Confession #45 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 4)

In Confession #43 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 2) we looked at Pentatonic Pattern #3.  In this week's confession, we'll look at Pentatonic Pattern #4.

We'll also explore how you can link up Pattern #1 and Pattern #4 when playing a I-IV-V chord progression.  There's a video demo and a TAB for this below.

See Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play! and Confession #15 - Find the I, IV, V in any Key!  if you're not sure what a I-IV-V chord progression is or what the roman numerals mean.


Major Pentatonic Pattern #4

Here is major pentatonic pattern #4 in the key of C.  I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference.  I've also shown pattern #3 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.  The dashed notes on the left belong only to pattern #3.  The notes in the middle are common to both patterns. The notes on the right belong only to pattern #4.

Minor Pentatonic Pattern #4

Here is minor pentatonic pattern #4 in the key of A minor.  Again, I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference and I've also shown pattern #3 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.

Linking Pattern #1 and Pattern #4

Let's start this segment with the video demo and the TAB.  Below that we'll discuss where the notes are coming from and how the two patterns are connected in this demo.

Linking Pattern #1 and Pattern #4
(Click to Enlarge)

I started noodling around one day with the Am pentatonic scale.  All the while I was thinking that I would be playing whatever I came up with over an A major chord.

Why did I want to play the Am pentatonic scale over an A major chord?  Theoretically it shouldn't work.  An A major chord has a C# in it.  The A minor scale has a C in it.  The two should clash.  And they do, but in a way that sounds good.  Playing a minor pentatonic scale over a major chord is the sound of the blues and of rock and roll.

I was further thinking that this might be played over a 12 bar blues which, as we learned in Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues!, uses the I, IV and V chords.  In the key of A, the chords would be A, D and E.

So, the lick starts with the Am pentatonic pattern #1 extended box for the first two measures, and would be played over an A major chord.

Then I was thinking what if the chord changed to D major?  I wanted to replicate the lick in the first measure, but play it in the key of D.  i.e. the lick would follow the chord (see Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues! for another example of this) as it does in the third measure of the tab..

One way of doing this would be to simply play the lick 5 frets higher. That would transpose it to the key of D.

However, I wondered if I could find the lick closer by if I switched to a D minor pentatonic pattern.  That's when I had an epiphany:

• The only difference between A minor pentatonic and D minor pentatonic is that A minor has an E note, and D minor has an F note.
• Dm pentatonic pattern #4 is right under Am pentatonic pattern #1

This is illustrated in the chart below.

The chart also shows the location of the "blue note" or the "flat five" when using Am pentatonic pattern #1.  Here, the blue note is Eb,  and is used in the 2nd, 6th and 7th measures in the TAB above.

The other thing to note is that if you play pattern 4 at the 7th fret, then it would be Em pentatonic.  Thus, if you were playing over a 12 bar blues and wanted to follow the chords, you could:

• play pattern #1 at the 5th fret for the I chord (A major),
• play pattern #4 at the 5th fret for the IV chord (D major), and
• play pattern #4 at the 7th fret for the V chord (E major).

To be clear, you could just play Am pentatonic over all three chords.  But knowing that you can follow the chord by switching to Dm pentatonic and Em pentatonic gives you another option for coming up with some great licks!

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Next Week's Confession - Pentatonic Scales (Part 5)

Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues!

Last week we learned pentatonic pattern #1 (see Confession #40 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 1)).  This week we'll put that pattern to use over a 12 bar blues chord progression.


12 BAR BLUES

The 12 bar blues is a standard chord progression used frequently in, yes you guessed it, blues music.  It is also frequently used in rock and roll.  As you may have already guessed, the progression is 12 bars long.  At the end of the 12 bars, the progression is repeated again and again throughout the song.

