From Griff course
1-When most people learn to play the blues, they start with the minor pentatonic and/ or the minor blues scale (they are almost identical.) And while there is nothing wrong with those scales, and they are useful and allow you play the blues all day long... they don’t always give you the whole picture.
The reason they don’t give you the whole picture is because not all of the “sweet” notes are there. In other words, pentatonic and blues scales are great because you can’t be wrong with any of the notes, but you may not always be exactly right either.
“What he means is some of the chord tones you want to emphasis using the most popular and easy method fall outside of the the scale”
2-Again, we’re still playing the A Minor Pentatonic sound, so we have the A, C, D, E, and G, but the chord is a D (got that,) F# (don’t got that,) A (got that,) and C (got that.) Notice that the F#, again one of the 2 most important notes in that chord, isn’t in your scale – there’s no way to get it.
“He is talking about when you try to play over the IV chord you do not have one of the most important notes. This is what I was trying to say to papa to write out the triads and the 3 box position notes to illustrate this exact point earlier”
3- To make matters worse, we have a G which, if you hang out there, will tend to sound suspended over the D chord... but again if you’re just using the scale you probably won’t know why it doesn’t sound quite right... it just won’t sound quite right.
Now the E7 chord has an E, G#, B, and D – and again you can probably see that we’re missing the G# and the B from our scale. The G# is more important, and we have a G Natural so we’ll be OK, but it’s not perfect.
Here is explaining the comment in the PDF of what happens when you play box 4 over the IV chord or V chord Thus theoretically correct but you will not like the sound
4-So blues players throughout history have relied on the “close enough” sound of the minor pentatonic and the minor blues scales – and it works amazingly well.
But, what if you want to get more than just “close enough?”
So here he is saying why playing minor pentatonic is the most popular its not perfect but you will sound good . What he says last line is what happens when you want to take it to better then close enough. The whole point since FEB 1 that I am trying to explain to you all.
5-You have a couple of options, one is to actually change keys with each chord. And this is a process I often describe as “Every Chord Is I” and I’ve talked about it in other courses that I’ve taught.
But there’s another way, a way that ties together things in a new, more musical way, and that’s to solo by chord instead of by scale... and in fact, mixing the “by chord” and the “by scale” allows for some really impressive sounds.
Paleo remember when I told you the chord determines the scale . you are right that chords are created off of major scale as you said but that is not what I was saying I am saying what griff is saying above.
This is to the point of the way I am now opening up things in playing faster I see the chord and it dictates the scale I only started trying to adapt this for blues only less to understand and to remember because I believe in think small grow big. Its works on any chord family of chords same system different chords and scales different “emotions” “feelings” His last line should be enough to say why everyone including me need to understand all this.
6-The first chord shape we’ll talk about is the one most people are most familiar with. I’m calling it the “E Shape” chord because if you take this chord and move it down to
it’s open position, it’s an E
Yes this is what I have in my pdf but in the chart as additional visualization I group every part of this by box
Open chord closed version
The E shape the E arpeggio Pentatonic Box and the Minor Scale
Look at his similar box development and realize what it meant is what I am saying he is seeing the triad chord tones in the arpeggio shape or as cage calls it the E shape not in the 7 chord itself
7-The next shape we’ll tackle is the “A Shape,” or a root on the 5th string barre chord (though, as you’ll see it’s not the only shape we have with a root on the 5th string.)
UMMM the 4 chord from the 5th root? Interesting……..
8-Now, when we play this, I strongly encourage you to start and end on the root. Later, we’ll work on starting in other places, but even then we’ll always end on the roots.
This all was the missing ingredient in my pdf which I am going to completely fix clean up for myself to never lose this info and then post.
He is saying to start and end on the root when playing like this because when you take the box IV root 6th string and use from 5th string root the position of the of all of the 1 b3 5 and 4 and 7 change same pattern but the positions changed so why it doesnt sound good regular way is because we have learned box 4 licks that fit to the box 1 root.
Why the hell did I stumble on all of this direct connection to the above. When I took the 50 licks I memorized for jamming form Griff course by the box I though hey let me practice major minor I can take the box 2 licks he gave and just move them up to play off the same space I would play minor box 1 . Griff Says on PDF that is good and he says al notes are same so why did it sound bad . The licks construction for major is different than minor using same pattern. So here for IV chord look his chart at where the root is its on the IV or if played on V its on the correct note to highlight the chord . He also say yes you can incorporate the other 2 and the all important the one missing from...... the 1 box shape.
Conclusion
You do this to keep the chords and the scales as close together as possible so you can practice moving back and for the between the full chords licks arpeggios double stops partial chords from triads and emphasis the best notes the sweet spots
. The way you avoid bad sound is thinking if it as a mode you are playing box 4 but form the I b3 5 of the IV or V chord not the ! Chord .
In playing on the porch or how to play Alone. Course Griff fast strums the chord then plays 1 or 2 measures of licks When you do this you start to anticipate the changes you hear them the sound of minor major the sound of a I vs IV fast . This is a link to a guy who created a incredible library of blues licks in all styles.
He doesnt speak . He plays the chord then the lick ends playing the chord . This is how you train your ear to do what my neighbor can do hear color hear the sound of different chords by ear and scales and the sound when combined. You can hear every note inside a chord even when strummed. I can only do a little but believe I see improvement and can now get there but if you just be aware during practice and listen it will come and then I believe from seeing many great players how you can really just feel and have ingrained everything and make incredible stuff.
If I had seen the playing by the chord which is again sort of caged we wouldn’t have confusion sorry I am not perfect.
I will try to revamp the PDF even more concisely by tomorrow night.
Thank you
