HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: … · 2021. 7. 13. · HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR...
Transcript of HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: … · 2021. 7. 13. · HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR...
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
2
Table of Contents 1. Choose four pentatonic scales
2. Translate into tablature
3. Add a drum track
4. Add a bass line
5. Keeping time
6. Add intervals
7. Combine sequences
8. Refine the timing
9. Expand the tab
10. Chromatic pattern
11. Higher register
12. Concluding
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
3
Step One
SELECT YOUR PENTATONIC SCALES
In the full lesson I use four pentatonic scales but, only one of them as my primary
example.
The scale shapes you use are important. Avoid full fretboard patterns as they’ll
tend to overwhelm and confuse the student. You should also select a convenient
key for each pattern. We’ve gone with the key of E and placed our pentatonic
scales in the seventh fret form.
Make sure the student gets time and exposure with all four scale patterns, even
though we’ll use only the minor pentatonic scale in our example.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
4
Step Two
CONVERT THE DIAGRAMS TO TABS
Your scale diagrams should be converted into tablature for the ease and comfort
of the student.
Though many students will be familiar with scale diagrams, and can easily read
them, it’s good practice to take this step so you and your student aren’t spending
energy trying to decipher a diagram.
I’d also advise doing this ahead of time, making sure that both a formal scale
diagram and simplistic tab sheets are available to your student.
Major Pentatonic
E|--------------------------------7--9--
B|--------------------------7--9--------
G|--------------------6--9--------------
D|--------------6--9--------------------
A|--------7--9--------------------------
E|--7--9--------------------------------
Minor Pentatonic
E|-----------------------------------7--10--
B|----------------------------8--10---------
G|----------------------7--9----------------
D|----------------7--9----------------------
A|---------7--10----------------------------
E|--7--10-----------------------------------
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
5
Pentatonic Blues
E|--------------------------------------6--7--10--
B|-------------------------------8--10------------
G|-------------------------7--9-------------------
D|----------------7--8--9-------------------------
A|---------7--10----------------------------------
E|--7--10-----------------------------------------
Pentatonic Neutral
E|----------------------------------7--10--
B|---------------------------7--10---------
G|---------------------7--9----------------
D|---------------7--9----------------------
A|---------7--9----------------------------
E|--7--10----------------------------------
Once you’ve introduced these concepts to the student, take some time to just play
the four patterns. You should demonstrate them to the student and then let the
student try it on their own.
A certain level of comfort and proficiency with the scales is necessary to
continue. While the student plays, listen for missed notes and look for struggles
with the physical aspects of playing the scales.
Difficulty stretching and buzzing or “muddy” notes will likely mean the student
needs more time to practice the patterns.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
6
Step Three
ADD YOUR DRUM TRACK Go to the SoundTrap studio, select drums then drag the “Drums - Busy Basics”
loop into the app’s mixer (gray area).
The backing track will serve as a more engaging and interesting way to provide
structure for the soloing pattern we’ll later create.
Most students don’t enjoy playing along with a click track or metronome, so this
is a much more engaging alternative.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
7
Step Four
ADD YOUR BASS LINE
The bass line is also a structural component, though you could do the exercise
without it.
I’d recommend including one, just because it makes a solo stand out more and
gives the student the sense that they’re making actual music instead of just
practicing a sequence of notes.
In SoundTrap select “Bass” from the top right corner. Then select the “Bass - Retro
Funk 1” loop and drag it into the mixer.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
8
Step Five
KEEP TIME
Before beginning with the solo, give your student the opportunity to practice
keeping time with the new backing track. A full-fledged explanation of the theory
behind time signatures is not necessary. Just make sure the student can count in
quarter and eighth notes while playing through the pattern.
They should be able to count four beats per measure and eight beats per measure.
Quarter Note Example:
Eighth Note Example:
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
9
Step Six
ADD INTERVALS
Give the student a brief summary of the process you’ll go through to develop the
soloing pattern. It can be best explained in these three steps:
1. Extract segments of the scales we've memorized.
2. Rearrange, add-to and take-from those segments.
3. Add basic technique to the resulting patterns.
Once they understand the plan and process, you can take them through the first
three note intervals that will be taken directly from the minor pentatonic scale.
First Pattern
The bend and vibrato on the root E (at the seventh fret) will give you a way to
expose the student to some technique that we’ll continue to use as we build the
solo.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
10
It’s simple and could easily be replaced by a different pattern. But, this is a good
way to start since you’re combining the familiarity of a scale they’ve been
practicing and the complexity of technique that is either new to them or hasn’t
yet been on their radar.
Second Pattern
In the second pattern we do a full bend that comes back down to the D note on the
seventh fret, which is then followed up by a pinch harmonic.
If you or the student prefer, you can just use a natural harmonic or even hold that
note through the measure.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
11
Step Seven
COMBINE BOTH SEQUENCES
Now we’ll combine the two patterns we outlined in step six.