Basic 12 Bar Blues

At its most basic, the progression consists of the I, IV and V chords of whatever key you happen to be playing in, organized like this:

|  I   |  I   |  I   |  I   |
|  IV  |  IV  |  I   |  I   |
|  V   |  IV  |  I   |  V   |

See Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play!  if you aren't sure what the roman numerals mean.


In the key of A, the I, IV and V chords are A, D and E, so the progression would be:

|  A   |  A   |  A   |  A   |
|  D   |  D   |  A   |  A   |
|  E   |  D   |  A   |  E   |

Dominant Sevenths

It is also very common for the 12 bar blues to be played using all dominant 7th chords like this:

|  I7  |  I7  |  I7  |  I7  |
|  IV7 |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  V7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  V7  |


See Confession #13 - Learn More Barre Chords! for examples of some dominant 7th chord fingerings.

As we'll learn in a future confession about harmonizing the major scale in sevenths, technically you change key every time you change chords when you play a 12 bar blues this way.

Quick Change

Another common variation is to play the IV chord or the IV7 chord in the second measure, like this:

|  I7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  IV7 |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  V7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  V7  |

This is referred to as the "quick change".  You'll hear the quick change in the Blue Brothers version of Sweet Home Chicago.


MOVEABLE RIFF

The first two measures of the TAB below introduce a riff that is played in 5th position and is based (mostly) on the A minor pentatonic scale.

The riff also includes the "flat-five" or the "blue note" (6th fret of your fifth string) which is not technically part of the scale, but is often used with it.  I'll talk more about the blue note in a future confession.

When the chord changes to a D in the 5th measure, the riff follows the chord.  The riff is identical except that it now it starts on a D instead of an A.

This could be done by staying on the fourth and fifth strings and moving up to 10th position, but its easier to shift to the third and fourth strings.  When a riff follows the chords like this, it is called a moveable riff.


VIDEO AND TAB

Here's a video demonstration of a 12 bar blues in the key of A using the moveable riff in the TAB below:

Here's the TAB for the song.  In the third and fourth measures I have shown the suggested fingerings for playing the riff.  I have also shown suggested fingering in the twelfth measure.  This is what works for me.  If it doesn't work for you then try a different fingering.

12 Bar Blues in the Key of A
(Click to Enlarge)

Have fun playing this one!

Next Week's Confession - 7th Chord Cheat Sheet!

Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play!

By now, you've learned several chords, both open chords and barre chords, and have probably experimented with creating your own chord progressions.  One of the challenges with creating your own chord progressions is knowing what chords to play.  This is made a lot easier if you know what the possibilities are.

In this confession, we'll learn how to harmonize the major scale, which is a fancy way of saying we'll learn the basic chords that work with any particular major key.

The principal chords for a particular major key can be summarized by the following formula:

        I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

What does this cryptic formula mean?  How can it help me know what chords to play?  Will it make me more attractive to the opposite sex?  Read on to find out...

TIP:  Melody refers to a series of notes played one after the other.  You can whistle a melody.  Harmony refers to two or more notes played simultaneously, which is what you do when you play a chord on your guitar.

HOW CHORDS ARE MADE

Chords are built by taking a root note, and then adding two or more additional notes from whatever particular musical key you are working in (i.e. a chord consists of at least 3 notes).  For this confession, we'll work in the key of C, and use the piano keyboard to help us visualize the building of chords.

As we learned in Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale!, the notes of the major scale in the key of C are:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

These notes are arranged on the piano keyboard as follows:

To harmonize the C major scale, we start with a root note, and then add the note that is two notes away from the root, and the note that is two notes away from the second note (this distance is referred to as a diatonic third interval, but don't get bogged down with the theory).

Put another way, start with the root note, skip a note and take the next note, skip another note and take the next note.

HARMONIZING THE MAJOR SCALE

C MAJOR CHORD

Let's harmonize the C major scale by starting with the first note of that scale, C.

Starting on our root note C, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be C, E and G.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes C, E and G give us a C major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the first note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

D MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the second note in the C major scale, D.

