Once again I’ve found that an email reply I made to a Logical Lead Guitar student can help others understand an important concept — in this case how to determine whether to use a major or minor Pentatonic scale pattern for the song you’re learning.

Here are some questions asked by Julien in Switzerland, along with my replies…

From: Julien [mailto:julien
To: 'Adam St. James'
Subject: Question

 Hi Adam,

I’m working my way through Logical Lead Guitar and have the pentatonic more or less (finger) memorized… the problem I have is applying them to music (songs..). For example I am strumming along with something which is played (just for example) in the key of ‘F’ –so I play the first position pentatonic starting on the first fret 6^th string – and it doesn’t fit??? What am I missing? Do I have to start on the relative minor? And where do I go when the chord changes?

 Thanks for your help – I’ll get there one day !!!

 Julien 

From: Adam@LogicalLeadGuitar.com [mailto:adam@logicalleadguitar.com]
Sent: 03 February 2010 08:49
To: Julien
Subject: Re: Question

Julien,

You might be running into the issue of major vs. minor.

Yes, it’s true, the main pentatonic pattern will work better over a minor chord than a major chord. Such a huge majority of the rock music of the past 50 years has been based on minor chords — or power chords which lack a major or minor definition — that the main pentatonic pattern usually works.

If it doesn’t, it is probably because the song/chord you’re playing is major.

In this case, you need to learn to adjust a minor pentatonic pattern and play it focusing on the relative major root notes. From your message I think you understand this to some degree…

In your example, the F chord — if played as a major chord — is the Relative Major of the pattern you’re trying to play. So if you play an F major chord, your choices are:

1) play the second pentatonic pattern beginning on F

2) play the main pent pattern beginning on D (10th fret). D is the relative minor/F is the relative major. If you put the main pent pattern at the 10th fret (D minor/F major), but you play phrases which focus on the F notes, rather than the D notes, you’ll be playing major riffs, which should fit better over your F major chord.

I hope this is helpful!

Just keep working your way through the patterns and it will all become more and more clear as you go along.

Everything in the Logical Lead Guitar course took me years to figure out…

Keep on playin’,

Adam

*********************************

And here is a follow-up you can learn from as well:

—– Original Message —–
From: Julien
To: ‘Adam@LogicalLeadGuitar.com’
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 2:29 PM
Subject: RE: Question

Thanks Adam – I have to sit down and work this out a bit, one thing that struck me today as I was playing along with a cd – it seemed to me to work if lets say the song was in the key of G – so I played pattern two starting on G on the 6th string third fret – the question is – is this true for all keys ? if yes – then I’ve got it licked !!!!

Thanks again

Cheers for now Snowy Switzerland !!

**********

My response:

Julien,

Yes, you’ve got it.

In your latest example, you’re playing in the key of G major — which is the relative major of E minor.

To play in G major you would/could play the second Pentatonic pattern with your second finger starting on G at the third fret of the sixth string, as you have figured out.

You can also play all the rest of the Pentatonic patterns exactly where they would then fall…

If you use the key of A minor/C major I used for the examples in Logical Lead Guitar as a starting point, you’ve now moved the second pattern down from the 8th fret to the 3rd fret. This five fret move has changed you from the key of C major (my examples in LLG), to the key of G major (the song you’re working on).

So if you took all five of the Pentatonic scale patterns I showed in LLG, and subtracted five frets from where I had each pattern in the key of C major, they would then be in the key of G major and you could play over your song!

Keep on workin’ it!

Adam

Adam St. James
www.LogicalLeadGuitar.com
www.ShutUpNPlayYerGuitar.com
www.12WeekGuitarCourse.com
www.GuitarLifeMag.com
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www.JazzGurus.com

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