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If you are in the key of G major is it ok to play licks off the G chord even when the song goes to C? I know when the song is in the key of G it works to play G minor scale over the entire song and also the hybrid g major/minor. But what about chord shapes? It seems like in this lesson Brian uses mostly G major, minor pent and chord shape licks until the song gets to A minor then he uses an A minor pentatonic lick or licks? He didn’t use any C chord shape licks that i could tell or remember! I hope my question makes sense. (So far i’m just talking about the first 8 measures I haven’t gone past that)
Thanks, Paul -
Hi Paul, I’m mostly answering to start a discussion. I think it’s fine to play licks from the G minor pentatonic over the C, but it looks like the point of the lesson is to change scales when changing chords.
The G Major scale is G, A, B, C, D, E, F#.
The G minor pentatonic scale is G, Bb, C, D, F; for the “blues scale” add C# (aka Db).
G mixolydian is G, A, B, C, D, E, F. I think this is the sound/scale Brian is leading us to.
The C chord is C, E, G (you wouldn’t want to land on B, C#/Db or F# on a strong beat while in C, unless you have that exact sound in mind [B would give you a major 7 sound]).
In most cases think you’d probably want a C mixolydian: C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb (that’s a G minor pentatonic with an E and A added). That’s a “safe” scale.
One thing I’ve found, if you’re comfortable in the rhythm, you can use almost any notes.
I hope this adds something to what you’re thinking about.
Don D.
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Hi Don, Thanks for your response. If you can indulge me for a moment while i go into a little more detail and maybe i can drill this down a little bit. In the ep320 first measure Brian starts out with a lick ofF of the G chord (e shape caged) then in the 2nd measure he stays with the same shape and just does a little double bend of the E note 2nd string 5th fret (C CHORD NOTE??). He then jumps down to a G chord triad (d shape caged 7TH FRET) and plays a tasty little lick there. It isn’t until the A minor chord that he moves into the A minor pentatonic 2nd position to play some licks then returns to the G (a shape caged 12th fret) on the 5th measure. Where are the C chord shapes or C MINOR/MAJOR pentatonics?? I don’t see any until the 10th measure? Maybe i’m missing something or maybe it just worked out fine that way cause he happened to land on notes that were in the C chord even though he was using g chord shapes and licks?? Im sorry if this doesnt make sense. It’s difficult to explain music, at least for me anyway. Also, i understand if you don’t want to go down this path with me as these discussions can sometime be labor intensive. I appreciate the time you’ve given me already. Also, i did email Brian directly when nobody answered my post and this was his reply: “Hey Paul, great question. I like to think of a lead as having 2 paths, I can either play the chord changes, or stay in the key of the song. If I play the chord changes.. then when the song switches to a C chord, I would need to do that – the G chord shape might clash a bit. If I choose to stay in the key of the song (and not play the changes), then I can play either the G major or minor pentatonic scale through the entire song, no matter what the chord is. The first option gives you a more melodic sounding lead, the 2nd is much easier to do though :)”
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Hi Don, Thanks for your response. If you can indulge me for a moment while i go into a little more detail and maybe i can drill this down a little bit. In the ep320 first measure Brian starts out with a lick ofF of the G chord (e shape caged) then in the 2nd measure he stays with the same shape and just does a little double bend of the E note 2nd string 5th fret (C CHORD NOTE??). He then jumps down to a G chord triad (d shape caged 7TH FRET) and plays a tasty little lick there. It isn’t until the A minor chord that he moves into the A minor pentatonic 2nd position to play some licks then returns to the G (a shape caged 12th fret) on the 5th measure. Where are the C chord shapes or C MINOR/MAJOR pentatonics?? I don’t see any until the 10th measure? Maybe i’m missing something or maybe it just worked out fine that way cause he happened to land on notes that were in the C chord even though he was using g chord shapes and licks?? Im sorry if this doesnt make sense. It’s difficult to explain music, at least for me anyway. Also, i understand if you don’t want to go down this path with me as these discussions can sometime be labor intensive. I appreciate the time you’ve given me already. Also, i did email Brian directly when nobody answered my post and this was his reply: “Hey Paul, great question. I like to think of a lead as having 2 paths, I can either play the chord changes, or stay in the key of the song. If I play the chord changes.. then when the song switches to a C chord, I would need to do that – the G chord shape might clash a bit. If I choose to stay in the key of the song (and not play the changes), then I can play either the G major or minor pentatonic scale through the entire song, no matter what the chord is. The first option gives you a more melodic sounding lead, the 2nd is much easier to do though :)”
(2nd attempt)
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Hey Paul, I am having a bit of a hard time following, especially as I’m at my desk, no guitar nearby to consult. I thought maybe this would be clearer to me today, but after listening to EP320, it’s so different from what I usually play, I’m not really hearing what Brian is playing.
I haven’t given up, but it might take me a day or two to make sense of it.
Don D.
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Ok Don but don’t worry to much about it. Sometimes i read to much into these things and the simple fact is that i might not be ready to see what is in front of me. I have learned to just move on and and keep plowing ahead and eventually it will reveal itself to me. I appreciate your help and if you do feel like taking a stab at it then great, but no worries at all if you move on.
Thanks, Paul
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