Hi Arno,

Thank you for this too ?

A friend of mine, Joel, also taught me this trick!
But, if you dont mind me asking, there is something i dont understand all too well!

Do you ALWAYS have to play the minor pentatonic from the root on the 6th string?

Meaning, E will always be from open 6, F from fret 1 on 6, G from fret 3, A from fret 5, B from fret 7, C from fret 8, D from fret 10 and E from fret 12??

This is good stuff Arno

Norman86 wrote: Hi Arno,

Thank you for this too ?

A friend of mine, Joel, also taught me this trick!
But, if you dont mind me asking, there is something i dont understand all too well!

Do you ALWAYS have to play the minor pentatonic from the root on the 6th string?

Meaning, E will always be from open 6, F from fret 1 on 6, G from fret 3, A from fret 5, B from fret 7, C from fret 8, D from fret 10 and E from fret 12??

I think, and I'm sure Arno will correct me if I'm wrong, there are 5 different positions for the pentatonic scale. I've only managed to watch the first 2 or 3 minutes of the video, but it appears that the scale Arno is talking about in the video is the minor pentatonic position 1. Positions 2, 3, 4, and 5 start at the other notes of the scale, the ones you have mentioned, in accordance with your modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian etc.) which you can also use, as long as the note upon which you end a "run" is suitable for the key you're playing in...

Norman86 wrote: Hi Arno,

Thank you for this too ?

A friend of mine, Joel, also taught me this trick!
But, if you dont mind me asking, there is something i dont understand all too well!

Do you ALWAYS have to play the minor pentatonic from the root on the 6th string?

Meaning, E will always be from open 6, F from fret 1 on 6, G from fret 3, A from fret 5, B from fret 7, C from fret 8, D from fret 10 and E from fret 12??

Absolutely spot on Vellaj.You can start on any note in the scale as long as the position is right - the root note moves according to key of song and all the other notes moves in relation to root. You can skip notes, skip strings do just about anything and it will be ok. I have managed to produce some bum notes this way, but its all in the name of experimentation...using the scale in G, A and E works best cos you can go up an octave to take it up a notch and the position of the notes stay the same.

Joe Moore wrote:

VellaJ wrote:
I think, and I'm sure Arno will correct me if I'm wrong, there are 5 different positions for the pentatonic scale. I've only managed to watch the first 2 or 3 minutes of the video, but it appears that the scale Arno is talking about in the video is the minor pentatonic position 1. Positions 2, 3, 4, and 5 start at the other notes of the scale, the ones you have mentioned, in accordance with your modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian etc.) which you can also use, as long as the note upon which you end a "run" is suitable for the key you're playing in...

@ VellaJ , 100 % correct , however.....the very mention of modes is what normally leads to longwinded, hard to understand posts. Especially to those that have no formal training ....just sayin, :-[

Yeah I figured this to be the case ? Just thought I'd put it in there in order to mention where these other positions come from...

Sorry Dudes, this is as far as I am gonna go with scales...don't wanna give away all my secrets. Next lesson: Wishbone Ash's Throw down the sword. I am in the mood for twin harmony guitar bollocks (with a Pentatonic Minor solo in Am at the end ofcourse...he he)

Sorry Dudes, this is as far as I am gonna go with scales...don't wanna give away all my secrets

Uhmmmm..... why not?

evolucian wrote:

Sorry Dudes, this is as far as I am gonna go with scales...don't wanna give away all my secrets

Uhmmmm..... why not?

Don't have that many to start with...but don't 'fret', I will slowly put them out there over the next few months. Thanks for all the positive comments guys, much appreciated.

Talking about 'tricks'...here's my little trick that isn't actually a trick but kind of useful...it's a trick for idiots like myself and guitarists who didn't do very well at maths at school. ?

Learn the different mode positions...don't over think it, for the moment just learn them like a parrot.
In this exercise ignore the names of the modes, don't think of it like you're learning the modes (like Joel says that will stress some of US out), think of it like you're learning some fingering exercises, or think of it like you're learning the different positions of the major scale.

OK...hope I'm making sense here?

So now you've done that, you've learnt and practised those 'mode/major scale' positions all over the neck.
Now, practise the same thing but only on 2 strings at a time, any two strings, or three strings, whatever, you know the mode/major scale patterns so you shouldn't have a problem practising on only 2 or 3 strings starting at the open position and moving/sliding up the neck into the next positions.

