PtA[ PrirrAl0il tc $cAtr$
; TRACKS 4-9
Pgntatonic We all use it and some people even malign it, but Guthrie
Govan disagrees and here he examines some of the myriad
possibilities lurking within the ublquitous pentatonic scale...
@ "11/2
O & Easy/Advanced
KEY: Am/A !Z Pentatonic prowess
TEMPO: See licks Z5implescale substitution
CD: TRACKS4-9 tl Major and minorlinking
TECHNICALLY, ANY SELECTION offive
different notes could accurately be
described as a'pentatonic scale' -'penta'
meaning'five' and'tonic mea ning'of
notes'. In guitar playing circles, however,
the term most commonly refers to one
specific scale formula - tle minor
peutatonic. Th is scale is undoubtedly
Man's Best Frield: it's used in virtua\
every genre ofwestern music, from
country to metal - and even tJrose readers
who claim to know nothing ofscale
formulae or music theory may be surprised
to Iearn that ttre soloing shapes they use
'intuitive$ often tum out to be minor
pentatonic fingerings.
We'll start by looking at the raw
ingredients oftlis most splendid scale, but
before we do please note that some ofttre
following information is aimed at the
novice; other pats will hopefully be of
interest to t}le more advanced player. I've
tded to present everl,thing in a logical
order, so there should be something here
for everyone - just start from Ure beginning
and keep going until you fi od something
that intrigues you.
MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE
CONSTRUCTION
To build any kind of scale, you need to start
=
with a root note and then move up through
a predetermined series of intervals to
generate ttre otler pitches. In the case of
the minor pentatonic, the intervals in
question could be describeil as:
IRA0( BEC(!Si} Mosr blues or rock playing features extensive use of pentatonh bi q ftr s r rrer at it, having adgpted
Albert l(ng's ldeas and extondingthem
combining0f meior and mlnor peltatonics, whileAh Via Musicom illustrates ErE ItrryI
f 6 Guitat'Iechniques Novem ber
20OB
,
-'l -T - "Irl2 - T
Here T represents the interval of a whole
tone (two frets) and T1/2 represents a tone
alrd a half (three frets).
Ifyou wanted to make al A minor
pentatonic scale, you would start with A as
your root note and move up tJrree frets to C,
then up two more to D and so on -
eventuallyyielding A" C, D, E and G as the
five component notes ofthe scale. Ifyou
were to play any combination ofthese notes
over an A minor chord, using any
technique, anywhere on the fretboard, you
would be using the Am pentatonic scale.
The formula'Tr/z -T -'l
-'Ir/2 -T'
represents just one way of describing ttris
scale, based on its component intervals.
But there's another common way of
llYou can add a little
extra excitement to the bI
in a minor pentatonic lick
by bending it sliShtly sharp,
adding some extna bluesy
flavourtt
expressing a scale forrnula, by focusing on
the notesthemselves rather thal1 the
intervals between tlem. This is a Iittle
harder to explain, but ultimately it's a more
informative method.
Western music theory likes to describe
eve4,thing in relation to the seven-note
major scale (the familiar sound ofthe'do-
re-mi'scale - see Diagram 7). This is
generated by the inteNalsT-T- S - T - T -T
- S (where S denotes a semitone, the
distance between one fret and the nert) .
The resulting notes are numbered r z 3 1 5
6 7. Using the same system, the mioor
pentatonic scale would be described a: r L,;
45b-: lhe r,4 and5arecommon roh --
s.ais
- Texas tlood sh0ws his mastery. Cr.e3ms 1. &rE rci6€ fur Clapton,s
]!Ecs tr 1.t
ahstjtJtion.
-f;r[
-t
ON THE CD
scales, butthe b3 andbTin the minor
pentatonic are a semitone lower thanthe 3
and 7in the majorscale - hence the'flat'
s1.rnbol. This is helpful in musictheory
termsbecause a minorchord is constructed
using r, b3 and 5, so thiskind of formula
not only tells us what notes to play but also
indicates the Bpe ofchord over which the
scale will work most effectively.
FROM THEORY TO FRETBOARD
Bearing in mind all ofthe above, the
central neck diagram in Diagram I should
now make sense; it shows everypossible t,
b3,4,5 and b7 in the key of Aminor, all
overthe ftetboard. (The rs - labelled Rfor
'root'- are a different colour to the rest of
the notes, to highlighttheir impoftance!)
See Diagr\m 1, nextpqge,
Now we need to find a rrar oisimplifr,'ing
thisbewildering amount ofinlormation, to ))
GETTHETONE
*s'o
ry sttb.
Obvlouslyyou car -se:1.tone you like
fora feature likEl! i: ii rnakes a lot of
Sense not tc oc r"€,:,=<, rvith
distortio{. .. -:":= &-E-ntrying to learn
ideas lik i-EJ€ =:-l--, iilrityourability
to spo:5er'-. r_ ..-l-r:.-:]lnrque - you
dfi) I ',:_: --: :',iid :_€5€ in and then
ha-'=:: .:,- .-€- :r-i ei5_with that in
m.',1 : --:r1:r', ,.-,:r-sa setting your
3-r i:r : :r+:.,r_r: ]:-t:.ictone not
.:,: :ra,r_ _: : :E-.- !trh, not follow the
i-ll:+: : - :L: :.,e --the neck pickup
::i-i:i:_: " :.--:- :nd concentrate
:r_ -! - : ; ,: -r _ctes asclearand
n: -i ii ' i :,1: ,Cr;-
 oNTHECO i TRAGKS 4-9

