Once you’ve mastered all 5 of your Blues scales or minor pentatonic patterns and you feel proficient enough with your improvisational
skills. You are ready to move on to the next step which will give you a more exotic sound that is used a lot in
southern or jazzy style blues soloing. It can be considered a modal approach where
you can use each minor or major pentatonic scale with each chord in the 12 bar
blues.
Let use the Key of A 12 bar blues as an example. In the key
of A you have the l IV, V chords A7, D7 and E7. A7= uses the F# minor
pentatonic or the relative A major pentatonic.
Both have exactly the same notes in it, but depending on which root you start on will give
it a minor or major pentatonic
sound. My preference is to use the minor pentatonic sound. I prefer minor pentatonic
because that is the patterns I first learned and memorized. So it comes to me more naturally than to think of them as major pentatonic
patterns. In the end they will give you the same notes and it’s your
choice which sound you like better. If you emphasize the A you will get a
major pent sound and if you emphasize the F# you will get a minor pent
sound.
Note: F# minor pentatonic is the relative of A major pentatonic & vice versa
Note: F# minor pentatonic is the relative of A major pentatonic & vice versa
If you know all 5 or your minor pentatonic scales you
automatically know the major pentatonic fingerings. You just have to figure out
where the relative note is. (Tip: A is a minor 3rd up from the root F#) (F# is
up a major 6th from the root A)
The example
below illustrates the minor pentatonic you can use for each chord that will
give you a jazzy or southern rock, blues feel when you use them in solos over a 12 bar blues.
A7 think off
the 6th will give you F# minor pentatonic or the root A major
pentatonic.
Notes in the
F# minor pentatonic: F# A B C# E
13 R 9 3
5
A major
pentatonic: A B C# E F#
R 9 3 5 13
D7 think off
the 6th will give you B minor pentatonic or the root D major
pentatonic.
Notes in the
B minor pentatonic: B D E F# A
13 R 9 3
5
D major
pentatonic: D E F# A B
R 9 3 5 13
E7 think off
the 6th will give you C# minor pentatonic or the root E major
pentatonic.
Notes in the
C# minor pentatonic: C# E F# G# B
13
R 9 3
5
E major
pentatonic: E F# G# B C#
R 9 3 5 13
Transpose the 5 F# Minor or A Major pentatonic patterns in the image below to fit D7 & the E7.
Click on the image below to view all 5 of
the F# minor pentatonic and A major pentatonic patterns:
If we
examine more closely where the notes are coming from, you will quickly realize that these notes are
fragments taken from the A mixolydian scale:
A Mixolydian
: A B C# D E F# G
1 2 3 4 5
6 b7
9 13
F# minor
pentatonic: F# A B C# E
13 R 9 3
5
6 2
That is the beauty of the minor or the major pentatonic scale. It gives you a lighter
version of a minor or major scale. This lighter version that is comprised of 5
notes instead of 7 notes will give your guitar leads a more melodic and exotic
sound. It also has the added extension notes the 9th and 13th that will give
you that sweet spot they call the jazz blues or even a southern rock sound.
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