The B-L-U-E-S: Part 3

Hello, everyone! Have you been practicing your 12-bar blues progressions that we learned last week? If you have, then you’ll be ready for this week’s installment of Guitar 101.

To help you practice the techniques that we are going to learn today, you will want to record some blues progressions that you can play along with. Play in whatever keys you feel most comfortable playing in.

To start off with, we will play some pentatonic scales over our recorded blues progressions. If you are playing in the key of E major, then you would want to play an E major pentatonic scale over the progression. If you need a refresher on the pentatonic scale, then check out my article from 6 April 2001.

Last week we talked about playing the progressions with different combinations of major and minor chords. If you are playing all major or all minor chords, then it’s easy—you just play a major or minor pentatonic. But if you have a combination of major and minor chords, then you are faced with several choices.

The most obvious plan of attack would be to use the root, or I, chord to determine which pentatonic you use. If the I chord is major, then use the major pentatonic. If the I chord is minor, then use the minor pentatonic. But you are not just limited to this option.

Since the pentatonic scale is so adaptable, it can be played out of precise key at times without sounding absolutely terrible. Sometimes the results can even be quite rewarding. Try playing the minor pentatonic over a major I chord. Try playing a progression with all the different combinations of major and minor chords. Each different combination that you try will produce a unique voice and expand your musical vocabulary.

The reason that you want to learn and practice all these combinations is so you can be familiar with your instrument. It is so very important that you develop a good ear for the different sounds of the guitar. Keep playing that instrument on a regular basis, and you will be able to learn songs and new techniques a lot faster. You will become much more versatile on the guitar, and that’s never a bad thing.

Until next week, keep playing!

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