Cracking Solo Scales

[Tim]

In my venture to learn and improve my soloing knowledge, I have discovered from a learning DVD a previous unknown trade secret. While playing a C Major Chord progression (C-F-G), one can play the 6th minor blues pattern (the Am blues scale box). Although I understand that all the patterns should be learned, I found this new acquired knowledge very useful. I was wondering if there are any other unknown tricks of the trade that us struggling new players can benefit from?

[marnold***]

Aren't relative majors/minors great? Another big secret is that you can play most of the great hits of rock history (and the blues for that matter) with about four chords. It's like my favorite comment about CCR: four great guys, four great chords.

[Tim]

Another big secret is that you can play most of the great hits of rock history (and the blues for that matter) with about four chords. It's like my favorite comment about CCR: four great guys, four great chords.

Marnold,

So you are saying the 4 chords would be i.e. I, IV, V and VIm? If so this would help me a lot. Interesting! I guess some of this stuff is so simple, I am missing it.

[Spudman***]

I've got a book called "Four Chords and The Truth". It's about Country music. I guess the truth is that you only need 4 chords...unless you are Harry Nillson and you just finished writing "Lime and The Coconut."

[Tim]

I've got a book called "Four Chords and The Truth". It's about Country music. I guess the truth is that you only need 4 chords.

Spudman - tell me more pleeeeeease!

[Spudman***]

Oops! I just re-read the title and they lost a chord somewhere. It's only three chords and the truth. Maybe it's just the truth that's important anyway.

[marnold***]

G, C, D, Em, A, F. The last two are optional. If you know these chords, you can play a lifetime's worth of songs. Almost all blues is some variety of 12-bar blues. If you know the major, minor, and 7th E and A-shape barre chords, you can fake an awful lot. Don't get me started on power chords.

[Ro3b]

A few months ago I had a kind of forehead-smacking moment, courtesy of John Finn's book Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation, re the "parallel universe" that the 1st and 2nd strings exist in relative to the 3rd through 6th strings. By learning to think across the gap between the second and third strings (which Finn cutely calls the "warp refraction threshhold"), conceptualizing scales and chords becomes a lot simpler. In other words, don't think of a chord chart like this:

 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|

But like this:

         _
 _ _ _ _|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|

So our basic shapes for E, A, and D chords

 _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_*_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|
|_*_* |_|_|    |_|_*_*_*_|    |_|_|_*_|_*
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_*_|
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|

Are all the same shape!

         _              _              _ 
 _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|
|_|_|_*_|_|    |_|_|_|_*_|    |_|_|_|_|_*
|_*_*_|_|_|    |_|_*_*_|_|    |_|_|_*_*_|
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|        |_|_|_|        |_|_|_|

But what makes this really useful is when you start looking at scales. Look at this C major scale:

 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_*_*_|_|
|_r_*_|_|_|
|_|_|_*_|_|
|_*_*_r_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|

and this Bb scale:

 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_r_*_*
|_|_|_|_*_|
|_|_|_*_|_*
|_|_|_|_*_r

There doesn't seem to be much similarity, but when you lay the Bb scale out on the offset grid, you can see it's actually the same shape:

        _   
 _ _ _ _|_|  
|_|_|_|_|_|   
|_|_|_|_*_*    
|_|_|_r_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|    
|_|_|_*_*_r    
|_|_|_|

Look at our five basic pentatonic scales:

 _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_*_*_*_|_|    |_|_*_*_|_|    |_|_|_*_|_|
*_*_*_*_*_*    *_*_*_*_|_*    *_|_|_|_*_*    *_*_|_|_*_*    *_*_*_|_*_*
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_*_|    |_|_|_*_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|
|_*_*_*_|_|    |_|_*_*_|_|    *_*_*_|_*_*    *_*_*_*_*_*    *_*_*_*_|_*
*_|_|_|_*_*    *_*_|_|_*_*    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_*_|

And now look at them, taking the offset into account:

         _              _              _              _              _
 _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|     _ _ _ _|_|
|_|_|_|_*_*    |_|_|_|_|_*    |_*_*_*_*_*    |_|_*_*_*_*    |_|_|_*_*_*
*_*_*_*_|_|    *_*_*_*_*_|    *_|_|_|_|_|    *_*_|_|_|_|    *_*_*_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_|_|_|    |_|_|_*_*_*    |_|_|_|_*_*    |_|_|_|_|_*
|_*_*_*_*_*    |_|_*_*_*_*    *_*_*_|_|_|    *_*_*_*_|_|    *_*_*_*_*_|
*_|_|_|        *_*_|_|        |_|_|_|        |_|_|_|        |_|_|_|

It's the same pattern, just rotated across the strings. Cool, eh? This has been a major help to me in thinking about scales and transposing, and it really shows what a beautiful, elegant system the guitar is.

[Tim]

Thanks to all and especially to Ro3b. I will study the points made in this thread.

[LagrangeCalvert]

Yeah....then when you learn your modes and circle of fifths soloing becomes more of an adventure than a chore (thats when you get them to memory).

Learning the second position in the pentatonic and the Ionian mode can be a HUGE help if your a blues artist who love minor....that way when your doing a song that isn't in minor your can still play fun stuff.

Another fun thing to do - and it can make your riffs or solos really stand out - is add the flattened fifth....and learn your passing tones....I know telling you this stuff and not explaining it doesn't help, but I am more than sure that your yearning to become a better player and the internet will help you with what I just said.

[Tim]

Yeah....then when you learn your modes and circle of fifths soloing becomes more of an adventure than a chore (thats when you get them to memory).

Thanks for those word of wisdom LagrangeCalvert. I am studying the different modes (which is harder than I thought). The fretboard seems to be very hard for me to memorize. But I do not understand where the circle of 5ths fit into soloing. Am I missing something here?

[tot_Ou_tard]

A few months ago I had a kind of forehead-smacking moment, courtesy of John Finn's book Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation, re the "parallel universe" that the 1st and 2nd strings exist in relative to the 3rd through 6th strings. By learning to think across the gap between the second and third strings (which Finn cutely calls the "warp refraction threshhold"), conceptualizing scales and chords becomes a lot simpler.

Way cool R03B!

The warp you are talking about, of course, is that there is a 4 semitone difference between the g & b strings, while there is a 5 semitone difference between all other adjacent strings.

I've got a book called "Four Chords and The Truth". It's about Country music. I guess the truth is that you only need 4 chords...unless you are Harry Nillson and you just finished writing "Lime and The Coconut."

I've got a soft spot for good ol' Harry.