears than me :D ...

i kinda have to build a bridge in my head in order to relate what "you say" to what "i already know" in order to get it under my fingers and put it in my bag of tricks and licks ... i think there is a subset of players who have to go through the 'intellectual' internalization of new concepts before they can use them as part of an expressive exercise ... either that or it's just me :D ...

i tried it last night at practice when we jammed a i - iv - v for a warm up ... sounded very fun !

thanks again
t4d

[Tom Gross]

Yes, very cool way of looking at things. Cool tip.
Thanks.

Another, totally different thing that is cool to try is related to the reason why this works:
"stay with the same root note, but play the minor pentatonic scale "
I hate talking theory, but lets just say that it works to play minor stuff (like minor pentatonic) down a string (down 5 frets) from a 7th chord.
So..
Another cool thing to try when you're looking for something different to do while playing the blues is over the I chord, play minor stuff up 7 frets (or down 5 frets).
For example, for Blues in G, one time try over the G part going up to the 10th fret D minor petatonic box and play there. At first try it without a lot of bends. It works pretty well, IMO.

[Vinni Smith]

I know a hotshot keyboard player from San Jose, California that does this exact movement. He uses it to play out of the pocket on songs like Mustang Sally. When we are on the I chord he plays the minor pentatonic of the IV. VERY hip sounding when he does it but when I do it, it sounds like poo poo. I just haven't gotten the knack of that one yet but I AM trying.

Thanks Tom, for your input. You give me reason to keep trying this one until I make it work.

vinni

[Harry J]

Try major pentatonic, or blues for the I7 chord
Try Major pent. b3, or minor pent, for the IV7 chord
Try Maj Pent,blues, or Blues up a 5th for V7 chord

The Major pentatonic b3 scale: 1,2,b3.5.6

You can think of this as a Dorian pentatonic, or even Melodic Minor pentatonic. But, I see most of you would rather not get into the theory... so you can call it Fred if you like.

This is one of the coolest sounds... it's used a lot in blues, jazz.

Just 'fer fun, This scale is also used in Japanese music and is called the Kamoi scale.

Have fun!

Harry Jacobson
senior faculty, National Guitar Workshop
www.harryj.net (http://www.harryj.net)