Combining 4 note solo with 3 related lessons

JamesWaldron

JamesWaldron

Dr. J
I was told by Regina via email to put this question in ASK Grif Forum but I saw a message there that he rarely answers in that area. So that FORUM (ASK Griff) said to post in 'General Forum" so I hope this is the correct place. Here goes:
Griff,

I became a member of Acoustic Blues Unleashed and Slide guitar (both DV and digital) membership a few months ago and I watch your Facebook lessons and email lectures almost daily (BGU). I attached a photo I made from combining 3 or your lessons called

1. BB King “Let the Good Times Roll’ or House pattern

2. 3 Position Blues

3. 4 note solo

Even though some of the notes are not directly from G minor Blues patterns 1 and 2, I was wondering since everything is in the Key of G or G minor, could a nice blues solo or riff be made from combing the notes for those 3 lessons (see my attachment). The BB King House pattern would be G, A, C, D and E on the 8, 9th and 10th frets (strings 1,2 and 3): The 4 note solo would be on the first 2 strings between the 6 and 8th fret (G, F(Flattted7) Bb(flatted 3rd and C (IV): and the 3 position Blues in G would go from the 5th fret to the 10 fret 5-7-9, 7-9. 8-10 which would be (G-A-B, D-E and G-A).

Since it would be putting 3 or your exercises together to possible go “outside” the box patterns, do you think it would work OK. See photo below I made for this question

Thanks for any help with this

Dr. James Waldron (aka Dr. J)

bLI91L8PrwpnZERNPBJPZllbq


#1JamesWaldron, Tuesday at 11:09 AM
 
Griff

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
Very cool how you're seeing those things, and you've just created something I commonly call the "3+2 Pattern" and I use it all the time. I stole it from the Allman Brothers fair and square :)

The G-A-B-D-E notes make up the G Major Pentatonic Scale. You may not have really come across that scale by that name, but that's what it is. Doing it with that 5-7-9/7-9 pattern is my favorite way to play it (that's the "3" for 3 lower notes and the "+2" for the 2 upper notes on the next string.

After that, you go to the 8-10 and start the pattern again, you can play it all over the place.

Check out this video for more on that pattern:
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/major-pentatonic-pattern-in-3-positions/

I also talk about it in "Rut Busters" which is one of my smaller courses you might have or have seen.

Then when you add in the C from the house pattern, you're adding the "4" of the scale, which works over every chord, so you can use it all you want, just like BB King did.

When you add in the 4 note solo pattern, you get the F, which is the b7 of the G scale and works over every chord as well, and the Bb which is the b3 and also works over every chord.

By the time you're done, you have a G Mixolydian scale, with the added "blue note" of the Bb (the b3) from the 4 note solo pattern, if you were to play all the notes together at once.

HOWEVER... don't do that, it sounds like a scale :)

The way you're looking at it is very much the way I would look at it, and it will serve you very well. Great stuff!
 
JamesWaldron

JamesWaldron

Dr. J
Griff said:
Very cool how you're seeing those things, and you've just created something I commonly call the "3+2 Pattern" and I use it all the time. I stole it from the Allman Brothers fair and square :)

The G-A-B-D-E notes make up the G Major Pentatonic Scale. You may not have really come across that scale by that name, but that's what it is. Doing it with that 5-7-9/7-9 pattern is my favorite way to play it (that's the "3" for 3 lower notes and the "+2" for the 2 upper notes on the next string.

After that, you go to the 8-10 and start the pattern again, you can play it all over the place.

Check out this video for more on that pattern:
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/major-pentatonic-pattern-in-3-positions/

I also talk about it in "Rut Busters" which is one of my smaller courses you might have or have seen.

Then when you add in the C from the house pattern, you're adding the "4" of the scale, which works over every chord, so you can use it all you want, just like BB King did.

When you add in the 4 note solo pattern, you get the F, which is the b7 of the G scale and works over every chord as well, and the Bb which is the b3 and also works over every chord.

By the time you're done, you have a G Mixolydian scale, with the added "blue note" of the Bb (the b3) from the 4 note solo pattern, if you were to play all the notes together at once.

HOWEVER... don't do that, it sounds like a scale :)

The way you're looking at it is very much the way I would look at it, and it will serve you very well. Great stuff!
Click to expand...

