Breaking out of the Pentatonic Box

[Guitarchitect]

Hey all!

I'm a little closer in getting the GuitArchitecture work done - so I'm going to be doing a series of posts on viewing the guitar as a series of 2 string sets. It's going to start with pentatonics and then move on to modes.

If you're stuck in the Pentatonic box, this lesson shows you how to visualize pentatonics in 2-string sets that let you see any pattern in any position intuitively!

2 String Shapes or Making Sense Of The Pentatonic Minor Scale « Guitarchitecture.org

I'm interested in knowing what you think!

Hope it helps!

-Scott

 

[Totem_37]

Very awesome way to look at the fretboard. I dig it! Realizing that the patterns repeated accross two-string sets must have been a big day

 

[Guitarchitect]

Thanks!! Actually - the realization came with modes first - but some people are very resistant to seeing modes or scales that way, so in lessons I usually ease them in with pentatonic minor.

This is pretty much what the GuitArchitecture series is going to be about. This process is applied to Modes (Modal pentatonics, arpeggios, harmony, etc) and then there's a huge book of nothing but modular sequences that can be used for composition or soloing ideas.

3 of the 6 or 7 books will be done this year: Currently I'm redoing all the graphics on the sequence book but each book is clocking in between 300-350 pages. It's a combination of instruction and a reference book - with all of the reference work done. For example - when you see a lesson and it says - "Now practice this in every position and in every inversion". These books have written all of those possibilities out.

The whole series will be right around 1,800-2,000 pages. I'm getting some good feedback from the people proof reading the first two books right now. I don't think there's ever really been anything like them.

I'll have some more pentatonic posts over the next couple of weeks and then start applying it to modes. So just check back.

Thanks again for the feedback!

 

[Overtone]

Good stuff! I love playing seventh arps (3rd inversion) on the high e and B strings going up and down the neck like that, and it's helped a whole lot in terms of feeling comfortable wherever I am. Same thing with sixths and stuff. Or even 80's shred licks like b: 5-7-8 e: 5-7-8 b 7-8-10 e 7-8-10 etc.

 

[Guitarchitect]

Those 7th arpeggios are extremely useful - and they actually come right out of the 3 note per string modal shapes. I'll be getting into those in depth - but yes it's great stuff.

You might know this already - but one cool way to use those forms is to contrast the major arpeggio over the relative minor chord.

So for example if you have a C Major 7 arpeggio starting from B

e----------12-15--15-12
b----12-13--------------13-12

Try playing it in sixteenth notes in octaves over A minor.

e-15-12
b-------13-12
g-------------12-9
d------------------10-9
a-----------------------10-7
E----------------------------8-7--(5)

Chord tone wise it gives you the 9, b3, 5 and b7.

Tastes great and less filling.

 

[ShadyDavey]

I'm a massive fan of pentatonic scales and fully expounding upon all the principles you could apply to them so I'll be keeping an eye on this with some degree of interest

 

[celticelk]

^Superimposition FTW! That same arpeggio is also great over Fmaj7, yielding the #11 (B), 5 (C), 7 (E) and 9 (G).

 

[SpottedBeaver]

Hey, this really helps. A few months ago, after stuggling with trying to improvise using the pentatonic minor, I realized that I could break everything into two string patterns. It helped a little bit. You've just answered the additional questions I had and have given me some exercises to work on this weekend.

 

[McCap]

Cool, I didn't really read through all the text as I started checking out your page, but I understand what you're talking about...
...Overall great page, it's bookmarked!!

 

[Guitarchitect]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Glad it helps!

Also there's a bunch of cool superimpositions you can use for the 7th chord arpeggios but good call on the Cmaj over F maj Celticelk!

 

[Blind Theory]

I haven't checked out the link in depth yet but from the posts here that I see the gist of it is how scales/modes mesh or fit together in terms of the patterns (with whole steps and half steps) between them? I.E. The first half of the G Ionian shape (if you want to call it that...I guess) holds the same pattern as the bottom half of the A Dorian:

G Ionian:
--------------------------
--------------------------
-------------------4-5-7-
-------------4-5-7-------
-------3-5-7-------------
-3-5-7-------------------

A Dorian:
--------------------7-8-10-
-------------7-8-10--------
-------5-7-9---------------
-5-7-9---------------------
---------------------------
---------------------------



Like that?

 

[Guitarchitect]

There's a lot more depth involved in this than can go into here but I (largely) see the modes as 3 note per string interlocking shapes. (Yes you miss the 7th note of the scale - but since the patterns all interlock - it's just part of the next pattern.)

FYI - This is NOT a traditional way to view modes - just a visualization method I use that may be helpful to you.

I'll be posting more about this over the following weeks so hang in there!!

In the meantime -here's a taste:


That 3 note per string G Ionian scale you started :


-----------------------------------5-7-8
----------------------------5-7-8
---------------------4-5-7
--------------4-5-7
--------3-5-7
-3-5-7



can be broken down into:


G Ionian (3 note pattern) Starting on the E string


-------3-5-7-------------
-3-5-7-------------------


F# Locrian (3 note pattern) Starting on the d string


--------------------4-5-7
-------------4-5-7


E Aeolian (3 note pattern) Starting on the b string


----------------------------------5-7-8
----------------------------5-7-8

As the 3 note per string scale ascends (i.e. goes higher in pitch) the mode order descends and vice versa.​

A lot more to go into for this but I promise - I will explain it!

 

[Blind Theory]

Alright, I understand what you are getting at. I like to look at modes as two groups of 4 string patterns and three groups of two string patterns like you said. All that stuff intrigues me so much.

 

[Guitarchitect]

Sorry all - have been SUPER swamped lately - part 2 of this is up - and the 3rd follow up (5 note shapes) will be up next Monday!

Making Sense Of The Pentatonic Scale – Diagonal Forms – Part One « Guitarchitecture.org

Hope you like it!

-Scott

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

Are you using Finale? You can get rid of those time signatures by selecting the staff tool, double-clicking a measure on the staff you want to modify, then unchecking "show time signature" in the dialog box. You can also get rid of the big "TAB" clef thing by changing the clef in the same dialog box.

 

[Guitarchitect]

Thanks for the tip - but the time signature and tab use is intentional and just there for clarity (and consistency).

Thanks again tho!

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

 

[EdgeC]

EDIT

 

[Maniacal]

ummm

 

[Guitarchitect]

In the better late than never - Part 2 of the Diagonal pentatonics is up now.

Making Sense Of The Pentatonic Scale – Diagonal Forms – Part Two « Guitarchitecture.org

More shapes than music - but there may be a form or two that's useful to you.

Enjoy!