Major and Minor relative scales

[Doug B]

My name is Doug Brown. I have questions but I am not sure how the forum application works. For anyone seeing this, please consider it trash. I want to see if I am to type into this space for an overview of my topic of interest and then if desired I can attach a “word” document in the attachment down below that provides further detail. Also once I see if my action works how can I delete this entry (to clean up the page). Will attach a word document below. The document is not related to anything here. Doug,

[sunjamr]

Hey Doug, why are you also called Albert? BTW, if I were you, I would save your word document as a PDF and use that for your attachment. Whatever you post, you can edit it for a few minutes after you post it, but if you wait too long, you lose your chance and it goes onto your permanent record. Also, note that if you post a YouTube video, you need to put the link on a separate line with a space above and below to be able to see the thumbnail. I just copy the YouTube URL, position my cursor on a separate line, and do a Paste, then hit Enter to make a space below it. Have fun!

Sunjamr Steve

[Doug B]

Sunjamr, thanks for the reply. My paycheck name is Albert. Close in I go by the middle name. All too complex. I go by either. I will work the PDF thing. My question involves the way Brian numbers his five scale patterns. I think I have learned them such that my major pattern five becomes pattern one for the minor. I will attempt to attach a copy of the way I number the major pentatonic patterns along with related minor pentatonic. I understand all but need to ensure I am thinking correctly when he cites something in his lessons. By the way his site and lessons are really good. Doug or Albert.

[Doug B]

Sunjamr and others, I will follow on with my questions re: relative major and minor scales. I will attempt to be clear and concise (hard to do when one does not know enough to craft his question). Brian has a great website and he provides very good instruction. I have gotten so much out of his lessons on bar chord linkages in lead playing. Now I want to focus on his instructions on scale, chord, note linkages. He does not have much in the way of scale charts so I will direct my questions to his charts in EP130. I am a little confused by some of his labels.

As background, I will begin with stating what I do or do not know. I am aware that all scales are derived from the major scale. There are seven modes with mode 1 (Ionian) being the major scale and mode six (Aeolian) being the “relative” minor scale (natural minor) of a given major scale. I will only talk to mode 1 and mode 6. I am also aware that if you flatten the 3rd, 6th, and 7th of a major scale you create a “parallel” minor for a given major scale.

Now I will direct my comments to the charts in EP130. The charts are labeled “Key of A”. A Major = (A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#). Therefore, A “parallel” minor = (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). As a quick aside we see that A “parallel” minor is also the “relative” minor to C Major. The “relative” minor for A Major is F#m and F#m = (F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E). I am aware that one drops the 4th and 7th degrees from the Major scale to craft the major Pentatonic and drops the 2nd and 6th degrees to craft the minor pentatonic. Hopefully I halfway make sense to this point. So now to the Figures.

Fig1 is ok but to me shows pattern 1 of A “parallel” minor which is the relative minor of C Major. Fig2 is ok but to me shows pattern 2 of the A “parallel” minor or the relative minor of C Major. Important – the blue dots in fig2 are also the top half of pattern one to the C major scale. To me scale patterns are like a conveyor belt and go around. Also, to me the major scale pattern five is minor scale pattern one.

Given this, I can follow all however the label for fig3 is a roadblock. To me the correct label should be Pattern one A Major Pentatonic scale not pattern 2. Why the detail for me? I am new to music, a visual person and labor over small stuff for now. If I am correct in my comments, I have learned a “new” thing. Previously I thought mixing major and minor involves mixing “relative” minor and Major. But this is mixing parallel minor or relative minor for C major with key = A. I will stop at this point because my theory confusion is caught in the one point.

If my comments cannot be understood at all do not hesitate to tell to keep staring at the lesson. I will attempt to attach a PDF file to the attachment block. The PDF is just a crib note that I make for myself. By the way Brian’s instruction site is the best. Doug Brown,

[Usernameinvalid]

The short answer is Brian has his own way of numbering
Scales.
What he calls pattern 1 of the major pentatonic most call
pattern 5.
There was a big discution about the a few weeks ago.

[Doug B]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Doug B]

Brown here. I am just now learning how to scan around the forum application. After I got the response seen above from “Usernameinvalid”, I start scanning around for the cited discussions. Found a bunch of stuff by many and the discussions are most valuable. I understand now what Brian does and can get into his lessons without doubt of what I am doing re:patterns. Also a big learning experience to see what questions others have and how they solve.

[Doug B]

Sunjamr I see your friend acceptance. Thanks. I am still tooling around with the Forum application. You and Canada have been very helpful but I still need to tinker with the application more. I will get a Bio and stuff posted as soon as I can craft one. Bio information will give you all a better baseline from which my question come. Hopefully I can ask meaningful questions. I just happened to stumble up on Brian’s website. The site is a “gold mine” of information. More to follow if you all do not mind questions. Note I found how to change to profile name.

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