make it easierto remember. One helpful

DIAGRAM 1 CAGED SHAPES WITHIN A MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE FINGERINGs
approach is to apply the CAGED system, a
popular method of connecting different

ffi ffiffi
Em Shape Cm Shape Gm Shape
fretboard areas by looking for chord shapes
based on the open chords ofc, A, G, E and
D - or, asin tiiscase, their minor
equivalents,
You'll see from the diagram tiat there's
5t--1",1
ahandyminor chord shape lurking in each
section oftlefretboard. This is helpful in
two ways.,.
r:-] r.......:::.-] l.......-]:.-]
First, we tend to remember a chord
shape as a single entity, rather than as a
collection of notes, so from a memorisation
perspective this allows us to thinl in terms l--l l-l
ofone big idea rather than a number of
tfHol Prn
lol l*lt t tffi
smallerones.
Secondly, when improvising using this
--{6-
or any other scale, the chord tones will have
a more stable andhatmonious soundthan
r--t ffi
Dm Shape
I

An Shape
the others, so it's good to be aware ofwhere
they are. When you emphasise any chord
tone - by using it as the final note in a lick,
for example - the results generally sound DIAGRAM 2 FIVE POSITIONS OF THE A MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE
more musical. (Incidentally, youll find this
to be particularlytrue ofthe root note,
which has the most stable sound of all.)
Within the five different areas defined by Position I
xt
the CAGED system, we can see five (4) (sx-
laz I

conveniently hand-sized fi ngerings for the

minor pentatonic, as shown in Diagram 2.
Ofttrese five shapes, the first is the most
familiar; its CAGED shape is the most G)
Posiiion ll (o
commonly used, and it's also the easiest
scale pattern to play since (in Aminor) the 6t)
|\:/ (4)
first linger never has to leave the 5th fiet.
Perhaps that's also why so manyfamous
blues clich6s are based arounil this shape.
Position lll @
Obviously, it's worth learning all five 67)
I
an
shapes, associating each with its CAGED
chord and taling extra care to remember
where the root notes are in each case. This
will prove invaluable when you try to apply
all this pentatonic knowledge in less Position lV
familiar keys.

