I get asked this once in a while (and I'm sure it's a very common question for any guitar player that can move around the neck while soloing):
"How do you move around the neck like that?".
Modern guitar playing instruction seems to make a very clear delineation between "guitar playing", and "music theory". The two used to be considered intertwined; just read any old guitar instruction book and you'll see they start you off with standard notation. That doesn't seem to be true anymore. Many guitar players can play impressively but know little or nothing about theory.
I'm convinced that'll only get you so far. Incorporate theory, and as part of your practice, ignore patterns and try to think entirely in terms of notes, intervals, chord structure, etc. Force yourself to avoid patterns by playing notes in places or positions you usually don't play them in. Eventually, you'll start to see the neck as one big pattern with preferred areas based more on convenient fingering than prescribed boxes.
Anyway, first things first. I decided to develop a somewhat simplified system of pattern relationships that I use in my practice regimen, as well as my improvisational toolkit. I'm completely aware this isn't where the relationships end at all, and I have all kinds of variations and interstitial patterns as well, but this core concept has helped me organize my thoughts.
Note that this isn't a beginner concept; it assumes you know your CAGED patterns, your seven major mode patterns, and your five pentatonic patterns. If you don't, there are large holes in your knowledge you need to plug up; look 'em up and get 'em straight.
I sum up these Major mode/pentatonic relationships as "CAGED, PMAID, 45123".
In a nutshell, that means...
For Major scale improvisation:
"The first Caged position, can be soloed over using the Phrygian mode pattern, and/or the fourth Pentatonic Pattern".
"The second Caged position, can be soloed over using the Mixolydian mode pattern, and/or the fifth Pentatonic Pattern".
"The third Caged position, can be soloed over using the Aeolian mode pattern, and/or the first Pentatonic Pattern".
"The fourth Caged position, can be soloed over using the Ionian mode pattern, and/or the second Pentatonic Pattern".
"The fifth Caged position, can be soloed over using the Dorian mode pattern, and/or the third Pentatonic Pattern".
Or more simply:
First Caged - Phrygian - 4th Penta (CP4)
Second Caged - Mixo - 5th Penta. (AM5)
Third Caged - Aeolian - 1st Penta. (GA1)
Fourth Caged - Ionian - 2nd Penta. (EI2)
Fifth Caged - Dorian - 3rd Penta. (DD3)
I'll do the Minor scale relationship in another post; believe it or not you're already looking at it (you probably already knew that though if you know how basic modes are all built off a common major key). Here's a hint "minus one".
Some notes:
- There is no Lydian or Locrian mode here. I'm in no way implying these modes aren't important; Lydian is great mode for adding flavor to otherwise straight sounding major solos, and Locrian is essential for work over diminished chords and so on. The point of my little Fretboard Framework is to relate the two sets of commonly known positions and patterns (CAGED and the pentatonics) to the most commonly used modes. You should most definitely be familiar with Lydian and Locrian, and know when to use them.
- I'm assuming that the first pentatonic position is the standard "minor pentatonic" pattern everybody learns when they first start any kind of rock or blues soloing. I don't think there's any benefit to me redefining this standard by saying that what most people know as the 4th pattern is my new 1st one.
- Although CAGED starts with C, and I'm using C as an example, the patterns here apply anywhere on the neck from any root; in fact, I'd prefer that CAGED was just called "Root Positions", because a lot of beginners get stuck on the fact that "C is the first Position". It's not; it's just a position built off a root that, for introduction to CAGED positions, happens to be C.
Anyway, let's write it out and see if it works, we'll take the first relationship, C-P-4.
In the CAGED patterns, the first root position, assuming we want to play in C, is typically introduced as:
- C on the 5th string, third fret.
- C on the 2nd string, first fret.
This gets you an octave, from C to C. Those are your roots. It applies to any note (move it up two frets, you're now playing D to D, which in CAGED, is still called "the C position" or "the C form". That's confusing; just think of it in terms of root positions and you'll be fine).
Anyway, say you want to solo in C major from this position. According to what I'm telling you, that means using the Phrygian mode pattern in this position. NOTE that I'm not saying "use C Phrygian". I'm saying, "use the Phyrgian pattern in this position".
The Phrygian pattern looks like this (the Xs are the notes you play, the dashes are frets you skip, and the roots, which you should also play are indicated by the letter "R" for "root"):
Also note that in this position, the first column of Xs are open strings, indicated by fret position "0".
0
X X - X
X R - X
X - X -
X - X X
X - X R
X X - X
There you have it. The first root position, or "C" position/form in CAGED terminology, expands to the C Major scale for soloing, by knowing that the phrygian pattern is built all around it this way.
To incorporate the pentatonic position (which removes the fourth and seventh degrees from the major scale), we know that it's C-P-4, so we'd have to find the fourth pentatonic pattern from these C roots. It's indicated below (the "P" letters are the Pentatonic indicators, the Xs are the modal notes that you'd skip if you just wanted to play the pentatonic pattern, and the Rs are the roots, which are part of both the modal and the pentatonic patterns, so should always be played):
0
P X - P
X R - P
P - P -
P - P X
P - X R
P X - P
And again, there you have it; the entire C - P - 4 relationship in one little grid. From here, if you know your mode and pentatonic patterns, you can solo in C Major all over the neck from this starting point, or if nothing else, just move this logic up one octave (so change the 0 to a 12) to do some upper register screaming.
Let's set up another one: A-M-5. Second root position ("A" position/form in CAGED terminology), Mixolydian mode pattern, 5th pentatonic pattern.
This root pattern, assuming we want to play in C, is typically introduced as:
- C on the 5th string, third fret.
- C on the 3rd string, third fret.
We know that the "Mixolydian" shape, and the 5th pentatonic pattern, are both built around this root position somehow, here's what it looks like. Note that you start on the second fret.
If it wasn't clear before:
- The full modal shape is the Xs, the Ps, and the Rs.
- The pentatonic shape is the Ps and the roots. The Xs are omitted in the pentatonic shape (they are the fourth and seventh notes of the major scale you're working with, which are omitted in major pentatonic scales).
2
- P - P
- P - P X
P - X R
P X - P
X R - P
- P - P
Again, if you can find the root of the major scale you want to solo in on the 5th fret, and you know the Mixolydian pattern and/or the 5th pentatonic pattern, you're set up to play some interesting stuff.
Take this logic and run with it, try and write out the other three grids (the GED, or 3,4,5 root positions). Any questions, let me know.
As always, don't just blow all over patterns. Consider the chords you're playing over, use them to target your notes and lead-ins, and always pay attention to what the band is doing.
Have fun, see you out there.
Fretboard Framework, the name, and all related articles, are the creations and property of Tim Consolazio.
Copyright 2009 By Tim Consolazio. All rights reserved.
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