USD ($)
$
United States Dollar
Euro Member Countries
¥
China Yuan Renminbi
$
Australia Dollar
R$
Brazil Real
лв
Bulgaria Lev
$
Canada Dollar
$
Chile Peso
$
Colombia Peso
Czech Republic Koruna
£
Egyptian Pound
Ft
Hungary Forint
India Rupee
Rp
Indonesia Rupiah
Israel Shekel
¥
Japan Yen
Kazakhstani Tenge
kr
Denmark Krone
$
Hong Kong Dollar
£
United Kingdom Pound
Korea (South) Won
$
New Zealand Dollar
Russia Ruble
Viet Nam Dong
د.إ
United Arab Emirates dirham
CHF
Switzerland Franc
kr
Sweden Krona
kr
Norway Krone
$
Singapore Dollar
R
South Africa Rand
$
Mexican Peso
Turkey Lira

Combining Major and Minor

Lesson 2/53 | Study Time: 5 Min
Combining Major and Minor

Combining Major and Minor

The following two examples are good exercises for becoming familiar with the major and minor pentatonic scales with the same form. Ascend the form using the major pentatonic and descend using the minor pentatonic.

Now reverse the process, ascend the form using the minor pentatonic, descend using the major pentatonic.

You could also use this idea to create other exercises. For example, try playing up the dominant seventh arpeggio and down the Blues scale in the same form. If you want to be a great player, it is essential to be equally familiar with all of the five scale and chord forms. Many guitarists play well in the E form only, but how many piano players are only comfortable with only one fifth of the length of the keyboard.

Hopefully, after studying carefully you will know your scales and arpeggios so well that you can forget about them and concentrate on making music. When you reach this point you no longer have to think about finger patterns and numbers, instead you will be relying on your ears and memory and simply choosing the notes which express what you want to play.

The following licks use sounds from all the scales studied so far.

The next lick is reminiscent of B.B King's playing. He is a master of combining major and minor sounds in a completely natural way.

GDPR

When you visit any of our websites, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and manage your preferences. Please note, that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.