THE AMBIGUOUS BLUESYTHIRD

So far, we've examined some cut-and-dded
facts of music theory and then hanslated
Position V
them onto the fietboard. Now we have to
considerthe matter oftaste, and what
soundsbest.In otler words, having learned
the rules,let's now tryto break them
slightly - all in the name ofsounding more
'authentic'.. . You can often add a little extra l -- - .- - .-thirdt ck
There are many situations where the excitementto the b3 ir a minor pentatonj( :- - .::-. ru can actuallt.
minor third soundsjust a little bit too li..k b\ bcnding it sliglrtll .harp. ju.l lo. -:: .- -- .: r.,rkolera
'minor' - particular when playing in a blues a n exr ra blue"r' flrr our. Take nole ol \:.. :.. - - .:: :: ctajorkel
or blues/rock setting. Why might ihis be? the b3 notes ale il cach .cale shap, . - :. - . - -- . - -l:ng the b3 up a
WelJ. thebluesycore of so many modem can associatethis habit with the - -, . : ,llorring it br
guitar styles ca n be traced ba ck I o a n Afi ca n cppropriale noles: etrrtuall\ \, : ' : ' ,::::lthirdonefret
scale where the third was originally yourself adding these infl ection. : : - . ::r:r'er does this!
somewhere in between the minor and rnajor ir)stinclivel\. and that : \hr :. : . - - .:- -:::r lifth'inthat
thirds - imagine a 'grey note'lurking begins.Then,oncelnu r( L' :.: :'. '' .-- : -. -- . ,dernminor
somewhere between adjacent black and nvcaking lhe b3s in tnu: :.::. : '' - ...,:ter than the fifth
white keys on a piano. Luckily for us we can .hepes. r'ou crn tn I ::: :. .- - : ._, .- :. ':.t as the b3 and
hinl al thisby'tweaking the $irds in our bTlthi"canaddannr:.r:.- .- - : ,- - lrrllltloD to
pentatonic shapes, the J\lis.i.sippi D".t , :: --. : . ' - - -- ::. b5 (oneftet
18 Guitafledmiques November 2008
 Ptl{TAI0iltC

below the S) to hint at the 'grey note' in

between the two. (Confusingly, this is more
DIAGRAM 3 CAGED SHAPESWITHIN A MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE FINGERING
commonly described as a 'blue' note -

ffi ffiffi
referring to the blues idiom - ratler than E shape C shape G shape
my'black and white keys' piano analogr.)
The b5 note works most effectively when
used as a 'passing' note betlveen the 4th
and 5th (or 5th and 4th) and when added to
the minor pentatonic t}te new slx-note scale 6t-r-4
is referred to as ttre blues scale. t..:-] r^-1 t:-]
THE MAJOR PENTATONIC
Another pentatonic scale that frequently
crops up in popular Western music, can be
described by tlre intervallic formula T - T - l-J t-l

ffiffi
Tr/2 - T - T1/2, which gives you t}re notes r
2 g S 6 from the major scale. This is known
as the majorpentatonic and, much as the
namesuggests, it's designed to be used over
major chords.
Diagram 3 shows you an A major D shape A shaps
pentatonic scale mapped out all over the
neck - along with the five corresponding
major CAGED shapes: Diagram 4 DIAGRAM 4 FIVE POSITIONS OF THE A MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE
illustrates how all this information can be
organised as five different fitrgering
positions. See Diograms 3 and 4-
Position
(,
A.ll ofthis should make perfect sense if ar)
I

you understoodhow Diagrams r and z

worked, but it may appear to the untraineil
6
eye that the pentatonic workload has now
doubled. Forturately this is not the case;
in reality, each ofyour existingminor Position ll
pentatolic shapes has just become
twice as useful.

