Pentatonic

[canuck7]

hey everyone,
does anyone know something interesting to do with the pentatonic scales? i like them but a lot of stuff i practise is just up-and-down-the-scale exercises. i was wondering if anyone had some cool pentatonic riffs or tricks.
anything from a detailed explanation to a rough lick.
the latter could be taken wrongly by those of us with dirty minds.

[N4Player]

Canuck,
My lessons are full of pentatonic licks.
http://guitar-wav.com Feel free.
-Bob

[griphon2]

Which pentatonic do you know? Major or minor or both? In all positions (5)?

[griphon2]

Pentatonics are overblown arpeggios. It's a great way to learn and understand harmony. Only string players have this luxury. Guitar is visual. Overlaying pents on top of each other, in one position, you'll find amazing things. It becomes a real easy way to connect chords melodically. It's especially useful in country, jazz or advanced R&R. Know where the blue note is. (b5) Know where the b3 and 3rd are.
Most new players play one pentatonic for the entire tune.
Those same players do not work out those note in terms of the chords they're playing. Overlaying the appropriate pattern over the specific chord or tonal center you are playing, will give tremendous and more continuity to a tune or improvisation. Make your licks or phrases shorter and then string them together.

[griphon2]

Pentatonic, for guitar players, is the next best invention next to dirt and the wheel.

[canuck7]

this has all been very helpful. i do know all five positions and i actually switch up and down through the patterns which is more fun and cooler than trying to burn with just one position. and i love this scale, it's easy to learn but difficult to master.
anyway, please keep posting threads.

[griphon2]

I don't have the time to write them out, but check out this site and copy the scales. They appear to be in form numbers that I use. They're labeled as Gm pentatonic. They are also Bbmaj pents. Just gonna look at them in a different way. Minor sounds blues, major sounds country.

http://www.wholenote.com/default.asp?iTarget=http%3A//www.wholenote.com/cgi-bin/page_view.pl%3Fl%3D198

[N4Player]

Interesting...I've never seen 5 positions of pentatonics layed out like that... being self-taught, I've never examined my leads to see what exact notes I'm laying over the chords. Of course, I do use the basic (first) minor pentatonic scale quite a bit, mixed with alot of other notes.
As Canuck originally posted, I see how it would be pretty difficult to manifest an "interesting" lead just using one of the 5 scales...pretty boring.

[griphon2]

Place the second one or Form 2 on top of Form 1 where the bass or root note is on G or 3rd fret. (or move the whole mess down a minor 3rd). You'll get G maj pents.

[chris mood]

yeah, overlapping the major and minor blues scale is a very hip thing to do. Very colorful sounding. For anybody who's not familiar w/this technique I recommend learning the intro lead to Chuck Berrys Johnny B. Goode, his utilization of both the Bb minor and Bb major penta scales is classic, and not so easy to play (it takes a couple tries to get it right).

[griphon2]

Placing the two atop each other, also makes modes more clear. And a means to control, musically, what you play.

[N4Player]

ya...like Chuck knows what a pentatonic is...You guys know what he's playing - he sure doesn't. I see him around alot here in St. Louis, still plays...rarely, but he does at times. He's cool - had a hard life...

[N4Player]

Ok, looking at the Forms separately now, I see that I go between them quite frequently, and throw alot of blues notes in. I start alot of leads in "Form 5" and roll right into Form 1 , then up to form 3 etc, etc. It's basically just knowing where the same 5 notes are on the fretboard, so that you don't stay in one place...which indeed, is boring.
-Bob