Theory lesson needed!

[bishop2332]

Simple chord progression: C Major, G Major, A minor.

Its the whole song to Simple Man by Skynyrd. Actually, its the Shinedown version that the singer wants us to cover. Thing is, its all acoustic and yawnboringyawn, so I'm thinking we'll rock it out, paying no attention to the Skynyrd version.

Here's the rub.


Seems to me that the song is in A minor since that A minor chord is where the it feels most at home.

(I could be wrong).

And when I wank all over the A minor pentatonic scale, it works, but just doesnt feel right.


So even though the chords suggest A minor, I'm thinking if I knew my theory better, I'd be able to "know" what scale/key would actually be serving me better.

Any of you theory geeks able to shed some light?

[RandyO]

Trust your ears...you're hearing it correctly! A minor is the relative minor to C major, so it should sound fine. E minor is the relative minor to G major, so try that at the change. On major chords, playing down a minor 3rd (3 frets/half steps) should sound right.

The theory gurus hang at "The Lesson Lab." The mods will move your thread if you make the request.
"Playing and Technique" on TGP is another great resource. Good luck.

[McBacco24]

Oh and the Shinedown version that is recorded sucks, check out the version on their live DVD, they rock that SH*T!!

[Serious_Poo]

The song is written in C Major, but you're playing it as if it's in A Minor. The A Minor pentatonic and the C Major pentatonic follow the exact same patterns on the guitar, while in fact they are two completely different scales made up of different intervals and starting/ending points. They just look identical on the fretboard. If you listen to what Gary Rossington & Co. are playing on that song, it's all C Major Pentatonic. Here's what's going on behind the scenes:

The Major scale has 7 different notes in it, and it follows a defined formula. That's all scales really are anyway - formulas. These formulas define the intervals between the notes in a scale, and the resulting notes in a given chord. This is precisely the reason why major chords sound happy and minor chords sound sad - one of the intervals (the 3rd) is different between the two chords.

The C Major Pentatonic (http://jguitar.com/scale?root=C&scale=Major+Pentatonic&fret=0&labels=tone&notes=sharps) scale is comprised of the 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 scale tones of the Major scale beginning in C. The actual notes are C, D, E, G, and A.

By way of comparison, the A Minor Pentatonic (http://jguitar.com/scale?root=A&scale=Minor+Pentatonic&fret=0&labels=tone&notes=sharps) scale is comprised of the 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7 scale tones of the Minor scale beginning in A. The resulting notes are A, C, D, E, and G.

Here's how to use that information: While the song is on the C Major chord, focus on those notes that are part of that chord - C, E and G. When the chord changes to G Major, focus on the chord tones most closely associated with a G chord - G and D. Then when the chord changes to the A Minor, emphasize those chord tones that are part of the A Minor chord - A, C, and E.

Hope that makes some sense - I'm super tired and will probably be asleep within seconds of posting this... :)

[RandyO]

Okay, we learn from Poo's post that it's all about the root.

Here are the visuals showing the major/minor pentatonics.

The Major Pentatonic Scale for C major.
-------------5-----------8------------------
-------------5-----------8------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------------------8------------------
The Minor Pentatonic Scale for A minor.
-------------5------------------------------
-------------5-----------8------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------5-------7----------------------
-------------5-----------8------------------

[Dancing Frog]

While the C major and A minor/C major pentatonic scales are theoretically correct, the problem might not be one of scale. I used to and sometimes still pick the most boring notes of a scale to begin a phrase which usually results in something that sounds stale and somewhat uncomfortable. Here's something you might to try.

In every chord, there are tones that are called lead or guide tones. These tones define the feeling of a chord. They are considered to be any note in the chord except the root and the 5th, but most commonly the 3rd and the 7th. As an excercise for this song, try starting every phrase with the 3rd or the 7th of the chord and move to the third 3rd or 7th of the next, but don't hit the root of the current chord until the end of a phrase or idea. So for the Cmajor, go for E or B. G(7th), B or F. Aminor, C or G. Try it, and then let your heart be your guide.