THE GOOD NEW5

Ifyou compare t}e major pentatonic Position lll
o ro
pattern T - T - T1l2 - T - T1l2 witl the
minor pentatonic equivalent T1/2 - T - T -
6
Tr/z - T, you'll see that you can turn the
latter into the former by simply taldng the
initial Tr/2 interval and moving it ftom ttre
start ofthe formula to the end. In other Position lV a6)
words, the major pentatonic is a mode of 6
tie minor pentatonic, so we can play both I

scales using the same basic fingering

shapes. You'll obsewe that position I of the
major pentatonic is the same as position II
ofthe minor pentatonic, and so on.
In practical terms, you can turn any
minor pentatoDic shape inlo ils major
pentatonic counterpart by simply moving
down three frets (for an easy way to
visualise this, compare position V ofthe
major pentatonic with position I ofthe
minor) - so the good ne\^,s is that you
already know al1the major pentatonic
shapes. But you just need to exercise a litde
caution when using tlem.
This becomes clear when you look at the
labelling of each note. Comparing
Diagrams 3-4 with Diagrams r-2, you'llsee
tlat t}Ie root notes from the minor
pentatonic shapes are now marked as 6 in
tlre corresponding major shapes, whilst t}te
b3s now act as root notes... andso on. Notes
that sounded stable and harmonious in the
Posilion V
it
minor application of a pentatonic shape
will tend to sound more tense and
inconclusive when used in a major contert,
and vice versa. Your ears can be trusted
here - ifyou really listen to what you're
playing, youll be able to tell ifyou're
emphasising the right notes or not, which
will help you to improvise more musically.
To summarise, the majorshapes may
look and feel identical to the minor ones,
but from a musical perspective tley're
quite different. (To hear the major
pentatonic at work, check out Southern
rockbands like Ly.r:1rd Skynl'rd: players
><
(d
ai1
6
ranging from Zakk Wylde to Noel Gallagher
have also used this scale ertensively, and
it's commonin country, bluegrass and folk
contexts - not to mention that classic
repeating lick in AII Right Now.
THE AMBIGUOUS BLUESYTHIRD
STRIKES AGAIN
We've alreadl seen ho\ Lhe b3 in a minor
pentatonic can sometimes benefit from
being bent slightly sharp. The converse
applies with the major pentatonic. The
major third can sometimes sound a little
too twee and cheefil for bluesv

November 2008 Guitarlbchniques 19

 -
.' --: _: Tr-ACKs 4-9

applications, Co$equently, you may feel

DIAGRAM 5 3NPS POSITIONS OF THE A MINOR PEMfATCtiflC s(Al-E
the urge tobend this note slightlyflat -
which is pretty much impossible ifyou
Position I
dodthave a whammybar.
In this situation, one effective wayto
temper the overly happy sound ofthe major
third would be to start with a b3 one fret
lower, andthen hammeronto the 'coryect'
majorthird - instant BB King!This
approach should remind you oftle b5 note Position ll
we met earlier when looking at the minor
{5}
pentatonic. Similarly, you might beud up a
semitone from the b3 instead of @
}T
6 ]6r t_]_t r
hammering;this has a different sound, but
works in the same way. Playing both r

versions of the third somehow hints at a

'happy medium note somewhere in Position lll
between the two, adding a certain
autlenticityto a liclL ll's worth relearniog
your major penlalonic shapes with b3s in
place ofthe more 'correct' major thirds
fiust lookfor any note marked'3'in
Diagrams 3-4, and move it down a fret), so
you'll be able to apply this kind oftweak to Position lV
(,
a lick without having to think too hard.
M ary bluesy pl ayers like to take $ is
6)
ritL-txu I I

principle even further, by combining tIe

major and minorpentatonic scales in a
a E I
I I

single lick - Iisten to any Cream album and

you'll hear abundant examples of Eric
Position V
Clapton doingjust that. For all the charms
ofttre minor and major pentatonic scales, (9
tlre bluesy truth often lies somewhere in
between the two.

