Pentatonic Solo Guitar
Algernon Alcala
Typically, lead guitar players (at least the good ones) don't simply run through an entire scale and try to pass it off as their own solo. The reason is that scales are structural. They are a static construct.
In other words, they're templates and not finished products. Thus, using them properly and effectively to create lead guitar patterns means we have to view them as structural templates for building melody.
Whether consciously, or simply out of habit, most guitar players start early building a distnict familiarity with simple pentatonic scales and patterns. The reason is that most common forms of the pentatonic scale (particularly minor pentatonics) allow you to avoid tripletes.
As you can tell, this is far more labor-intensive for your hands and fingers than the familiar dual interval patterns offered by many pentatonic scales. You'll notice the above tab is in 3/4 time, which means we have three beats per measure, thus we can't divide each measure into two, like we would in 4/4 time.
This is how we can take short segments of pentatonic scales to develop familiar templates and structures that will help us build better solos and melodies. Pentatonic scales make this process easier because they can be quickly recalled and are extremely easy to improvise, considering the 1-2, 1-2 cadence.
Now, to bring the melody higher, let's focus on the notes from the three highest strings. Once we have a pattern developed there, we can bring the two shapes together, going from low to high or vice versa.
We've taken three simple pentatonic scale segments and built an entirely unique and melodic solo. We've also developed a familiarity with three different soloing "templates" (each expanding on the one prior) that can be utilized at any fret and in any key.
This is why I don't often find myself memorizing entire pentatonic scales. While that practice does have value, I'm far more likely to make progress with a small sample as opposed to a larger group of notes.
And this process can be followed regardless of the scale or mode you're using. Any time you have a sequence of notes that resolve, you can arrange, apply technique and establish timing as you see fit. You're probably better off spending your time doing that as opposed to simply memorizing one scale after another.
To be clear, this is a small piece of the theory puzzle involved with scales and building solos. However, knowing this component will allow you to take a scale and do something with it, instead of just bank it in your memory without serving a purpose.
His questions and fascination with rock music and the history of rock helped me realize the responsibility that we older players have in passing along our experiences much in the same manner as the music store guys, older players from my neighborhood and seasoned pros on the bandstand did for me.
Double-stops, sixths, Chuck Berry licks are displayed in the solo. Also, boogie bass riffs and sliding chords are used to make up the rhythm parts. The perfect building blocks for future guitar hero status.
For our purposes, I encourage you to check out the Los Lobos version where guitarist, Cesar Rosas, performs some flashy, open-string runs that are based on the C major scale complete with hammerons, pulloffs and tremolo picking. Not exactly an easy solo, but, some great exercises to get that major scale under your fingers.
The solos between the verses use unison licks, bluesy phrasing, fluid hammerons and pulloffs, legato melodies, etc. The list just goes on and on. All well placed, majestically executed and, more importantly, appropriate for the song.
You wanna feel like a rock star? Add this tune to your setlist and play it for the rowdy crowd type. Adoring fans (draped in leather and covered with tattoos) will raise a beer glass while shouting the lyrics.
The solo uses the C shape of the E minor pentatonic scale. Keith Richards uses agitated licks that are skillfully placed while showing restraint by using space between his 16th-note bursts. He then uses whole-step and quarter-step bends to add some emotion.
Leslie West begins with the G major pentatonic shape over the E chord riff. He uses beautiful, melodic bends that reference the melody. When the chords transitions to the A chord riff, he shifts the pattern up a whole step to A major. More lyrical bending and strong vibrato.
What a great riff! This song is what rock is all about. The Who would use this as their closing number during live shows that ended with Pete Townshend smashing his guitar and Keith Moon destroying his drum set (and many hotel rooms a few hours after the show ended).
I use the first solo to teach arpeggios, chord tones, target-tone playing and how to play over changes.The second solo is a perfect example of effective use of the pentatonic scale. Too many young players put their heads down and throw every lick and technique that they can muster in that box pattern without playing a melody. Professor Gilmour takes us all to school with this masterful display of fretwork.
