mark wein
February 16th, 2012, 04:09 PM
I've been a bit swamped lately so I haven't been able to crank out a new "Lick of the Week" for you guys for a couple of weeks....I figured maybe I would post my "Pentatonic Phrasing" series for you that pretty much started my blog back in 2007. I've been thinking of redoing this series for one of my Skype classes but haven't gotten around to it yet...
This week we are going to learn a simple device to help you build coherent phrases with the Pentatonic or Blues Scales. If you do not already know these scales, you can download a worksheet on the Minor Pentatonic Scale Here :
Minor Pentatonic Scale Worksheet - Home Position (http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/PentPhrasingWorksheet.pdf)
We are going to use just a small section of the scale in A Minor Pentatonic on the 3rd and 4th strings, and play small 3 and 4 note ideas. Then we will try another section of the scale on the 1st and 2nd strings. The main thing is to listen to how each phrase ends. Does it sound resolved, or does it not sound like it comes to an ending?
The idea of "call and response" or "question and answer" is very useful. If you think of a complete phrase as having a "question" first half, where the phrase does not sound like it has ended and an "answer" second half where it does come to an end, your idea will sound more complete.
If you are having a conversation with someone and they asked you a question such as "Did you take the trash out?", even if you didn't speak the same language a listener would get the idea that you had been asked a question because of your vocal inflection...basically, the pitch of your would go up at the end of the phrase among other small clues. The answer "No, I did not take the trash out!" will sound more resolved, and probably will have the pitch of your voice end lower. Try it and see!
The licks in the lesson do not all have the last note of the "question" idea ending in a higher pitch, but I want you to do is to listen to what each ending pitch sounds like, and determine for yourself what sounds like a complete phrase!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mn-5ratlhc
Click here for a printable version of this lesson. (http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/PentPhrasing%201.pdf)
http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/pentless1.png
http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/pentless2.png
You can find the next three parts in this series here:
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #2 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?163-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-2)
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #3 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?164-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-3)
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #4 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?165-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-4)
Also, we are still having the Way Huge Red Llama pedal giveaway this month:
I'll draw for the winner on February 29th!
Here is more info and the place to enter: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?34283-The-Official-Red-Llama-Pedal-Giveaway!-Drawing-is-held-on-February-29th!&p=525260#post525260 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?34283-The-Official-Red-Llama-Pedal-Giveaway%21-Drawing-is-held-on-February-29th%21&p=525260#post525260)
This week we are going to learn a simple device to help you build coherent phrases with the Pentatonic or Blues Scales. If you do not already know these scales, you can download a worksheet on the Minor Pentatonic Scale Here :
Minor Pentatonic Scale Worksheet - Home Position (http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/PentPhrasingWorksheet.pdf)
We are going to use just a small section of the scale in A Minor Pentatonic on the 3rd and 4th strings, and play small 3 and 4 note ideas. Then we will try another section of the scale on the 1st and 2nd strings. The main thing is to listen to how each phrase ends. Does it sound resolved, or does it not sound like it comes to an ending?
The idea of "call and response" or "question and answer" is very useful. If you think of a complete phrase as having a "question" first half, where the phrase does not sound like it has ended and an "answer" second half where it does come to an end, your idea will sound more complete.
If you are having a conversation with someone and they asked you a question such as "Did you take the trash out?", even if you didn't speak the same language a listener would get the idea that you had been asked a question because of your vocal inflection...basically, the pitch of your would go up at the end of the phrase among other small clues. The answer "No, I did not take the trash out!" will sound more resolved, and probably will have the pitch of your voice end lower. Try it and see!
The licks in the lesson do not all have the last note of the "question" idea ending in a higher pitch, but I want you to do is to listen to what each ending pitch sounds like, and determine for yourself what sounds like a complete phrase!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mn-5ratlhc
Click here for a printable version of this lesson. (http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/PentPhrasing%201.pdf)
http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/pentless1.png
http://www.markweinguitarlessons.com/bp/pentless2.png
You can find the next three parts in this series here:
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #2 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?163-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-2)
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #3 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?164-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-3)
Minor Pentatonic Scale Phrasing Lesson #4 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?165-Minor-Pentatonic-Scale-Phrasing-Lesson-4)
Also, we are still having the Way Huge Red Llama pedal giveaway this month:
I'll draw for the winner on February 29th!
Here is more info and the place to enter: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?34283-The-Official-Red-Llama-Pedal-Giveaway!-Drawing-is-held-on-February-29th!&p=525260#post525260 (http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?34283-The-Official-Red-Llama-Pedal-Giveaway%21-Drawing-is-held-on-February-29th%21&p=525260#post525260)