Peter Wynne said:
Dr J. - Let us hear a rendition if you can record yourself.
Click to expand...

Here's a few things I did:

Slide guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxbmiAQUKN4&t=38s

Cocaine Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bO4IhDdL7I&t=1s

Bring it on home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHRXT4bPqF4
 
JamesWaldron

JamesWaldron

Dr. J
Griff said:
Very cool how you're seeing those things, and you've just created something I commonly call the "3+2 Pattern" and I use it all the time. I stole it from the Allman Brothers fair and square :)

The G-A-B-D-E notes make up the G Major Pentatonic Scale. You may not have really come across that scale by that name, but that's what it is. Doing it with that 5-7-9/7-9 pattern is my favorite way to play it (that's the "3" for 3 lower notes and the "+2" for the 2 upper notes on the next string.

After that, you go to the 8-10 and start the pattern again, you can play it all over the place.

Check out this video for more on that pattern:
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/major-pentatonic-pattern-in-3-positions/

I also talk about it in "Rut Busters" which is one of my smaller courses you might have or have seen.

Then when you add in the C from the house pattern, you're adding the "4" of the scale, which works over every chord, so you can use it all you want, just like BB King did.

When you add in the 4 note solo pattern, you get the F, which is the b7 of the G scale and works over every chord as well, and the Bb which is the b3 and also works over every chord.

By the time you're done, you have a G Mixolydian scale, with the added "blue note" of the Bb (the b3) from the 4 note solo pattern, if you were to play all the notes together at once.

HOWEVER... don't do that, it sounds like a scale :)

The way you're looking at it is very much the way I would look at it, and it will serve you very well. Great stuff!
Click to expand...

Thanks for getting back to me Griff.
I also want to add to what you said about the "3+2" pattern in the G Major Pentatonic Scale
(G-A-B-D-E) which, as you mentioned, can be played all over the neck from any root note reminds me of something I read called "Major and Minor Blues Scales using the Diagonal Pentatonic Scale which allows you to play Major OR Minor Pentatonic scales all up the neck...

For example playing diagonally across the strings in a 3-2, 3-2, 3-2, etc (remembering to adjust when crossing the 2nd string) is a pattern for Major Pentatonic Scale wheres "2+3" Pattern (2 for lower notes and 3 for higher notes, again diagonally down the the entire neck would reproduce the minor Pentatonic Scale depening on which root note you use to start the scale. I think it was referred to as "The Diagonal Pentatonic Method" which can also be added to your three lessons I referred to earlier which now gives us 4 approaches to go 'Outside" the normal 5 patterns for Pentatonic Scales. I hope this is correct. In which case we can combine 4 lessons to create blues solos without using to 5 box patterns.
 
L

leftymike01

Blues Newbie
DR.J
Very well thought though,Thanks for sharing helps bring to light how to use the different
patterns very cool!
leftymike
 
Griff

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
JamesWaldron said:
Thanks for getting back to me Griff.
I also want to add to what you said about the "3+2" pattern in the G Major Pentatonic Scale
(G-A-B-D-E) which, as you mentioned, can be played all over the neck from any root note reminds me of something I read called "Major and Minor Blues Scales using the Diagonal Pentatonic Scale which allows you to play Major OR Minor Pentatonic scales all up the neck...

For example playing diagonally across the strings in a 3-2, 3-2, 3-2, etc (remembering to adjust when crossing the 2nd string) is a pattern for Major Pentatonic Scale wheres "2+3" Pattern (2 for lower notes and 3 for higher notes, again diagonally down the the entire neck would reproduce the minor Pentatonic Scale depening on which root note you use to start the scale. I think it was referred to as "The Diagonal Pentatonic Method" which can also be added to your three lessons I referred to earlier which now gives us 4 approaches to go 'Outside" the normal 5 patterns for Pentatonic Scales. I hope this is correct. In which case we can combine 4 lessons to create blues solos without using to 5 box patterns.
Click to expand...
Yes, all of that is correct. I'd not heard of the "diagonal pentatonic" pattern, but it makes perfect sense that it would be the same thing as the 3+2 or 2+3 pattern.
 
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