ALTERNATIVE F I N GERI NGS

\:./
t
There's plenty of fun to be had with the Sample extended fi ngering
fwo-notes-per-strinS penla tonic fi ngerings
we've been examining thus far. These 'ar'
shapes are as useful for blistering speed @
runs as they are for the more obvious
aat
o
bluesy applications - just ask Eric Johnson
or John Mclaughlin.
But I realise our more technically
minded readers miglt appreciate some
alternative approaches - so let's briefly and lbufth fingers respcctivell-, tackling the ?iea.:::.:
esamine what can be done with three- middle note l,ith rvhirlrever digit is c1os.'st.
notes-per-string fingerings. Diagram 5 If it hurls, ensure that Your thumb is plrii-l
iUusbales some new A minor shapes.., al llr. back ol llrene,l.r'r,theIth:,n..r.::. :

You'll see that position I here is a alotLnd the top. 'blucs strle.
composite ofpositions I and II from Th,.dd\ ant.Be ^t r lr' -, J. ..-::..'
:
Diagram z, andttre ottrershapes are tha,\ anable ]-ou to crcatr m, ':: -:.,
similarll- constructed bl' combining h!'o t-l1ect.r: three dittelr,r: r: ,::: ::: :
neighbouring shape. This naturallt arail,rbleoneach s:::::: : :'. -:
requires rrider siretches from 1-our fretting hanrmeringaldor:--::r: : :.r- . .
hand; lou should be pla;ring the lorrest and ::lr :. l n.:l .:. -::.. ' _ - ' - :: LI fCmOVe
' :...: '-.-_ j.-.'
"
highest notes on each suilg using the first -._ :---_Jar stting
_
-
:.: , :1.): .:a':.-.: -:- lr:': - :-_
:r: :il a:- ::=:..
There's plerty of fun to be - :.:- .. -. ,.-.- : : - : _-

had with two-notes-per.-stri ng ''-- nrcpt ()1'

pentatonic fr ngering$ Ihese - :: :a. rsl illr le some
_
' l'1,'lll:ltonir'
shapes ar^e as usefulfor - _ r 'i:ltrlil trcck
. r'lr, \.r.ior
blistering s@
firrl as they . : -:.-rri srlrlc)
are for bluesy applirztkrm ! I I ll\ , r:. irrin g r rr

20GuitarTeclxi(lut-{ .
 PtilTAr0l{rc

the highlighted segments, you'll see that

DIAGRAM6 3NPSVARIATION FORTHE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE
there are three different areas ofthe neck
(in each octave) where everyone's favourite
pentatonic box can be found.
v (9
Thus, in the key ofA major, you can play @ {a} E
your blues licks in three different keys,
without ever actually playin8 a vlTong note. @ Gl \av
Position I @ R
qz
@
As you mighte\pect. thetraditional major
pentatonic application (the one where your
(q)
a4)
a G) @
firstfingeris rooted atthe 2ndfret) sounds
the most 'normal', and the other two
(, (,
positions highlight some ofthe more
colourful tones within the major scale, @ (s) v \rar,/
@
E
sacriflcing some ofthe more 'obvious' notes
inthe process -the shape starting at the 9th
o /=\
(o)
6t @
Position ll

@
@+ @
@
fretdoesn't even contain the root note! a6 (5) 4
It has to be said that his kind of
approach doesn't Bel much radio play;
it tends to sit more comfortably in more
o ({)
\gll
experimental playing styles, so do bear
this in mind when trying out the
I @
Position lll @ I \e/
ro
matedalbelor /.
This idea applies to all seven modes of
the major scale.Ifthe concept ofmodes
scares you, bear in mind that you already
@
G)
@
I @

loow two modes of the minor pentatonic.

