"Pentatonic Concepts
(volume 1)"
By
David M. McLean
Part
1:
The
Shred Academy exclusive DVD "Pentatonic Concepts (volume
1)" is the first of a 2 DVD set and covers some beginner
through intermediate concepts for the pentatonic scale, and then
gives a brief overview of some of the more advanced concepts that
we’ll include in volume 2.
The
pentatonic scale is, as the name implies, a 5 note scale. In A,
the notes are A, C, D, E, & G. When arranged in a logical
2-notes-per-string (2NPS) pattern, the scale yields 5 "box
shapes". Most guitar players know at least the first box,
and many also know box 5. But too few know all 5, and of those
who do, only a few can put them to good use.
Experiment
with each box individually, and then experiment by just jamming
over an Am progression (like Am, F, G or Am, Dm, Em, Am) or even
just a droning Am chord, going from on box shape to the next.
OK, here are the 5 boxes:
BOX
1
BOX
2
BOX
3
BOX
4
BOX
5
Once
you are comfortable with these shapes, set your metronome to something
ridiculously slow (40bpm) and play each box with alternate picking,
then all down strokes, then all up-strokes, and end with alternate
picking again. If you make any mistakes, go through them all again.
Once it’s perfect, notch it up a few clicks on the metronome and
do it again. On the DVD we do this in the "work-out"
sections beginning at 40bpm and climbing to 80bpm (volume 2 will
feature faster speeds), though we’re actually tapping & counting
as if we’re playing 8th notes at 80bpm rather than 16ths at 40bpm.
Once
you can do this, everything on the DVD is within your technical
range. 80bpm is a fairly comfortable pace, so this shouldn’t take
too long to master. Once mastered, you can concentrate on the
concepts presented in "Pentatonic Concepts (volume 1)"
rather than on any physical limitations. To prep for volume 2,
be sure to have these up to about 120bpm or faster.
Part
2:
The
DVD assumes several things about you. First, it assumes you are
at least somewhat familiar with the minor pentatonic scale &
improvising with said scale. Second, it assumes that you know
the shapes of the MINOR pentatonic scale are the same as the shapes
for the MAJOR pentatonic scale. Third, it assumes you understand
that C major and A minor are relative keys (if you think purely
in terms of minor pentatonics, as many guitarists do, this means
you know that you can play the Am pentatonic over a song in the
key of C, or the Em pentatonic with a song in the key of G, for
another example).
Part
3:
Finally,
be sure you know a few basic progressions from major styles, as
you’ll see/hear these demonstrated during the guest soloist sections.
The guests kept all their licks under the 100bpm mark, so there
is no "shredding" (by shredder standards, anyway), allowing
you to hear the usage of the scale over specific progressions.
Ultimately, you’ll want to ignore the soloists and instead focus
on experimenting with the progressions first, then your own improvisations
over those progressions.
Here
are some simple progressions to get you started (all in the key
of Am or C major, except for the ambiguous blues progression #1).
Be sure to use appropriate strum/rhythm patterms to sound more
stylistically authentic:
Folk:
1) C / / / G / / / F / / / Dm / / /
2) Am / / / C / / / Dm / / / Dm / / / Am / / / F / / / G / / /
G / / /
Country:
1) C / / / C / / / Dm / / / Dm / / / G7 / / / G7 / / / C / / /
C / / /
2) Am / / / Am / / / Dm / / / Dm / / / C / / / G / / / Am / /
/ Am 7 / / /
Rock
(use 1-5 dyads):
1) (fast punk feel) C / G / D / A / C / G / F / / / C / G / D
/ A / F / G / C / / /
2) (slow metal ballad feel) A / / / F / / / G / / / A / / /
Jazz:
1) (lively) Cmj7 / / / Cmj7 / / / D9 / / / D9 / / / F6 / / F#6
G6 / G13 /
2) Dm7 / G7 / Cmj7 / Am7 / Dm7 / G13 / Cmj7 / / /
Blues:
1) A7 / / / D7 / / / A7 / / / A7 / / / D7 / / / D7 / / / A7 /
/ / A7 / / / E7 / / / D7 / / /A7 / / / A7 /E7 /
2) Am / / / Dm / / / Am / / / Am7 / / / Dm / / / Dm7 / / / Am
/ / / Am7 / / / F / / / E / / / Am / / / D7 Eb7 E7 /
