12 Responses to "Help! I’m in a pentatonic box and can’t get out!"

• oracle 02:40 PM 28/4/2008

  When I was first learning the boxes, this video help a little in breaking beyond the boxes.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qw03-3gFg
• oracle 11:40 PM 27/4/2008

  When I was first learning the boxes, this video help a little in breaking beyond the boxes.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qw03-3gFg
• Michael Moncur 05:01 PM 28/4/2008

  This is probably the obvious response, but i’ve been getting a lot out of “Blues You can Use” by John Ganapes.

  It starts with the boxes, but goes on from there (and there are two sequel books) – what I like best is the example sheet music (and CD track) for each section, which is always something more than simple scales.
• Michael Moncur 02:01 AM 28/4/2008

  This is probably the obvious response, but i've been getting a lot out of “Blues You can Use” by John Ganapes.

  It starts with the boxes, but goes on from there (and there are two sequel books) – what I like best is the example sheet music (and CD track) for each section, which is always something more than simple scales.
• Wookie 07:39 PM 28/4/2008

  Wow.. Thank you. I’m ordering my copies from Amazon right now. That is exactly what I’m after.
• Wookie 04:39 AM 28/4/2008

  Wow.. Thank you. I'm ordering my copies from Amazon right now. That is exactly what I'm after.
• Wookie 07:40 PM 28/4/2008

  That is very cool. I’ve added that to my growing list of YouTube favourites. I was going to come up with something similar for drills myself, but the way he describes it makes it much more useful.
• Wookie 04:40 AM 28/4/2008

  That is very cool. I've added that to my growing list of YouTube favourites. I was going to come up with something similar for drills myself, but the way he describes it makes it much more useful.
• IG 12:36 PM 29/4/2008

  One thing you should do too, is listen to some of the great blues players, pay attention to their licks, and try to play them using the pentatonic scale.

  Like, say you get an Albert King CD. Pick a song, figure out they key (that way you know what pentatonic scale to use), then hum licks and parts of solos in your head, and try to find some of the most obvious notes in the pentatonic scale.

  The goal really is to internalize each scale note in you and know where to go when you hear a lick in your head. That’s the beauty of the pentatonic scale, that you can depart from any of its notes and come right back. Each note has its little branch of places to go. So, when you know in your blood what each note sounds like, you free yourself up with the scale and just run with it.

  Like, for example, you should know where the flat 7ths are in the pentatonic scale, since that note is one of the scale’s most go-to notes. Stuff like that.

  The pentatonic scale is way too fun, also very rhythmically inclined. Schweet.

  IG
• IG 09:36 PM 28/4/2008

  One thing you should do too, is listen to some of the great blues players, pay attention to their licks, and try to play them using the pentatonic scale.

  Like, say you get an Albert King CD. Pick a song, figure out they key (that way you know what pentatonic scale to use), then hum licks and parts of solos in your head, and try to find some of the most obvious notes in the pentatonic scale.

  The goal really is to internalize each scale note in you and know where to go when you hear a lick in your head. That's the beauty of the pentatonic scale, that you can depart from any of its notes and come right back. Each note has its little branch of places to go. So, when you know in your blood what each note sounds like, you free yourself up with the scale and just run with it.

  Like, for example, you should know where the flat 7ths are in the pentatonic scale, since that note is one of the scale's most go-to notes. Stuff like that.

  The pentatonic scale is way too fun, also very rhythmically inclined. Schweet.

  IG
• Sammy 07:38 AM 02/5/2008

  Hey Oracle, that’s a great tip! That YouTube vid is great. It’s similar to the Dan Denley series on two-string and 3-string pentatonics. Excellent!
• Sammy 04:38 PM 01/5/2008

  Hey Oracle, that's a great tip! That YouTube vid is great. It's similar to the Dan Denley series on two-string and 3-string pentatonics. Excellent!