6 \:./
5
When we turned an A minor penlalonic
fingering into anA major pentatonic one,
what we were really doing was designating
a different note within the scale as t}le new
root note. The new root note was C instead
@
G)
@
a
(!-) q, Position lV @
A I q,
@
ofA, so to make the shape work in an A
major context we moved the whole shape
alown three frets to align the new root note
\!, \49,/
{7.} \gl/
with the A key centre. For all their @
PositionV @
bewildering Greeknames, the seven modes @ @
of tJle majorscale are generated in exactly {4' @
the same way.
The next step is to see how this idea
(called pentatonic substitution) applies in

ffiffi
practice to the various modes. DIAGRAM 7 PENTATONIC SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS IN THE A MAJOR SCALE
Forthe three minor modes (Dodan,
Aeolian, Phrygian) the conventionai minor
pentatonic works just fine, but you can also
move it as follous...
Dorian - minor pentatonic up 2 or 7 fiets
Aeolian - minor pentatonic up s or 7 ftets
Phrygian - minorpentatonic down z orup
s laets.
Forthe three major modes, the major
pentatonic works as expected, alongside
the following applications...
Lydian - major pentatonic up 2 or 7 ftets

ffi
Ionian - major pentatonic up 5 or 7 frets
Mixolydian - major pentatonic down 2 or
up 5 frets
Forboth major and minor modes, I have
arranged this information with the
'brightest'sounding mode at the top ofthe
list and the 'darkest' at tie bottom. The
concept ofpentatonic substitution is more pentatonic substitution within this Mode improvisation. EricJohnson is a really
likely to sound goodwhen applied to a OfDoom. Not in this feature, at any rate.) good example ofa player who uses these
bright sounding mode (trust me!), so Why bother with all of this? Well, using ideas to great effect, without sounding
Dorian and Lydian are your safest bets. a palette offive notes peroctave adds a overly weird.
(locrian, incidentally, is the mystery certain character to any lick; it provides a Now let's take a look at how all oftle
seventh mode; it doesn't work over ma jor pentatonic 'flavour', ifyou will, and in a above can be applied in real playing
or minor chords, and it sounds so dark that rather Zen way t}te notes you omit from a situations. Tum over for zo music
it's probably not worth even contemplating mode can help to define the vibe ofyour examples on next page. E ):

November 2008 GuitarTechniques 21

 ONTHECD - TRACKS4-g
PLAY: PtllTAI0lllC $CAL[$

CDTBACX5

iliel 1l Let's startwith some straightforward minor pentatonic motif in thefr rst bat and the second bar in.orporates a variation
ideas.Ourfrrst lick is a simple illustration ofhow to use mathematical where the second and fourth groups ofthree are reversed
patterns to generate pentatonic licks. You'll spot a 'descending threes' (CD speeds:80/160 bpm)

ILiek:: This one is also based around a pattern, though it's a little
harder to spot; it's an eight-note motif, starting from beat 2...
(CD speeds: 80/160 bpm)

B
G
D

position shifts as quickly and confi dently as possible...

(CD speeds:60/100 bpm)

E 10-8+8-1 2-l 0=_,+10-15-12+',1

B 10-8-,10-13_,10_13-15_1
D

ffiKi*i:*S\.li*tni\t{\-$s:l,t$

E
B

22 Guitar1bclmiques November 2008

lLi(k5l FancysomeAlbert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan? The slide from the 8th fret with yourfirst finger - but it's a lot less painful.
on the second string is typicalAlbert, and the bend atthe9th fret is
a classic SRv-ism; it simulates the effect of bending upawholetone

AM VIII

lLi(k 5l This is a Hendrix-tinged affair;the more ofthese notes you can (CD speeds:701120 bpm)
pick, the more the lick will sound like All Along The Watchtower. Note
the four-fret slide at the end, which simulates a two-tone bend...

