Using the pentatonic scales

KevinAnderson

Blues Newbie
Basic guitar theory question, trying to see the whole picture of using the boxes.
Are the goals:
  • to learn the patterns and to move to the root notes from one box to the next
  • use box 1 for while playing over the 1 cord, box 2 for the 4 cord and box 3 for the 5 cord
  • Is there a good reference for a basic overview of what the boxes do for each other, I need to see the end point. I get there are patterns, it's there connecting functions I don't understand.
Again, basic question here, working on learning the fretboard and when I've done that, maybe my questions will be answered.

Best Wishes
Dude
 

Blackbelt

Blues Newbie
Kevin, I've asked myself those same questions many times. Griff's Slow Blues Supplement Course and also his Major and Minor Scales course are the best answers and solutions for learning and applying the answers to your questions to the music we play that I have ever found.

Also I opted for his All Access Pass subscription a while back so that gave me access to both those courses plus everything else and was the best investment I have ever made in learning Blues and music in general. Hope this helps.

Gene
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Basic guitar theory question, trying to see the whole picture of using the boxes.
Are the goals:
  • to learn the patterns and to move to the root notes from one box to the next
  • use box 1 for while playing over the 1 cord, box 2 for the 4 cord and box 3 for the 5 cord
  • Is there a good reference for a basic overview of what the boxes do for each other, I need to see the end point. I get there are patterns, it's there connecting functions I don't understand.
Again, basic question here, working on learning the fretboard and when I've done that, maybe my questions will be answered.

Best Wishes
Dude
There are different ways to use the patterns, so the MAIN thing to do is learn the 5 patterns... But you don't have to memorize them all at once.
As Griff has said loads of great players mostly just use Box 1, so learn it really well. as you add boxes you can play the notes in different places on the neck. You do NOT need to change boxes over each chord. If you are playing the minor pentatonic, you can play any of the boxes over any of the chords (there are things that you can do to make it sound cooler, like play the major box over the I chord and minor over the IV &V chords, or you can treat each chord (I, IV, V) as its own key and play Box one for THAT KEY over each.

EG
Blues in A A7, D7 and E7 (I, IV, V)
- You can play Box I (6th string at the 5th fret) over them all or you can play any of the boxes (as long s you ate in A)
- or You can play Box 2 (6th string at the 5th fret) over the I chord for the major sound then switch back to the Am pentatonic Box I fro the IV & V
- Or you can play Box I starting (6th string at the 5th fret) over the I, then Box 1 ((6th string at the 10th fret) over the IV then Box 1 (6th string at the 12th fret) over the 5 (each chord change becomes its own key). Once you get used to the patterns you can use any of the boxes not just box 1.

Just starting out, just learn Box 1 and maybe box 2. See where and how the connect (third string is a great place).

The Boxes don't really "do anything fro each other because they are all the same notes. They just let you play them up and down the neck.

I hope this helps more than it confuses.
 

Ted_Zeppelin

I’ll agree with you so that both of us are wrong.
Not sure if this is typical for others, but I finally learned boxes 3 and 4 by playing them around the 5th string root notes. Once I learned this it became much easier to jump around to different boxes without having to work my way up or down in order.
 

KevinAnderson

Blues Newbie
Kevin, I've asked myself those same questions many times. Griff's Slow Blues Supplement Course and also his Major and Minor Scales course are the best answers and solutions for learning and applying the answers to your questions to the music we play that I have ever found.

Also I opted for his All Access Pass subscription a while back so that gave me access to both those courses plus everything else and was the best investment I have ever made in learning Blues and music in general. Hope this helps.

Gene
Thanks Gene, looking at the Major and Minor Scales info, seems like a good place to start, just what I was curious about. Appreciate the reply!
 

KevinAnderson

Blues Newbie
There are different ways to use the patterns, so the MAIN thing to do is learn the 5 patterns... But you don't have to memorize them all at once.
As Griff has said loads of great players mostly just use Box 1, so learn it really well. as you add boxes you can play the notes in different places on the neck. You do NOT need to change boxes over each chord. If you are playing the minor pentatonic, you can play any of the boxes over any of the chords (there are things that you can do to make it sound cooler, like play the major box over the I chord and minor over the IV &V chords, or you can treat each chord (I, IV, V) as its own key and play Box one for THAT KEY over each.

EG
Blues in A A7, D7 and E7 (I, IV, V)
- You can play Box I (6th string at the 5th fret) over them all or you can play any of the boxes (as long s you ate in A)
- or You can play Box 2 (6th string at the 5th fret) over the I chord for the major sound then switch back to the Am pentatonic Box I fro the IV & V
- Or you can play Box I starting (6th string at the 5th fret) over the I, then Box 1 ((6th string at the 10th fret) over the IV then Box 1 (6th string at the 12th fret) over the 5 (each chord change becomes its own key). Once you get used to the patterns you can use any of the boxes not just box 1.

Just starting out, just learn Box 1 and maybe box 2. See where and how the connect (third string is a great place).

The Boxes don't really "do anything fro each other because they are all the same notes. They just let you play them up and down the neck.

I hope this helps more than it confuses.
Hey Mike, the swimming analogy fits, I'll keep swimming, appreciate the detailed reply, it helps to understand the best direction to go with so much to learn. Kevin
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
I would highly recommend learning which box fits over which chord, EG Box four fits over a C shape major or Am shape minor
 
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