Originally Posted by: hunter60Okay, I am going to ask an amazingly stupid question, but I am a little confused by something:

I've recently started trying to learn scales and position playing. Now I have learned the five positions on the minor pentatonic and expect to start on the major next. Question is though; can you slip between the two when trying to construct a solo? Does anyone actually do that? And why are some notes in a solo NOT one of the positions?

Like when you listen to SRV playing solos, I don't think he's staying inside the 'boxes' as it were but all the notes just seem to make sense.

Alright, I'm a dunce. I'll take my pointy hat and sit in the corner and wait for someone to enlighten me. :)

Thanks.

Scales, scales??? Is that guitar lesson stuff. Strangely enough, the way to play guitar scales has nothing to do with the box style. I know this sounds weird but the box style was created by blues and country players for working around chords. The lead guitar players that came along realised taht this was an easy way to riff over the chord progressions so adopted it. Soem of the box styles in 3rd fifth and seventh positions seem to incorporate the scales but if you look at the guitar and picture the scales, once you get off of the first position there really are only 3 in total. Each position is as einstein says reletive. This means when you play a scale in the second position starting on low E thwhich would be the scale of F the F# is only a matter of using the same fingering one fret up. The best thing is work out the fretting for scales on the top three strings first.get them down so it becomesw second nature the other three strings will fall in to place quite easilly. PLaying a solo however isn't technical it's soulful. I have never had a lesson so i only play my own style. Guess work mostly.