A scale or box question

DouglasEdwards

Blues Newbie
Hello, everyone, this is my first posting.

What a wonderful discovery Griff and his courses are.
I just watched his "using the bb box house pattern" video that he e-mailed and it's so valuable.
In the key of G he is using house pattern on the 9 fret third string, 8 and 10th frets 2nd string.
What scale or pentatonic position, if it is one, are these notes in?

Thanks all
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Excellent question. And welcome.

Whenever Griff introduces this pattern he always stresses that these 5 notes by themselves do not make a scale.

(At least not one that has a name.)

In G, you have the Root (G) & 2 (A) on the second string, the 4 (C) & 5 (D) on the first string and the 6 (E) on the third string, below the root.

1 2 4 5 6 (G A C D E)

There is no third. (B)

If you were to play the Major 3rd (B) on the 1st string instead of the 4 (C) you'd be in the upper part of Major Pentatonic Box 4. (G A B D E)

**However, the idea is to bend the 2 (A) on the second string up a whole step to play the Major 3rd (B).**

But you can also only bend it a half-step to play a minor third (Bb).

So you can easily switch between Major and minor sounds simply by bending the 2 either a whole or half step.

You can also bend the 5 (D) on the 1st string up a whole step to get the 6 (E).

So by itself this pattern is neither a Major or minor scale.

But by bending the 2 on the second string you can add the Major or minor third to it.:)
 
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Elwood

Blues
another way...if you start box 1 on G on the low E string, when you play the box up to the C on the G string, you move to box 2 and compete your journey up through box 2 from there, you just entered the "house" by the time you have your middle finger on the D of the G string (7th fret). That D is the bottom of your house (in box 2). This is a great way to start moving between boxes.
Paleo is more technical and correct. Maybe my words will help too, if you can make sense of them.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
@Elwood

You are describing the "Minor" House pattern with your 3rd finger on the root, G.

Yes, this is "upper" Box 2.

Griff's "4 Note Solo" pattern with a "roof" on it.

Which some people consider the "Albert King Box".


Moving the "house" up 2 frets, with your 1st finger now on the G, you have the "Major" House pattern.

The B.B. Box.:)
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Some people may choose to "live" in one house or the other and some may choose to move back and forth.

The "beauty" of the Major house in that you can go back and forth from Major to minor without having to move.:sneaky:
 
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