Re: Music Theory - Griff's Thoughts, Books...
- Thread starter MikeS
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MAJOR OVER I MINOR OVER IV & V
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GRIFF
This is a really powerful concept, the most powerful one you can get a handle on throughout the whole course. What important, however, is to separate the concept of major/minor and how you play it.
First, the concept:
Every minor key has a relative major key and vice versa. That means that when you are playing A minor blues, you are also playing C major blues, you just don't think of it that way. When you are playing D major blues, you are also playing B minor blues, you just don't think of it that way.
Notice that the only difference between A minor and C major is your perspective. I can't emphasize that point enough. It's all in how you look at it.
It is also true that the relative major key is always 3 frets above the relative minor key. That is why the relative major of A minor is C major. C major is 3 frets higher than A minor. For you theory geeks, in a major scale, the 6th tone is the relative minor and there is 1 1/2 steps from the root down to the 6th... hence the 3 frets.
Notice I've not talked at all about how to play this. You first have to wrap your head around the fact that no matter what box you play, and no matter where, you are playing 2 different scales depending on how you choose to look at it.
Second, how to play it:
The whole "5 box" concept doesn't care how you look at it. All of the 5 boxes connect the same way all the time. If you put box 1 on A, box2 will start on C (8) box 3 on D (10) box 4 on E (12) and box 5 on G (15 or 3). If I decide to look at that as the key of C major, nothing changes.
The reason I use the "minor is box 1, major is box 2" is because most people are comfortable finding root notes on the 6th string. So if you have all 5 boxes in front of you, box 1 will start on the note that is the minor key you are in, and box 2 will start on the note that is the major key you are in. This means that if you can put box 2 on a root note you need, you can find your major key quickly and the other 4 boxes all fall in to line just like they normally would.
So, between my explanation and the several others here, all of which combined give a great overview of this whole concept, I think it should be clear as mud. If it still doesn't make sense, let us know.
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JohnC[/b]
If you want to play Major / minor at the same position one example as follows (most common)
Assume the chord progression, A7, D7, E7
For the A7, Play Major, use box 2 root at (Fret 5, string 6)
For the D7 and E7, Play minor, use box 1 root at (fret 5, string 6)
For doing the same at other positions you could do the same but because the root wont be on the 6th string in those cases you would need to practice each position and know how they layer over each other.
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JohnC
Couldn't help myself,
Another way to look at it; I find this fairly simple to do once you know your 5 boxes (patterns)
If you start with the Major over the I chord using any of the 5 patterns (boxes) in their respective neck positions. Whatever box you are in at the time simply slide the whole box up 3 frets and you are now in the minor.
To go back to Major just reverse it slide down 3 frets.
Example in the case of A7 play box 1 starting from F# (fret2) string 6 (fat one) This is Major
When the progression goes to D7 and E7, slide that box 1 up 3 frets to starting at the A (fret 5) string 6. Now you are in the minor
Next time through start with box 2 at the A (root) This is Major again
For D7 and E7 slide box 2 up 3 frets to C (fret 8) now you are in the minor
Box 3 starting on B (7th fret) Major. slide up 3 to to D (10th) minor.
and so on
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GRIFF
This is a really powerful concept, the most powerful one you can get a handle on throughout the whole course. What important, however, is to separate the concept of major/minor and how you play it.
First, the concept:
Every minor key has a relative major key and vice versa. That means that when you are playing A minor blues, you are also playing C major blues, you just don't think of it that way. When you are playing D major blues, you are also playing B minor blues, you just don't think of it that way.
Notice that the only difference between A minor and C major is your perspective. I can't emphasize that point enough. It's all in how you look at it.
It is also true that the relative major key is always 3 frets above the relative minor key. That is why the relative major of A minor is C major. C major is 3 frets higher than A minor. For you theory geeks, in a major scale, the 6th tone is the relative minor and there is 1 1/2 steps from the root down to the 6th... hence the 3 frets.
Notice I've not talked at all about how to play this. You first have to wrap your head around the fact that no matter what box you play, and no matter where, you are playing 2 different scales depending on how you choose to look at it.
Second, how to play it:
The whole "5 box" concept doesn't care how you look at it. All of the 5 boxes connect the same way all the time. If you put box 1 on A, box2 will start on C (8) box 3 on D (10) box 4 on E (12) and box 5 on G (15 or 3). If I decide to look at that as the key of C major, nothing changes.
The reason I use the "minor is box 1, major is box 2" is because most people are comfortable finding root notes on the 6th string. So if you have all 5 boxes in front of you, box 1 will start on the note that is the minor key you are in, and box 2 will start on the note that is the major key you are in. This means that if you can put box 2 on a root note you need, you can find your major key quickly and the other 4 boxes all fall in to line just like they normally would.
So, between my explanation and the several others here, all of which combined give a great overview of this whole concept, I think it should be clear as mud. If it still doesn't make sense, let us know.
-------------------------------------------
JohnC[/b]
If you want to play Major / minor at the same position one example as follows (most common)
Assume the chord progression, A7, D7, E7
For the A7, Play Major, use box 2 root at (Fret 5, string 6)
For the D7 and E7, Play minor, use box 1 root at (fret 5, string 6)
For doing the same at other positions you could do the same but because the root wont be on the 6th string in those cases you would need to practice each position and know how they layer over each other.
-------------------------------------------
JohnC
Couldn't help myself,
Another way to look at it; I find this fairly simple to do once you know your 5 boxes (patterns)
If you start with the Major over the I chord using any of the 5 patterns (boxes) in their respective neck positions. Whatever box you are in at the time simply slide the whole box up 3 frets and you are now in the minor.
To go back to Major just reverse it slide down 3 frets.
Example in the case of A7 play box 1 starting from F# (fret2) string 6 (fat one) This is Major
When the progression goes to D7 and E7, slide that box 1 up 3 frets to starting at the A (fret 5) string 6. Now you are in the minor
Next time through start with box 2 at the A (root) This is Major again
For D7 and E7 slide box 2 up 3 frets to C (fret 8) now you are in the minor
Box 3 starting on B (7th fret) Major. slide up 3 to to D (10th) minor.
and so on
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