Danno
Blues Newbie
Here are a few observations about pentatonics, boxes and patterns that it took
me way too long to realize. Maybe this will save some of you some time.
If you're struggling with the boxes and which box to play over what chord some
of this may help as well. Hopefully it won't confuse anyone further.
1. All of the boxes have the same notes. Period. The pitch of the note may be
different but the notes are the same and in pentatonic scales there are only five
notes.
The implication of this is that boxes aren't tied to specific chords;
chord voicings yes, but not chords. Since all the boxes have the same notes, you
can use any one you feel like.
2. When you move from one box to the next, you lose the lowest pitch and gain a
higher pitch. All the other pitches are still there, but they're under a different
finger.
For example, going from Am box 1 to Am box 2 you lose the lowest A root at the
fifth fret of the low E string but you gain the D fourth at the 10th fret of the
high E string. At the same time notes that were under the first finger are now
under the third or fourth finger and vice versa.
3. The sixth string and the first string are always the same. They're 2 octaves
apart and exactly the same notes, so exactly the same fingering.
4. When you skip a box, say going from box 1 to box 3, the fingering shifts up
one string so what you fingered on the A through high E strings is now fingered on the
low E through B strings. Keep in mind though that you'll still have to account for
the interval difference in the B-G strings so that your box 1 fingering of the
B string moves down one fret when it moves to the G string and vice versa.
This also applies if you move from say box 1 to box 5 except now you'll shift up
two strings. And the reverse, going from box 3 to box 1 the fingering shifts down
a string, again with the G-B string fret shift.
5. You can handle both major and minor pentatonic scales over the entire neck if
you know three five-note fingering patterns. In the live session on Monday Griff
emphasized knowing the root notes and this works really well when you think about
it from that perspective rather than "boxes."
For the minor pentatonic, the fingering patterns are the lowest five notes of box 1
and the lowest five notes of box 5. For major pentatonic the patterns are the lowest
five notes of box 2 and the second-sixth notes of box 1. So it's just one note
different from the minor pattern.
Connecting this to Monday's session, the minor box 1 pattern is a right-facing
pattern and the box 5 pattern is left-facing. Same applies to the major patterns.
6. The right- and left-facing five note patterns connect to form your boxes. For example,
when you finish playing the right-facing pattern from the sixth string root, the
next note is a root starting a left-facing pattern. The patterns will alternate
this way to form the boxes we know.
That's about it. Hopefully this makes some sense and helps make the fretboard appear a lot less
complicated.
me way too long to realize. Maybe this will save some of you some time.
If you're struggling with the boxes and which box to play over what chord some
of this may help as well. Hopefully it won't confuse anyone further.
1. All of the boxes have the same notes. Period. The pitch of the note may be
different but the notes are the same and in pentatonic scales there are only five
notes.
The implication of this is that boxes aren't tied to specific chords;
chord voicings yes, but not chords. Since all the boxes have the same notes, you
can use any one you feel like.
2. When you move from one box to the next, you lose the lowest pitch and gain a
higher pitch. All the other pitches are still there, but they're under a different
finger.
For example, going from Am box 1 to Am box 2 you lose the lowest A root at the
fifth fret of the low E string but you gain the D fourth at the 10th fret of the
high E string. At the same time notes that were under the first finger are now
under the third or fourth finger and vice versa.
3. The sixth string and the first string are always the same. They're 2 octaves
apart and exactly the same notes, so exactly the same fingering.
4. When you skip a box, say going from box 1 to box 3, the fingering shifts up
one string so what you fingered on the A through high E strings is now fingered on the
low E through B strings. Keep in mind though that you'll still have to account for
the interval difference in the B-G strings so that your box 1 fingering of the
B string moves down one fret when it moves to the G string and vice versa.
This also applies if you move from say box 1 to box 5 except now you'll shift up
two strings. And the reverse, going from box 3 to box 1 the fingering shifts down
a string, again with the G-B string fret shift.
5. You can handle both major and minor pentatonic scales over the entire neck if
you know three five-note fingering patterns. In the live session on Monday Griff
emphasized knowing the root notes and this works really well when you think about
it from that perspective rather than "boxes."
For the minor pentatonic, the fingering patterns are the lowest five notes of box 1
and the lowest five notes of box 5. For major pentatonic the patterns are the lowest
five notes of box 2 and the second-sixth notes of box 1. So it's just one note
different from the minor pattern.
Connecting this to Monday's session, the minor box 1 pattern is a right-facing
pattern and the box 5 pattern is left-facing. Same applies to the major patterns.
6. The right- and left-facing five note patterns connect to form your boxes. For example,
when you finish playing the right-facing pattern from the sixth string root, the
next note is a root starting a left-facing pattern. The patterns will alternate
this way to form the boxes we know.
That's about it. Hopefully this makes some sense and helps make the fretboard appear a lot less
complicated.