There's no real difference between Major and Minor Pentatonics other than the root note. Both utilize the same neck pattern.
A lot of confusion over that comes from people only learning sections of the overall pattern (box shapes) and misinterpreting that small box pattern as the whole thing, failing to see the larger symmetry.
Try Fretboard Navigation Volume 2. Dvd Lick library. Jamie Humphries explains how to visualise the fretboard as one scale and not box patterns.
A major pentatonic: A B C# E F#Originally Posted by Ouija
A minor pentatonic: A C D E G
They're different.
What you mean is C major pentatonic has the same notes as A minor pentatonic
Well guess what... C major has the same "neck pattern" as F lydian, G mixolydian, D dorain, B locrian, E phrygian and A minor...
That's called mode derivation and it makes for the flattest most boring music Kenny G could ever imagine. Sure it'll get you all over the neck but it'll be really dull.
but wait there's more....
C major is the same as C major pentatonic with added 4th and 7th degrees of the scale... and that's the same notes as A minor scale... it is however totally different sets of nodes and holding that information on a grid 22 by 6 for the duration of a bar is an impossibility - this kind of approach only works over backing tracks where the same chord is held for 16 bars - usually pad chords from a synth and a bass-line playing root and fifth.
C mixolydian is the same as C major pentatonic with an added 4th and flat 7th degree of the scale...
C lydian dominant (a melodic minor mode) is the same as C major pentatonic with an raised 4th and flat 7th degree of the scale...
C lydian is the same as C major pentatonic with an raised 4th and major 7th degree of the scale...
As a means of knowing the core notes the pentatonic scale is a great door way to interesting scales and modes generated using the relative modal approach... use that with the concept of pitch axis and you'd have some interesting sounds... still a bit formulaic but several times more useful than knowing a key all over the fretboard ... except perhaps ffor C - it's great to know where all the white notes are.
So of the two approaches I'd rather play C pentatonic over a II V I in C as a system it's easier to throw in incidental notes to suggest other scales. Also there are fewer notes to think about tying to the chord - face it, playing E on the II chord is maybe a bit crap where as over the I chord it's really on... the meanings of the notes change and that is where fretboard maps fall down in my opinion.
All the same it's guitar trivia pretty much... it has precious little to do with playing the guitar.
What is that larger symmetry?
To my mind a re-entrant tuning ensures there can't be symmetry as the pattern is disrupted by the major third interval in the matrix.
The rest of the notes are tuned perfect fourths ... which means the reflected strings are fifths... that's intrinsically asymmetric.
The only way it could be made symetrical would be using tritones... and if that was done you'd still be asymmetric as the notes would go E A# E A# E #A which doesn't have a line of symmetry and would make playing chords a little tricky.
Okay got it, the only way the guitar could be symmetrical would be to have 5 strings tuned in tritones: E A# E A# E - that looks more like a balalaika - it'd sound dreadful though...
Okay, enough fun - you mean you've found a system - well you've alluded to having found a system
...cheers for the recommendation Jayjo, I'll check that out.
in the mean time - this is all anyone needs to know about the guitar tuning ... amazing revelation... if I hadn't written it I'd never of believed it.
Last edited by frankus; 5th October 2012 at 09:59 AM.
Isn't that exactly what his diagram says?
Last edited by SevenSharpNine; 5th October 2012 at 10:28 AM.
It is what his diagram flashes sporadically, but not what his post says.
Nothing wrong with clarification is there?
Lol. You'll always find one pedant on a forum. Yes i meant that A Minor Pentatonic and C Major Pentatonic utilize the same neck pattern (in the same position). But it's also true that A Minor Pentatonic and A Major Pentatonic also utilize the exact same overall neck pattern (just not in the same position).
theres loads of them ...he would probably find all he needs on the internet, i would probably start with the 5 positions of the A minor pentatonic maybe... then the Cmaj scale by adding the extra notes..then start the maj scale on each degree...giving the 7 modes in all positions then Flatten the 3rd to give us Cmel.minor scale then do the same again...in all positions.....theres loads to do do iff hes new to guitar though, but by doing things in order it will be much clearer rather than just learning random scales...
i think another important thing is once they are learned they should be used to create music as soon as possible..
i would think anybody new to guitar should probably learn some simple tunes and stuff and add the learning of scales to the daily practice routine...
I have this.
It is totally decontextualised so tricky without knowing how to apply the information contained within.
I'd recommend instead the Advancing Guitarist or Frank Gambale's Technique books.
Replacing a butterknife with a fire-brigade-issue saw for dismembering crashed motor vehicles...
LOL.
It is very thorough.
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