Am

B
G
D

lLi<k 7l Here we start with another Hendrixian trademark as you bend then release the bend and you're all set!
thatfirst note up on the second string, you should be able to catch the (CD speed:60 bpm)
partially bentthird string withyour bending fingertip; pick this note,

E
B
G
D

llick8j Remember we talked about blending the majorand minor

pentatonic s.ales? This one may remind you ofRobben Ford...
(CD speeds:701130 bpm)

November 2008 GuitalTechtques 23

 ffi oNTHEcD $, raacxse-s

GDTRAGKT
lLi.k 9l This one's another blend of major and minor pentatonics, (CD speed: 100 bpm)
evoking shades ofBB King. On the CD, this is played with an eighth
note 'swin9'feel - you'll know itwhen you hear itl

E
B
G
D

lli(k 101 l'd say this one dwells somewhere between jazz and (CD speeds: 80/180 bpm)
rockabilly; it's based on the major pentatonic, though a couple ofb3s
are lurking lnthere,justto blues it up'a little...

E
B
G
D

lLi(k 111The next two licks are more suited to country playing. Lick you end on that A at the 1oth fret on the second string.
11climbs up the fretboard on a pair ofadjacent strings - don'tworry if iCD speeds: 701120 bpm)
you struggle with the lastcouple ofnotes;the lickworks equally wellif

BU lhold)- - BU :--
E
BD "
B
G
o

[Li.k 12]The next lick explores the'held bent note' idea a little more
thoroughly - and ends with one ofthe all-time classic country clich6s...
(CD speeds: 80/'i40 bpm)

t:.4.
BU rho dl -
E 1
B 17 '17 1
6118-18+18H15F14r1 ^ ^ .-
o 14 16
E
-_

24 GuitaxTechniques November 2008

EXAMPLE LICK GDTRAGKA

llick 131 Here we have a simple repeating rock lick, introducing the tackle the 8th-fret notes.
concept of three-notes-per-string pentatonic fi ngerings. Keep your (CD speeds:90/220 bpm)
fourth finger based around the 1oth fret, using your third finger to

| 6 t' 6 | 6 tt
' 6 |

lLi<k l4l Our next lick shows howyou can usethree notes per string on descending groups offout and the fingering may remind you of
fingerings to play mathematical pentatonic patterns with a more PaulGilbert.
pronounced legato feel. ln this case, the pattern in question is based (CD speeds:80/160 bpm)

lLick l5l Here a six note figure is repeated on each string, using (CD speeds:701120 bpm)
position I from Diagram 5. For best results, focus on note clarity and
timing accuracy when hammering on and pulling off...

Li(k l6l Here's a more ambitious version of Ex 15;this one covers a (CD speeds:701120 bpm)
lotofground (it's based on the same principle the lastshapein
as
Diagram 5) soaim to makeeach position shiftasclean as possible...

.-<:71--);

7
/---\ BU

November 2r'r08 GuitarTecluiques 25

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LICKS CD TRACK 9
ILi.k l7lThis one ilhrstrates how someone like Brett Garsed might use (CD speedsrT0/120 bpm)
some ofthe fingerings from Diagram 6. lt combines legato ideas and
hybrid picking, which can sound pleasingly fluid ifyou do it right...

,-:-;->\
6

BU
E
B
7--9 12 9
7-1 0-7-s---+1 0--'l 0-7-1
1

[Lick l8] Now we see how Frank Gambale would apply his signature uses plenty offourth intervals to create an angular, 'unbluesy' effect.
sweeping approach to the scale shapes in Diagram 6. The 6rsttwo (CD speeds:60/120 bpm)
beats as.end the scale as rapidly as possible;the remainder ofthe lick

llick 191 Let's round things off with a couple of illustrations of how overanAm chord. (This isequallyvalid in both Dorian and Aeolian
you might use pentatonic substitution. This lick is reminis.ent of contexts.)
Eric Johnson, and it demonstratesthe effectofusinq Em pentatonic (CD speeds:70l120 bpm)

8M_

ILick 201 And finally... This onehas more than a hint ofSteveVaiabout (CD speeds:701150 bpm)
it. The AmajT#11 chord suggests the A Lydian mode, and the lickslides
around between major pentatonic scales in the keys ofA, B and E.

AmaiT'.11
8u

26 Guitaxlb&niques Novernber 2008