Starting on our root note D, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be D, F and A.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes D, F and A give us a D minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the second note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

E MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the third note in the C major scale, E.

Starting on our root note E, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be E, G and B.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes E, G and B give us an E minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the third note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

F MAJOR CHORD

Let's move on to the fourth note in the C major scale, F.

Starting on our root note F, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be F, A and C.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes F, A and C give us an F major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the fourth note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

G MAJOR CHORD

Let's move on to the fifth note in the C major scale, G.

Starting on our root note G, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be G, B and D.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D

The notes G, B and D give us a G major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the fifth note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

A MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the sixth note in the C major scale, A.

Starting on our root note A, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be A, C and E.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E

The notes A, C and E give us an A minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the sixth note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

B DIMINISHED CHORD

Let's move on to the seventh note in the C major scale, B.

Starting on our root note B, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be B, D and F.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F

The notes B, D and F give us a B diminished chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Two intervals of 3 semi-tones produce a diminished chord, which has a unique sound to it.  Diminished chords are not heard in popular music very often.

The chord that is built on the seventh note of the major scale will always be a diminished chord, no matter what key you are playing in!


BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

From the examples above, what we've learned about the major scale is that:

• the chord built on the 1st note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 2nd note is a minor chord,
• the chord built on the 3rd note is a minor chord,
• the chord built on the 4th note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 5th note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 6th note is a minor chord, and
• the chord built on the 7th note is a diminished chord,

You can use this summary chart to quickly figure out what chords to play in a particular key.

If you are playing in the key of C, the major chords in that key are C, F and G (the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the C major scale).  The minor chords are D, E and A (the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the C major scale).

If you are playing in the key of G, the major chords in that key are G, C and D (the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the G major scale).  The minor chords are A, B and E (the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the G major scale).

Note that the number that we assign to each note of any particular scale (i.e. 1st note, 2nd note, etc.) is called a scale degree.


CHORD NOTATION

Musicians often use scale degrees when referring to chords in a particular key.  You've probably heard the expression, "one, four, five rock".  This means that the song uses the one, four and five chords in whatever key it happens to be in.

When writing chords down on paper, we use roman numerals.

We only use uppercase roman numerals to refer to major chords. Thus, the one, four, five rocker mentioned above would be written down like this:

    I - IV - V

We use lowercase roman numerals to refer to minor chords.  So, if a song was based on a two, three, six progression, it would be written down like this:

    ii - iii - vi

The diminished chord has a minor quality to it (because, like a minor chord, there are 3 semi-tomes between the first note and the second note), so it is also written in lowercase, with a superscript o after it, which signifies the diminished chord.  Thus, the seven chord is written down like this:

    vii^o

When we put all the chords down in order, we get the formula at the beginning of this post:

    I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

The roman numeral tells us which scale degree of the major scale the chord is built on, and the case tells us the quality of the chord, uppercase for major, and lowercase for minor.


EXAMPLE

Back in Confession #5 - Use a Metronome!, I introduced the following chord progression:

            G-Em-C-D7

which I described as a I-vi-IV-V7 progression in the key of G.  After today's lesson, you now have an understanding of what a a I-vi-IV-V7 progression is.

Note that the V7 refers to the five chord, as signified by the uppercase V.  The 7 after the V tells us to add a note and turn it into a dominant seventh chord (see Confession #13 - Learn More Barre Chords!  for some dominant seventh chord fingerings).  I'll explain more about dominant seventh chords in a future confession.

MEMORIZE THE FORMULA

Once you've memorized the formula:

    I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

you can pick a key and know the basic chords that work in that key just by applying the formula to the notes of the major scale in that key (see Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale! for a refresher on building the major scale in any key).

Of course these aren't the only chords within the key, but knowing the basic chords that work will allow you to create your own progressions and ultimately to write your own songs, which just might make you more attractive to the opposite sex.


Next Week's Confession - Find the I, IV, V in Any Key!