Now, concentrate on your fingers as you're doing this, drop your index finger on any note anywhere on the neck, makes no difference where you are on the neck, whatever note you start on just start playing the patterns you learnt and you're safe, you're soloing in that key all over the neck just by using the mode patterns you learnt.

Without actually knowing it those mode patterns taught you the major scales, the minor scales, you've learnt how to slide into the 'next' position of all those scales, etc, etc, etc.
Have you actually learnt to use the modes correctly, the way modes are meant to be used, NO, YOU HAVEN'T...but, that wasn't the point of my exercise, the point of the exercise was to trick you into learning the mode patterns inadvertently you learnt something else.

Now, if you're a really clever dude like some guys here, I'm not one of them, you can now, if you so choose, learn to use the modes to their fullest potential, the way they're really meant to be used.

Someone asked about the other positions (5 of them or whatever). If you know the basic Minor pentatonic position you can figure the rest out by finding those same notes all round the fretboard. I wouldn't advise you to learn the boxes, as they're sometimes called, just look for the same notes all round the fretboard, then you'll be able to move freely around the fretboard in that one key. Just shift the pattern accordingly for other keys. This is very very basic solo technique and will help with most rock and blues, but you'll need to learn more theory if you want to actively utilize other modes to play more interesting stuff. This is the next thing I must look at (but I'm SO lazy). ? Now, how to switch from major to minor in a song without making it sound like a cat fight...

ez wrote: Someone asked about the other positions (5 of them or whatever). If you know the basic Minor pentatonic position you can figure the rest out by finding those same notes all round the fretboard. I wouldn't advise you to learn the boxes, as they're sometimes called, just look for the same notes all round the fretboard, then you'll be able to move freely around the fretboard in that one key. Just shift the pattern accordingly for other keys. This is very very basic solo technique and will help with most rock and blues, but you'll need to learn more theory if you want to actively utilize other modes to play more interesting stuff. This is the next thing I must look at (but I'm SO lazy). ? Now, how to switch from major to minor in a song without making it sound like a cat fight...

Yup all true...talking about catfights, I'm off to Samro now to argue with them about royalty payments. Great.

So I guess we are talking about Relative Minors here then ...... nice trick and easy to remember.

Great Vid. No offence when I say this, but if everyone took a little time to learn music theory, this would be known by all.

If your serious about your instrument... Learn the theory. It actually is quite fun

Adrian Rogowski wrote:
If your serious about your instrument... Learn the theory. It actually is quite fun

+1

theory is worth the effort and not difficult if you have a good tutor........

But you ARE learning some theory or applied theory. To use this method you have to know what key you are in & to know which position of the fret board to play from.

PS: you have just taken a lesson.

Joe Moore wrote:

Keira WitherKay wrote:

Adrian Rogowski wrote:
If your serious about your instrument... Learn the theory. It actually is quite fun

+1

theory is worth the effort and not difficult if you have a good tutor........

Not disagreeing with either of you per se' , but i believe that the jist of this particular thread is to show people that one can get very far doing things this way , without learning the theory or taking lessons .........my 2c

Agreed.
But I don't think the pentatonic scale is a trick or a secret.
Gilmour uses the pentatonic & minor scale in almost every one of his solos.

Actually, the pentatonic scale is theory.

Nog 'n PS: I'm not trying to belittle Arno's contribution. I'm just saying that you can learn theory in a lesson without sitting in a dusty study with a crusty old teacher who raps you across the knuckles every time you say "rock 'n roll".

Joe Moore wrote:

Tokai SA wrote:
Agreed.
But I don't think the pentatonic scale is a trick or a secret.
Gilmour uses the pentatonic & minor scale in almost every one of his solos.
Actually, the pentatonic scale is theory.

The point is being missed here imo .
The tricks , secrets and seemingly hocus -pocus methods being used by the likes of Arno , myself and many others, is that whilst we don't talk about the deeper more theory based names of scales , modes , structures (or whatever else the jargon is ).......we are actually applying them , but we dont know the names of them .......how else can I put this :-[

P.S ....I'm referring to myself not knowing the exact jargon , I'm not saying Arno and others do or don't, they can answer this themselves.

I understand what you're saying.

Instead of using the name of the scale use the word "patterns".
Just like I said on my little exercise, don't use the word modes or for that matter major scales, just learn the patterns like a parrot, that way you trick yourself into learning the entire fretboard without using the word modes or scales...it's just a bunch of patterns.
Yours and Arno's trick is the same thing.

Problem is, music teachers shit themselves when they read this. ?