Question for those that teach guitar

[jimilee]

I've been learning to play blues for a year now, previously I'd only played rhythm guitar.I know my pentatonic, blues and hybrid scales enough to entertain myself. Should I learn any other scales or just focus on those for now? I can move between the positions ok, but I don't feel like I'm progressing beyond learning licks and songs on truefire. Any suggestions?


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[fair.child]

I'll start with rudiments on Mixolydian, Lydian, and Aeolian. Look up mateus asato, lari basilio, and justin johnson to get more inspirations.

[woolie]

I've been learning to play blues for a year now, previously I'd only played rhythm guitar.I know my pentatonic, blues and hybrid scales enough to entertain myself. Should I learn any other scales or just focus on those for now? I can move between the positions ok, but I don't feel like I'm progressing beyond learning licks and songs on truefire. Any suggestions?


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I would add Dorian to the list fair.child added. It fits in really well along with minor pentatonic. That being said, you can learn all the modes all over the neck in any key if you learn the MILLPAD system.


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[woolie]

I've been learning to play blues for a year now, previously I'd only played rhythm guitar.I know my pentatonic, blues and hybrid scales enough to entertain myself. Should I learn any other scales or just focus on those for now? I can move between the positions ok, but I don't feel like I'm progressing beyond learning licks and songs on truefire. Any suggestions?


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I would add Dorian to the list fair.child added. It fits in really well along with minor pentatonic. That being said, you can learn all the modes all over the neck in any key if you learn the MILLPAD system.


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I was looking for a good explanation of the MILLPAD System but could not find it. It is a bit complicated to explain in this format, but a simple system.

The idea is you learn 7 fingerings, one corresponding to the 7 modes and line them up in fourths, which is how the guitar is tuned.

Mixolydian - Ionian - Lydian - Locrian - Phrygian- Aeolian - Dorian

And those patterns being (in order):

1 3 5 - 1 3 5 - 1 3 5 - 1 2 4 - 1 2 4 - 1 3 4 - 1 3 4

Where 1 is the fret you start from, 3 being the two frets up etc

So to play A Phrygian you would play:
Phrygian on string 6, Aeolian on string 5, Dorian on string 4, Mixo on string 3, etc.

Caveat being that you have to nudge the system when you transition to the B string.

Hope this helps.

W.


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[jimilee]

Hey yeah, thanks a bunch!


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[fair.child]

Explore the music theory more. Then comes with technique like Bumblefoot

[madbean]

Passing/leading notes is where it's at. It's the best way to spice up those pentatonic scales!

[Ralfg]

I'm not a guitar teacher, but have been in a bunch of bands and have played for a while.  I think the first thing to ask yourself is: What are your goals?  Do you want to jam with people?  Do you want to just hang at home and shred your balls off?  Or something else?

You can get a ton of mileage off the pentatonic scale, to the point where you can totally fake it till you make it.  I actually generally stick with pentatonic because people get it, it works over most everything, and when you dial it in and understand the patterns you can really express yourself musically. 

Modes are rad though.  I remember the first time I learned about modes, I think I was listening to Flying a Blue Dream by Satriani... It was like this is spacey and moody thing... and he's using a different pattern then the key it's in!  What is happening?  I went to my guitar teacher (Swedish hair metal dude, oh those were good times) and he said, "It's lydian dude... chicks dig it!".  To be fair he said that about everything.  But modes are also hard... when do you use which mode?

For me the best thing was to buy a couple of backing track CD's.  I think they are still around, might even be available on streaming services.  They list the key they are in and you can just jam some epic solo sessions.  I would just solo over these tracks for hours.

Learn licks, but also analyze them and understand how they fit into the scales you are learning.  What are the base shapes used to formulate these licks.  This will help with shifting between the different patterns.  I feel that from there your understanding of the guitar and scales and connecting them will increase.

Once you can jam over everything then with the simple stuff, at least for me, the other stuff will fall into place more naturally and you can get all crazy with the modes evoke a vibe.  Everyone learns differently and has different goals, so this might not work for you at all.  But maybe?...  Good luck dude!  Hope this helps.

