Here's how it started. After
noticing how this E minor chord fits this E minor
pentatonic scale while playing the song " Little
Wing"
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
1 | | 1 1
1 12th fret
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| 3 4 |
| |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | |
|
| | | | | |
| | | | |
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |
6th
string 1st string
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
1 1 1 1 1
1 12th fret
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| 3 3 3 | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | |
|
4 | | | 4
4
| | | | |
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |
6th string 1st string
|
I looked for more
of the same type of relationship with other chords using
the "rules" which I laid out for you at this
address: Pentatonic Modal Studies
. Now, my next step was to match up a major chord
with a major pentatonic scale, which was easy.
| this
E major chord matches |
this
E major pentatonic scale |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
1 | | | 1
1 12th fret
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | 2 |
|
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| 3 4 |
| |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |
6th string 1st string
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| 1 1 1 |
|
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
2 | | |
2 2 12th fret
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | 3 | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
4 4 4
| 4 4
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |
6th string 1st string
|
Those two chords and scales
are really easy to find in the song "Little Wing"
and throughout a great many blues songs that you'll
come across. The next one wasn't so easy.
I had to match up a half diminished chord to a half
diminished scale so I used a standard minor 7 flat five
chord (yes four notes not three) and I flatted the fifth
degree in the minor pentatonic scale as you will see
below.
| this
E half diminished chord matches |
this
E minor flat five pentatonic scale |
|
X
X
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | 1 |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
2 | 3 4 | |
12th fret
| | | | |
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | |
| |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
X
X
| |
6th string 1st string
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| | | | 1
|
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | |
|
1 1 1 1 |
1 12th fret
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | |
|
| | 3 3
| |
| | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | |
4 | | |
4 4
| | | | |
|
+--+--+--+--+--+
| |
6th string 1st string
|
Now you have enough scales
for the pentatonic modal study in one key. No,
they're not modes. They are the pentatonic scales
that are within each mode. They sound great because
they outline the chord you are thinking about with a
wonderful type of simplicity.
Try this. We will use
the key of E minor (E natural minor) which is relative
to G major, to start. I picked this key as it
is the same key that "Little Wing" is in.
In E natural minor (the
Aeolian mode) the chords are E minor, F# half diminished,
G, A minor, B minor, C, and D.
First play the chord then
the corresponding scale.
Em
E:-0----------------------0-3-0----------------------
B:-0------------------0-3-------3-0------------------
G:-0--------------0-2---------------2-0--------------
D:-2----------0-2-----------------------2-0----------
A:-2------0-2-------------------------------2-0------
E:-0--0-3---------------------------------------3-0--
F#m7b5
E:------------------------2-5-2----------------------
B:-1------------------1-5-------5-1------------------
G:-2--------------2-4---------------4-2--------------
D:-2----------2-4-----------------------4-2----------
A:--------2-3-------------------------------3-2------
E:-2--2-5---------------------------------------5-2--
G
E:-3----------------------3-5-3----------------------
B:-3------------------3-5-------5-3------------------
G:-4--------------2-4---------------4-2--------------
D:-5----------2-5-----------------------5-2----------
A:-5------2-5-------------------------------5-2------
E:-3--3-5---------------------------------------5-3--
Am
E:-5----------------------5-8-5----------------------
B:-5------------------5-8-------8-5------------------
G:-5--------------5-7---------------7-5--------------
D:-7----------5-7-----------------------7-5----------
A:-7------5-7-------------------------------7-5------
E:-5--5-8---------------------------------------8-5--
Bm
E:-7----------------------7-10-7----------------------
B:-7------------------7-10------10-7------------------
G:-7--------------7-9----------------9-7--------------
D:-9----------7-9------------------------9-7----------
A:-9------7-9--------------------------------9-7------
E:-7-7-10----------------------------------------10-7-
C
E:-8--------------------------8-10-8-------------------------
B:-8---------------------8-10--------10-8--------------------
G:-9-----------------7-9------------------9-7----------------
D:-10-----------7-10-------------------------10-7------------
A:-10------7-10----------------------------------10-7--------
E:-8--8-10--------------------------------------------10-8---
D
E:-10--------------------------10-12-10--------------------------
B:-10---------------------10-12--------12-10---------------------
G:-11-----------------9-11------------------11-9-----------------
D:-12------------9-12----------------------------12-9------------
A:-12-------9-12--------------------------------------12-9-------
E:-10-10-12------------------------------------------------12-10-
Em
(XII pos)
E:-12--------------------------12-15-12---------------------------
B:-12---------------------12-15--------15-12----------------------
G:-12----------------12-14------------------14-12-----------------
D:-14-----------12-14-----------------------------14-12-----------
A:-14------12-14---------------------------------------14-12------
E:-12-12-15-------------------------------------------------15-12-
Don't stop now!
At the very least, play back down the neck to where you started.
In other words go to the 10th position and play the D pentatonic
scale/chord then the C at the 8th then the B minor at the 7th
and so on.
May I suggest?
Go further up the neck until you cant play any higher and then
come back down.
Look at this.
These are the notes going further up the neck. They repeat
themselves after the 12th fret. Look at the 12th fret
as you would the open position notes.
12th
15th 17th
19th
21st- frets
| | | |
|
|-E-|---|-F#|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|
-1st string
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|-E-|---|-F#|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|
-6th string
Then, come back down. Stick
to only the chords you've already played and you cant go wrong.
E minor, F# minor b5, G, A minor,
B minor, C and D.
Intro to pentatonic modal studies
Pentatonic Modal Study #2
- Fourth String Study