Glenn Frey was a bonafide rock star prior to his solo career. As a founding member of The Eagles, he shared lead vocal and songwriting duties with the equally great Don Henley. However, his guitar work was overshadowed (and rightfully so) by Joe Walsh, Don Felder and, in the end, Steuart Smith.
Although guitarists, Phil Collen and Steve Clarke, can burn up the fretboard, their playing on this tune displays a masterful sensitivity to melody. The guitar lines are performed with beautiful vibrato (finger and whammy bar), slides, hammerons, and pulloffs.
From the parent scale of C major, it is also possible to form two other major pentatonic scales from the same selection of notes. The first of which is F major pentatonic. The notes of the F major pentatonic scale are as follows:
Similarly to before, although we are thinking G major pentatonic here, we are actually playing the 5th, 6th, 7th, 2nd and 3rd degrees of the C major scale if we are improvising over a chord progression in the key of C major.
You can also find the shape of F major pentatonic position 4 contained within C major scale position 1. Below is a diagram of C major scale position 1 with the notes of F major pentatonic highlighted:
This is similar to an idea that I created in my mixing minor pentatonic examples. It descends through each different pentatonic pattern on the high E, B and G strings before resolving to a nice slide to the 3rd of C major (E.)
This idea only uses F major and G major pentatonic over a C chord, but it does demonstrate a nice F major arpeggio before shifting between each scale, ending on a semitone bend on the G string to the 11th of C (F.)
This final lick, although longer than the other two, demonstrates the amount of harmonic interest you can add to C major pentatonic just by weaving in a few passages from F and G major pentatonic. You may notcie that it always switches back to C major pentatonic after each new sequence, this was deliberate.
I hope you have enjoyed this final part to my Mixing Pentatonic series. Make sure you figure out these ideas in all 12 keys, as well as all 5 positions of your major scale for maximum effect. Until next time, have fun and keep improving your guitar skills.
The pentatonic scale really needs no introduction. It truly is a safety net for any budding guitarist, and usually is the first scale you learn when starting out soloing on the guitar. It is commonly used in rock, jazz, blues and metal. This 5-note scale works in almost any context!
The pentatonic scale is made up of the following degrees: 1 b3 4 5 b7. Most guitarists are usually familiar with the first position:
In this example, we are trying to create a rhythmic shift by adding silence in between the first two groups of four notes in the bar.
You can make your playing more original by using that rhythmic shift trick.
Guitar player Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) uses those rhythmic motifs as lot as part of his solos.
The fast alternate picking technique is a trademark of guitarist John Petrucci (Dream Theater).In order to make this lick sound as good as it can, I recommend you use distortion and palm muting for the alternate picking parts.
This concept will allow you to make your interpretation of the pattern more interesting by breaking away from the linear aspect of a lick played only in alternate picking or legato.
Feel free to experiment with it on other licks!
This lick will take you through a large portion of the neck in very little time. It could almost be used as an exercise to work on left-hand moves and alternate picking.
The concept is fairly simple: play the five positions of the scale horizontally, focusing only on the D and G strings.
To make the lick less linear, I advise you to alternate between regular notes and palm-muted ones.
Caution: this is a flashy lick! You may not know this yet, but the guitar allows you to easily play the pentatonic scale on three octaves.
In this example, you will play the same three notes from the pentatonic scale on three octaves on your guitar.
This lick really works to start off or finish a solo. It takes you very quickly from a low note to a very high note, hence its flashy effect.
Tapping is a technique I seldom use, but it can be a very interesting one in order to create wide intervals between the notes you play.
This example uses tapping with string skipping, and only the most technically proficient guitarists will be able to play it!
This little technical challenge should keep you busy during your long winter nights!
If you use the root notes (black circles) as a reference for where the scale starts, then you can see that the five notes are repeated a little over two times over the span of almost two and a half octaves.
As you can see, the minor pentatonic scale starts on the same note as the major pentatonic shape but uses a different pattern. One is made up of notes included in the key of G major, while the other is made up of notes included in the key of G minor.
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