When it comes to
improvising using scales many guitarists get into the habit of playing in a
linear and predictable fashion. This is mainly because of how we initially
learn scales, using sequential patterns on the neck.
A question I often get
asked is how to make scale movements sound more musical. In the first lesson on
major pentatonic, we learned the importance of using target notes to give our
scale movements more purpose and keep them connected to the backing music. But
how we approach these target notes is also a key factor in melodic soloing. If
you listen closely to some of the best loved solos out there you'll notice that
they often mimic vocal dynamics in terms of moving from one note to the next.
The most memorable
melodies, whether vocal or instrumental tend to avoid prelonged linear
movements through a scale. So how do we escape the trap of simply running
through a scale in straight, predictable runs? Once you've learned a pattern,
you'll know how to get from one note to the next in the scale's natural
sequence. But you'll also know how to skip notes in the sequence.
For example, in this
major pentatonic pattern we could start on the 5 on the second string, and
instead of moving down to the 3, we could skip the 3 and move to the 2 before
targeting the 1. We could of course reverse this movement and skip a note
moving UP the scale. Or we could play from 5 to 3, but skip the 2 before
landing on 1.
These are two simple
examples of how skipping notes in the scale sequence can create more
melodically interesting phrases. Now, when fingering these note skips,
especially with pentatonic scales we'll often have to use a technique called
"rolling". This is where we consecutively play two adjacent strings
on the same fret, using the same finger for both. Using just one finger keeps
our fingering economical especially when playing at speed.
In the previous example,
we'd fret the second string with the flat part or pad of our finger, just below
the tip and then "roll" it to a more vertical position so the tip
frets the third string below. This technique is quite subtle and takes some
practice. But being able to roll will allow you to skip certain notes in a
scale seamlessly. The rolling technique is also essential for many arpeggio
patterns, especially for sweep picking.
We can create exercises
covering the entire pattern that use this roll technique. Such as this one... Once
you can play through the entire pattern like this break it down, isolating
parts of the sequence as a lead up to your target note. Try also skipping two
notes in the scale sequence.
For example... We can
then experiment with combining the different sequences with linear movements. You
can find more skipped note sequence ideas, with tabs, on the lesson page. We
can make linear runs sound more interesting by staggering them.
For example, here I play
three notes down from the top... Now I take one step back in the sequence and
play another three notes down... Repeat this sequence and you get the
following... Simply reverse the sequence to move up the scale. Just like the
skipped note sequences, we can break down this full exercise into small phrases
that resolve to a target note.
Pedal sequences involve
playing one static note and alternating between that static note and a sequence
of other notes. It's quite difficult to explain in words, but here I identify
the pedal note, or pedal point, marked in red. I then alternate this note
between other notes in the scale. Again, the idea is not to play through an
entire pattern using these sequences rather isolate small phrases that lead to
your target note.
Already we have
countless combinations of skipped, staggered and pedal sequences to create
melodic phrases. Once you've practiced each type of sequence individually, it's
time to practice combining them seamlessly.
Of course, you don't
want to completely crowd your solo with drawn out sequences so be sure to also
include simpler phrases, that give your solo some breathing space. If you like,
you can try out what you've learned in this lesson over my guided jam tracks. Try
applying different sequence techniques over other patterns across the neck. There
are other ways to bring your scale phrases to life, including techniques such
as bending, slides and legato but we'll look at adding those to our repertoire at a
later time. For more help with the
techniques covered here, including tabs, visit the lesson page. Cheers!
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