Minor Major Pentatonic help needed.

[redhouse_ca]

Totally agree. It just took me a while to learn that. I remember exactly when it was. I was playing with a few dudes and someone recorded a part of the jam. I listened to it and although I could hold my own, I thought it was petty sucky. That's bothered me a lot, and I wanted to sound less sucky but couldn't figure out how. Then I did that play in the dark thing and the lightbulb went on. Oh, what I play is notes, what I don't play is music. I'll take one note that feels right to 100 that fit but don't feel.

 

[chris m.]

Totally agree. It just took me a while to learn that. I remember exactly when it was. I was playing with a few dudes and someone recorded a part of the jam. I listened to it and although I could hold my own, I thought it was petty sucky. That's bothered me a lot, and I wanted to sound less sucky but couldn't figure out how. Then I did that play in the dark thing and the lightbulb went on. Oh, what I play is notes, what I don't play is music. I'll take one note that feels right to 100 that fit but don't feel.

One great thing I got from one of my music teachers is to always play musically, never mechanically. Even when playing a basic scale as part of an exercise, always try to make it breathe and sound like real music.

 

[redhouse_ca]

I'm saying what you're saying, in different words. I see so many players who never stray outside the pent minor, and attempt to apply it to all playing situations because they're either too lazy, or haven't yet been taught that the universe of music is so much greater than the pent minor. As a teacher, I used to see this all the time accompanied by the students unwillingness to venture beyond. They had their crappy little scale and it did work in many instances. But it also stunted their growth. As a teacher, you want your students to progress and be successful. I have seen the pent minor scale ruin a number of potentially good players because they simply chose to stop learning at that point. Or, they were just lazy.
Everything you and I have said points to the importance of learning the ionian/major scale first in order understand where the pent minor comes from. We're actually on the same page here.

I've got a buddy, a world class pro jazz bassist, and he doesn't allow pentatonics in his trio. I told him that's BS and they are going to happen like it or not and we both laughed and drank beer.

 

[middy]

I've got a buddy, a world class pro jazz bassist, and he doesn't allow pentatonics in his trio. I told him that's BS and they are going to happen like it or not and we both laughed and drank beer.

That’s odd. Pentatonic substitutions are a huge part of jazz soloing.

 

[bottlenecker]

That’s odd. Pentatonic substitutions are a huge part of jazz soloing.

It's a joke.

 

[middy]

It's a joke.

Whoooosh

 

[Jeremy_Green]

Ya gotta think about the chords. Are you trying to make a major sound? A minor sound? A diminished sound? Augmented? Dominant? What does it SOUND like to you??

That is the one you use. Dont overthink it.

 

[redhouse_ca]

It's a joke.

If only I could share some of the other things he said that night

 

[ASATKat]

For example in this Clapton Tulsa Time video below there are only two chords. C and G. Why the heck does C major pentatonic work nicely over this but C minor does not. I can play rock songs that only have these two chords I think with the C minor pentatonic but not this song that has the same two chords. If I can understand this I believe it will really be good and I think maybe I am on the brink of improving my lead playing at my lower level dramatically.

Hi Rolo, major and minor pent combined make for the blues scale. 1 2 b3 3 4 5 6 b7.

The idea is to play the minor pent while the band plays a dominant blues, G7 C7 D7, and then bend the b3rd of the minor pent scale - not quite up to the 3rd, a bit shy, then use vibrato to toggle between the bit shy blues note and the 3rd,, creating a blues note "tension". That's what Clapton did/does, and a zillion other players. It's the most expressive note.