There’s this one particular double stop that lies between boxes 1 and 2 of the pentatonic/blues scale…
I hear this sound SO much, and I use it all the time, but I’m not sure I’ve made a big enough deal about it.
So today, we’ll make a big deal about it and I’ll show you some ideas that you can use to make some pretty great licks from 2 simple notes.
If you ask me, there are very few ideas or licks that have “that blues sound,” more than this one.
20 replies to "This Double Stop Is The Blues"
Too cool! Very helpful. I love the sound of double stops. Is there a general rule as to which 2 notes sound good together?
Was just reviewing the Playing on the Porch course last night. Check out Riff 2 on page 4 of the PDF.
There are the two notes in their full glory:
|———————-|
|——-3————-|
|—-4—————-|
|———————|
|———————|
|———————|
I’m nationwide…😆😆😆. I don’t think it would hurt to mention that those two notes, the E and the G, are the 5th and the b7 in the key of A., and they are smack in the middle, physically, of that A7 chord (In the D7 shape for the CAGED oriented). Nope, I just did it, and it didn’t hurt a bit? 😆😆😆
Hello Guitar world – This is off topic, but maybe others have wondered too. Somebody out there must know the reason why, for example, box 1 is referred to by that number. There must be a consistent system in box numbering that I don’t see, and would like to.
Believe it is just because of the “pentatonic equator”. Box 1 is the easiest to learn/remember and 1 and 5 are the only boxes that includes 3 key notes within them….the so called “penatonic equator” so to speak, would be all the open strings in the key of E minor. all 3rd fret strings in Key of G minor, and all 5th fret strings in Key of A minor etc. etc….thats the way I figure it anyhow….
I just always assumed it was because boxes 2-5 follow it linearly in order up the neck
Excellent lesson. Started with a demo, explained it, played it some more, explained more options. I have added it to one of the lead bars in my bar of rhythm followed by a bar of lead using the minor pentatonic exercise.
I’ve often watched your index finger and wondered how THAT note fit in, but NOW I realize you were using it to MUTE THE STRING!
Love the tone you have!
Really great. Love Texas too! Are you glad you moved there?
Thanks Griff! So simple, yet, so good! Appreciate it!
Thanks Griff, MY favorite spot on the next at this point in my journey.
Awesome Lesson, Griff !
Simple but powerful! Couldn’t you use it to transition up to the 4 chord?taking half steps each beat til you hit the 4?
Absolutely, and I do, often.
I couldn’t get past the Texas tee shirt
Right, mate! ~Take away the Mesquite smoke-flavor and it’s just another southern blues sound.
That’s a fabulous lick heard in many, many songs and solos. It’s also one of the key reasons that tuning to open E is the best tuning for slide playing. You can’t do that particular lick in standard tuning, because it is a minor third interval. (Angle the slide? Yeah, right. ;^)
There’s a trick of playing “behind the slide” that will allow that in standard tuning… but you really have to know what you’re doing and, at least for me, it doesn’t always work. Open E or G works way better.
Excellent lesson Griff. Not hard to play and sounds great and you can play around d with it and come up with Manu variations that sound great. Have a great day