Description
In this MicroLesson (ML091) you’ll learn a simple technique for improvising lead by visualizing a triangle and rectangle shape. Super simple.
Free Guitar Lesson
Slow Walk-through
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Love these micro lessons. Maybe you get bored repeating things but it’s so good for us guys that need it!
Keep ‘em coming!!!
Another “Great” lesson Brian. These Micro Lessons are excellent and with my slow capabilities 🙂 are easy to follow. Fantastic.
I do have a question, If I moved the patterns in a different direction and started the triangle 3 frets down, wouldn’t I be in the A Minor Pentatonic scale and use the same formula (Logic)
Yes, you get into the minor pentatonic, but the position of the notes shifts. One can pass from the major pentatonic by ear to the minor pentatonic.
I’ve got one question here. Not trying to play “gotcha” but want to make sure I’m not misunderstanding. You said the triangle shape is part of pattern 4 of the A major pentatonic, but wouldn’t it be part of pattern 3 and the rectangle shape is from pattern 4? Love the lessons!
No mistake here, Dan. The triangle lives in the pattern 4 of the A major pentatonic scale and the rectangle lives in the pattern 5.
Keep in mind that patterns do overlap so the notes on frets 9 and 10 belong to both pattern 3 and 4 and the notes on frets 11, 12 belong to both pattern 4 and 5.
HI Brian-
I too enjoy these bite-size lessons that keep things simple. Repetition at least makes me feel like I’m beginning to understand these things.
Question— when I improvise it usually just sounds like I’m rambling around on the pentatonic, so I’m trying to improve at “telling a story”. Your improv examples always seem to sound much more like a beginning, middle and end…rather than my rambling gibberish.
I’m thinking I should be thinking more about targeting chord tones, so I went through the tab and it seems like you are generally hitting the chord tones—at least the thirds or fifths of the chord for that measure(s). ?
Your emphasis here is to keep it simple, and I assume you are relying on the major pentatonic notes to sound good on the I, IV, V, and vi chords in this example. Do I have that correct?
The G major chord at the end was a bit of surprise (the B note (12th fret, second string) would be the third in the G major chord, so that seems to fit together… I’m going to also guess that somehow the G chord comes as tension chord as the fourth of the IV chord…. and the piece ends on the IV? (the seven chord in A major would be G# dim)…
Sorry–maybe I’m in the weeds and missing the point of keeping this simple…. Just trying to sort through and get better at my gibberish improv!
Thanks as always!
that is awesome. I can’t remember scales by numbers, I have to find root and figure it out. I am slow.
Great micro lesson on how to use small pieces of the Penta scales to create some nice music. Very cool.
Thanks Brian
To me the triangle pattern looks like a house and the rectangle looks like a yard so I remember this pattern by thinking of it as “the house and yard pattern.”
Love that thought…start in the house and go out to the yard!
Great micro lesson, another string for the bow, and the journey moves on. Big thank you Brain. 🙂
Great lesson, THANKS! Sounds very Allman Brothers to me. I always appreciate the lessons that are not focused on the Blues.
These Micro Lessons are a delightful addition to the weekly. Thanks Brian.
Nice “Flow” Brian
I have a question. For bendable notes, could you not also bend the root note, A in the example, up to the B at the other bottom corner of the triangle? Thank you in advance.
I find it very usefull that you have limited the notes we can play like this. It is an eyyopener for me to experience how bad I actually am at phrasing when presented with just a very limited set of notes. That is the new challenge to myself. Make these few notes within the shapes sound like a melody.
Love this bite size lesson, simple and straight to the point.
Since these shapes are from the Major pentatonic scale, are you limited to using them only for Major keys? If so, what can you use for minor keys? I thought I heard somewhere you can’t use a Major pentatonic scale for Minor keys.
In a Major key you can use Major or Minor pentatonic scales, but in Minor key you can only use Minor pentatonic scales. It’s something to do with the flat third in minor chords.
These concepts are are starting to come together for me. Its like drinking from a firehouse. I save the lessons on the site in different categories, phrasing, voicings, etc so depending on what I’m working on I can find it quickly – Soooo Goooood…
This micro lesson 091 is the best finally a pattern I can use and develop a melody and feel it. Exceptional, thank you !!
I love these structure and rules being placed over the broader theory, it’s all too easy to get lost having too many options.
Having little areas and limitations like this really helps my form
This is a great lesson. It’s got the rhythmic sound of the Allman Brothers kind of like a rollicking fun adventure. Micro lessons are great for slower players like me because when your working piece by piece the briefness makes you believe that its doable.
You make learning guitar so much fun. Thank you.
Dave
Alberta, Canada
Ditto to all the other ‘slow-learners’ besides myself. However, I have noticed that if I stick with it long enough, (months,) I can recognize that I have made a little progress! – Whoopie!!!
Another little gem, Brian.
Fun stuff! Thanks Brian
Would this be consider a 1456 progression?
fantastic micro lesson – so useful – thanks.
Great little lead positions
has the Allman Brothers vibe
thanks
Another great micro lesson. Love these.
Jay
Hello Brian,
Thanks for this easy lesson. (Zones and bendable notes)
This gives me a better feeling to grow improvisations.
I’m concerned about Arlo. He doesn’t look like himself in this video.