I’d recommend having the student run through the entire thing once without the
backing track. Then, once they’re comfortable, add the backing track so they can
feel out the timing.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
12
Step Eight
REFINE THE TIMING
If timing is proving difficult, have the student look away from the score and
simply use a tab sheet. Chances are that this is because the student is trying too
hard to “not screw up” the time signature.
Just give them the tab and tell them to take their best shot. Timing, as I mention
in the full article, is fluid and not always exact during a guitar solo.
Make sure your student knows they have the freedom to make mistakes and to
improvise their way through the solo.
E|-------------------------------
B|-------------------------------
G|-----7b8-----------------------
D|--9-------7-<7>----------------
A|-----------------------7b8--7--
E|----------------7--10----------
Timing might not be exact, but don’t stay on one tab for too long. Get as close as
you can then move on so your student doesn’t get bored.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
13
Step Nine
EXPAND THE TAB
To expand the tab you’ll either need to reinforce or introduce the concept of
intervals to your student.
Don’t overwhelm them with too much information here. Instead, explain to them
basics of the minor and major second intervals and how you’ll use them to add
notes to the pattern.
Once they understand things conceptually, begin by adding one new note so they
can see the process play out.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
14
Add the major second interval to the end of your original tab:
E|-------------------------------------------
B|-------------------------------------------
G|-----7b8-----------------------------------
D|--9-------7-<7>--------------------7--7h9--
A|-----------------------7b8--7--10----------
E|----------------7--10----------------------
Have your student play through this pattern several times more.
Next, present two different options:
1. Keep adding notes to try and resolve the tension.
2. Pull back and go with a different note/interval combination.
At some point, you’ll continue to add notes and intervals to both lengthen the solo
and to resolve the tension. If the student wants to go back and re-write the
sequence, that’s a good sign. Leave that up to your student at this point.
Assuming you continue with my pattern, here’s the improvised solo you’ll want to
guide your student through:
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G|-----7b8------------------------------------7--9~~--/11--9--7h9p7-----7--------------------
D|--9-------7-<7>-------------------7--7h9~~-------------------------9-----9--7--/5--7p5-----
A|-----------------------7b8--7--10-------------------------------------------------------7--
E|----------------7--10----------------------------------------------------------------------
Audio samples are available via the full article.
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
15
Step 10
ADDITIONAL CHROMATIC EXPANSION
At this point we’re simply looking for additional ways to expand and explore the
shape we’ve been working with. This could be considered supplemental or
“bonus” material and may or may not be necessary for the student to cover.
For steps 10 and 11 you can either combine them with the previous tab or start an
entirely new pattern.
Starting a new pattern might be easier for the student. Yet, if they breezed
through the previous material, you can let them try adding more components to
their newly constructed solo.
Either way works.
For the new sequence of notes, begin at the ninth fret on the fourth string.
Explain where we’re getting the three-note, chromatic pattern, and then isolate this tab:
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
16
E|--------------------
B|--------------------
G|-----------7--8--9--
D|--7--8--9-----------
A|--------------------
E|--------------------
Once playing through the chromatic run is comfortable for the student, have them
try this full pattern:
E|-----------------------------------------------------------
B|-----------------------------------------------------------
G|-----7b8------------------------------------------7--8--9--
D|--9-------7-<7>--------------------7--/9--7--8--9----------
A|-----------------------7b8--7--10--------------------------
E|----------------7--10--------------------------------------
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
17
Step 11
HIGHER REGISTER EXPANSION
At this point, you might have a student who is entirely capable of improvising a
number of different variations without further instruction.
On the other hand, if they’re still struggling to see how it all connects, this run will
allow them to link a few note sequences on the higher strings (high E and B) to
our original pattern and could help them see the process more clearly.
Start the student on the high E:
E|--7--10--10b12--
B|----------------
G|----------------
D|----------------
A|----------------
E|----------------
Then cover the following pattern:
E|--7h10p7--------------------------------------------
B|------------10b12--10h8-----------------------------
G|---------------------------9--7h9p7-----------------
D|---------------------------------------9--7--/5-----
A|-------------------------------------------------7--
E|----------------------------------------------------
HOW TO WRITE PENTATONIC GUITAR SCALE SOLOS: TEACHER’S GUIDE
18
Conclude
TEACHING THE METHOD The best thing you can do for the student is to make sure they come away from
this material having retained a structured method. If they do, they can reuse that
method for building solos and lead patterns every time they learn a new
pentatonic scale.
As often as you can, give them the opportunity to pursue their own creativity
within the constructs that you’ve provided for them.
If you see they’re beginning to understand the constructs, and are coming up with
their own solos and patterns, there’s likely no need to push through the specifics
of the examples we’ve provided.
Stick to the structure and use examples when necessary.
If you need to access other resources or have questions about the material, feel
free to get in touch and we’ll do our best to assist.
Full article: https://www.guitarchalk.com/pentatonic-scale-guitar/
Email: bobby[at]guitarchalk[dawt]com
Blog: https://www.guitarchalk.com/blog
Shop: https://www.guitarchalk.com/shop