I'm confused. I was taught a relative minor scale E.G. E min for G maj. In the solos in G when playing the major blues scale over the 1 chord Griff plays E alot. I know that's the 6 in the Key of G but I don't see it in either the Major Blues scale of Minor Pentatonic. Is he getting that note by playing the relative minor scale? Many thanks.
Relative minor vs major blues
- Thread starter Guerra
- Start date
OG_Blues
Guitar Geezer
Hi Guerra,
Welcome!
You are correct that E is the 6th in the key of G major.
E is one of the notes in the major blues scale in the key of G - I'm not sure why you are thinking it is not.
For example, in SBS, starting on page 25 and going through page 37, are examples of the major blues scale in different positions in the key of G, all of which contain E.
Am I misunderstanding your question?
Tom
Welcome!
You are correct that E is the 6th in the key of G major.
E is one of the notes in the major blues scale in the key of G - I'm not sure why you are thinking it is not.
For example, in SBS, starting on page 25 and going through page 37, are examples of the major blues scale in different positions in the key of G, all of which contain E.
Am I misunderstanding your question?
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your help. I can play the solos I just have trouble analysing them. I've been confused by different books and teachers defining the various blues scales differently. I was taught that the G major Blues Scale was G Bb B C F. And, most of the notes you access via what you call G Major Blues I access via a E relative minor blues scale.
I have friend who is a master jazz & blue guitarist. When I ask him these theory questions he's stumped cause he just uses the Pentatonic scale for everything and adds and bends to notes that sound good. Argh.
Best,
John
Thanks for your help. I can play the solos I just have trouble analysing them. I've been confused by different books and teachers defining the various blues scales differently. I was taught that the G major Blues Scale was G Bb B C F. And, most of the notes you access via what you call G Major Blues I access via a E relative minor blues scale.
I have friend who is a master jazz & blue guitarist. When I ask him these theory questions he's stumped cause he just uses the Pentatonic scale for everything and adds and bends to notes that sound good. Argh.
Best,
John
OG_Blues
Guitar Geezer
John,
Obviously things can get confusing when a person sees different definitions for the same thing, and trust that it is correct, even though it may not be. I have never seen the G major blues scale defined as you have noted, but I am not disputing that someone did define it that way - but it is certainly not the generally accepted definition.
You are correct that the major and relative minor scales can be used interchangeably depending on whether a major or minor sound is desired, and what chord you are playing over.
If you are studying SBS, I assume that you have familiarity with the boxes. In the key of G, by playing the box1 pattern at the 3rd fret you get the minor sound, and if you play the box 2 pattern at the same position, you get the major sound. This is really just a different way of looking at or achieving what you described and may be helpful if you have not yet encountered this approach.
In my experience, Griff's definitions and methods match up with the classic or generally accepted definitions and methods of approaching the blues. If you have not yet gone through BGU, I would highly recommend it before tackling SBS.
My advice would be to stick with Griff's materials, and ignore anything that you see that conflicts with it.
And most importantly, let your ears be your guide.
As you progress deeper into SBS, most of this becomes secondary if not irrelevant, because you learn to play one of the 4 left and right facing patterns from a chosen root note.
Then you get to the every chord is 1 concept using the composite blues scale (major and minor combined) which is another leap forward.
While a person can grab a lot of good licks from the solos in SBS, if that's all you are doing without successfully being able to analyze why they work, you are missing the whole point of the course and should step back and figure that out.
Ask as many questions as you wish - there are lots of people here to help, and answering questions is also a good way to reinforce one's own knowledge and memory
Tom
Obviously things can get confusing when a person sees different definitions for the same thing, and trust that it is correct, even though it may not be. I have never seen the G major blues scale defined as you have noted, but I am not disputing that someone did define it that way - but it is certainly not the generally accepted definition.
You are correct that the major and relative minor scales can be used interchangeably depending on whether a major or minor sound is desired, and what chord you are playing over.
If you are studying SBS, I assume that you have familiarity with the boxes. In the key of G, by playing the box1 pattern at the 3rd fret you get the minor sound, and if you play the box 2 pattern at the same position, you get the major sound. This is really just a different way of looking at or achieving what you described and may be helpful if you have not yet encountered this approach.
In my experience, Griff's definitions and methods match up with the classic or generally accepted definitions and methods of approaching the blues. If you have not yet gone through BGU, I would highly recommend it before tackling SBS.
My advice would be to stick with Griff's materials, and ignore anything that you see that conflicts with it.
And most importantly, let your ears be your guide.
As you progress deeper into SBS, most of this becomes secondary if not irrelevant, because you learn to play one of the 4 left and right facing patterns from a chosen root note.
Then you get to the every chord is 1 concept using the composite blues scale (major and minor combined) which is another leap forward.
While a person can grab a lot of good licks from the solos in SBS, if that's all you are doing without successfully being able to analyze why they work, you are missing the whole point of the course and should step back and figure that out.
Ask as many questions as you wish - there are lots of people here to help, and answering questions is also a good way to reinforce one's own knowledge and memory
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the encouragement. I have done BGU and the Rhythm Fills courses. The funny thing is that the guy who taught me the Major blues scale that I described has done many books for Hal Leonard and others and has backed up most of the major blues acts. He also taught me the every chord is one concept. But he also said that the goal was to get to the point where you realise that there are no wrong notes - it's how you use them. He was also big on micro-tones cause he said those approximated the African root music more closely. He is a hell of a musician. Anyway, I'll continue to woodshed and pester you and others with questions.
Best,
John
Thanks for the encouragement. I have done BGU and the Rhythm Fills courses. The funny thing is that the guy who taught me the Major blues scale that I described has done many books for Hal Leonard and others and has backed up most of the major blues acts. He also taught me the every chord is one concept. But he also said that the goal was to get to the point where you realise that there are no wrong notes - it's how you use them. He was also big on micro-tones cause he said those approximated the African root music more closely. He is a hell of a musician. Anyway, I'll continue to woodshed and pester you and others with questions.
Best,
John
david moon
Attempting the Blues
Before all those leaps forward, my basic understanding is that the minor pentatonic scale ( of the relative minor) has the same notes as the major pentatonic.
So Em E G A B D E
G maj G A B D E G
You can play a lick over a G bass and it will sound major, the same lick over a E bass will sound minor.
The "blue note" is A#/Bb, and is a b5 in the minor scale and a b3 in the major scale.
Make any sense?
So Em E G A B D E
G maj G A B D E G
You can play a lick over a G bass and it will sound major, the same lick over a E bass will sound minor.
The "blue note" is A#/Bb, and is a b5 in the minor scale and a b3 in the major scale.
Make any sense?
david moon
Attempting the Blues
I'm still learning what to play over what chord, but I think the explanation of major vs.relative minor is correct.