BLUES-WHEN MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

Blues solo is all about emotion. The emotions radiates on the players guitar. Without the introduction of scale,the audience would have a hard time understanding the notes. In this article, we are discussing the “Minor Pentatonic Scale” . It is a a very common scale use by almost blues axeman.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale:

The minor pentatonic scale consist of five notes The pattern for these notes is: 1 b3 4 5 b7

The following 5 numbers unleashes lock on your guitar. Kidding aside,, these numbers are actually a formula that tells us what we need to change in the major scale in order to create the pentatonic scale. Let’s use A Minor Pentatonic Scale as a basis for you to fully understand the formula behind the World of Pentatonic.

Step 1: A B C# D E F# G#----These seven notes make up the A Major Scale

Step 2: Get rid of the 2^nd and 6^th note on the major scale above. A C# D E G# ----These five notes is what we call A Minor Pentatonic Scale. You end up having 1, 3, 4, 5, and the 7 notes of the scales, you remove the 2nd and 6th notes because they are not included in the pentatonic scale.

Step 3: Create a semitone by lowering the original notes. A semitone is basically one fret or one half-step down from the original note. A C D E G---These is the notes that you would end up with if you’re going to use the formula b3 and b7(flat third and flat seventh)by lowering the third and seventh notes.

The Blues Scale:

The blues scale is closely related to the pentatonic scale; all you have to do is add 2 notes on the 5th string, 2nd fret, and the 3rd string, 4th fret. The new formula for a blues scale is as follows:1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 1 or A C D D# E G# A

Below is an example of of translating the blues scale formula into an A blues scale. Plug in your guitar and start wailing like blues god Jimi Hendrix.

HEAR MY TRAIN COMIN'

TREMBUCKIN’

It has always been a common practice in the past for Fender guitar players  replacing their single-coil pickup with a humbucker and end up having an allignment problem. The six metal mounted post of a humbucker pickup would not  allign correctly with the strings when installed in a Fender guitar. The string spacing for Gibson or any brand for that matter are spaced differently.

Seymour Duncan, a world renowned manufacturer of guitar pickups, introduced a revolutionary pickup called TREMBUCKER. It is a humbuckering replacement for Fender guitars. Other pickup manufacturers call it “F-spaced” pickup(as in “Fender-Spaced).

AXOLOGY 101

NECK TO NECK

The guitar’s neck are classified into three categories:Bolt-on, Set neck, and Neck-thru.

A Bolt-on neck are screwed & bolted in a pocket routed into the guitar’s body. One common example are found on Fender guitars(Stratocaster/Telecaster).

A Set neck is quite similar to a bolt-on except that the neck is glued in place. Some call it “GLUED IN” necks. It can be found on most Gibsons guitars(Les Paul, SG’s, &ES-335)

A Neck-thru design is a type of design wherein the neck and center section of the body are out from one piece of wood, while the outer sections of the body are typically glued unto the center sections.Gibson Firebirn and B.C. RICH Mockingbird are popular examples of a neck-thru type.

HARD TO HANDLE

5 POINT WALK AROUND

·         Playing Barre Chord

You play the barre chord with your finger bones, not with the soft finger flesh that you use when soloing, so the palm will be slightly turned outwards, not perpendicular on the fretboard. Try also to play "small barre" - covering only the 3 high strings. Always check the sound of each string. Play the easiest chords at first (E-shape is easier than Em-shape, maybe the easiest shape). There has never been a student who didn't overcome this problem in two weeks at most.

·         Playing Scales

It is very hard to memorize all the scales. Start with the Box Position , a logical sequence of patterns, starting with the easiest to remember, then learn the others in the order of the scales ten times in 10 minutes. Once you get the hang of it, the rest will just come easy.

·         Slow Speed

The secret of speed is to play as lightly as the phrasing allows it. While practicing your chops gradually increase your speed. Don’t force the issue right away.  Allow  the fingers of your left hand as close as possible to the fingerboard, don't make big moves with your right, use only the tip of the pick. Of course, speed comes with time. Learn as many scales as you can, learn other solo from your favorite artist, make phrasing exercises at different tempos. While you're playing, figure out what's the next step, what's the next musical sentence. It is important to take short breaks any 15 - 20 minutes, stop immediately if you feel the slightest pain and never play licks or chords that can hurt your wrist or arm.

Standard Notation

You just can't remember where the notes are.

Remember that the notes between the lines are F-A-C-E, they form the word "FACE", then the notes go in alphabetical order (for instance, between A and C - you'll find B, between C and E - you'll find D) from A to G (therefore, between F and A - you'll find G)

·         Disaster Sound

You have to locate the problem. Is it the guitar, the amp or your way of playing? If you don't like the gear - buy something else but this time, be sure you buy the right gear and axe to get that sound you have in mind. If it's your playing, try to play softer or closer to the neck, apply finger vibrato and don't forget: it takes a lot of time to get a good sound.

·         No Feeling

Playing is all about emotion. Play the same exercise with different feelings, not only glad and sad but also frightened, laughable, tenderly, etc. Your solo must tell a story. It's all about phrasing..

GETTING YOUR AXE TOGETHER

TIPS ON MAKING YOUR GUITAR SOUND GREAT...

LOWER ACTION – refers to the distance between the string and the frets or fretboard. It greatly affects the playability of a guitar. The bridge and the nut (up by the gears) are the two main areas where string height can be adjusted. The closer the string towards the fretboard, the greater the playability. It is important to know the radius of the neck (the curve of the fretboard), some strings will buzz or when stretched will "fret-out". A fret dressing will solve most fret buzz problems. Truss rod adjustments 2-3 times a year is highly recommended. This threaded bar inside the neck controls the flex and bow of the fingerboard and is very important to the feel of the string action.

Intonation or strobe tuning - refers to the adjustment of the string length to make chords sound in tune up and down the fretboard. This is achieved by adjusting the small bridge saddles forward and back. All these can really make a guitar feel and sound better. Check also the Neck Adjustment, Clean & Condition Fretboard, Adjust the Nuts, Lower High Frets, and put on a good new set of strings...Then you're good to go...PLAY ON...