[jimilee]

I'm not a guitar teacher, but have been in a bunch of bands and have played for a while.  I think the first thing to ask yourself is: What are your goals?  Do you want to jam with people?  Do you want to just hang at home and shred your balls off?  Or something else?

You can get a ton of mileage off the pentatonic scale, to the point where you can totally fake it till you make it.  I actually generally stick with pentatonic because people get it, it works over most everything, and when you dial it in and understand the patterns you can really express yourself musically. 

Modes are rad though.  I remember the first time I learned about modes, I think I was listening to Flying a Blue Dream by Satriani... It was like this is spacey and moody thing... and he's using a different pattern then the key it's in!  What is happening?  I went to my guitar teacher (Swedish hair metal dude, oh those were good times) and he said, "It's lydian dude... chicks dig it!".  To be fair he said that about everything.  But modes are also hard... when do you use which mode?

For me the best thing was to buy a couple of backing track CD's.  I think they are still around, might even be available on streaming services.  They list the key they are in and you can just jam some epic solo sessions.  I would just solo over these tracks for hours.

Learn licks, but also analyze them and understand how they fit into the scales you are learning.  What are the base shapes used to formulate these licks.  This will help with shifting between the different patterns.  I feel that from there your understanding of the guitar and scales and connecting them will increase.

Once you can jam over everything then with the simple stuff, at least for me, the other stuff will fall into place more naturally and you can get all crazy with the modes evoke a vibe.  Everyone learns differently and has different goals, so this might not work for you at all.  But maybe?...  Good luck dude!  Hope this helps.

That's good stuff man. Really my goal is to be good enough to jam with some guys if I wanted to, but not necessarily.  I don't wish to shred so much, but solo with heart and the occasional fast run.
  I really dig the blues, so that's my main focus. I just rediscovered chord tones, and now that I have more experience, I know what it means and how it works. I have been thinking about modes, and what I've learned is Dorian and mixelydian are ideal with blues. I did learn a little bit the other night about putting the major pentatonics in to minor 7th chords.
  I just gotta figure out what I want to tackle next, there's a whole lot of information in this thread.
  I played bass in a a band for several years, and I had a guitar player that used to say "chics dig it" about everything too.


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[fair.child]

Jimilee,

All you need for going up and beyond is this pedal

[jimilee]

Jimilee,

All you need for going up and beyond is this pedal

Sweet, but where's the phaser knob?


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[EBK]

I prefer this pedal for advancing my skills:
https://youtu.be/Ejzd-TooqJc

[diablochris6]

Within the context of most western music, certain notes have more gravity than others. Starting or ending any lick or run with the 1st, 3rd, or 5th (and to an extent, the 7th) is a safe and ear-pleasing choice, and you can fill in the weak beats with the "other" notes. If you play a major scale (or any 7-note scale) in ascending thirds starting on the low E, you cycle through the strong notes in the first octave and have the "color" notes on the second half of your run. Those notes at the end would be your "jazz" notes.

If you are playing a standard blues progression, there are a couple ways to solo over it:
1. Play one pentatonic  scale in the key of your blues over the whole progression.
2. Play different scales over each chord. You could play the pentatonic for each chord (A pent, D pent, E pent), or change up the scale type with each chord. I like throwing in an altered scale on the V chord, especially if I was playing mixolydian over the I and IV.

Look at the "blues" pentatonic and bebop scales, which take scales you already know and add a chromatic passing tone for a little spice.

If you want a pseudo-gospel lead in to the next chord, play a diminished chord or lick a half-step below your target chord. You can even slide the same chord/lick shape up or down three frets. The notes cycle around at that interval.

[midwayfair]

I wouldn't discourage someone from learning theory, but blues and jazz area lot of vocabulary of licks placed into some improvisational context. Learning a new scale will not help you improvise better. You should stick to the scale(s) you know until you need to go outside of them to get the notes out of your head. If you aren't hearing a tune or a lick that needs to come out you probably need to listen more closely.

Just my opinion of course, but I really think your question sounds like someone asking what they should stick in the pantry when they aren't saying what they're cooking.

[Willybomb]

I'd try and get into a band Jimi.  Learn those songs you think you hate.  Play out in a pub somewhere and have some fun with it.