[Jan]

Thanks for your patience Johnny, and sorry for being so slow in grasping what I’m hoping one day will become obvious banalities. I’ll continue to tame my sax, and try to improvise a middle section of Stand By Me. I’ve searched the net for the notes for the violin solo to no avail, and probably will try to emulate some of it only by ear.

I’ve also set my eyes on trying to match a rendition of the mega soulful The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face. Only a few notes to play, but extremely challenging to get emotionally engaging. It requires technique and tone control currently far above my level. But hey, some time in the future, who knows …?

Jan

[Jan]

Thanks Johnny,

So, the three pentatonic scales I need to master are: B (=G#), E and F#?

Jan

[Jan]

Thanks a lot, Johnny.

I guess the Devil is really in remembering the non-related pentatonic scales, and apply the “new/different” notes in an interesting way when appropriate. Do you have any good advice how to keep check on when what is safe to play at any given time – or how to remember then non-related scales and the different starting notes in the related ones? Practise, practise and practise is – I guess – always a good idea, but apart from that?

I’ve also noticed that a lot of the tunes I’m now playing centres around the use of the octave key. Not only is it difficult to maintain a good tone when going into the upper register, but the C# for instance doesn’t sound as good when played at the top of the lower register instead of at the bottom of the higher register. My problem is that moving fast between the high B in the lower register and the C# in the higher octave register requires a lot of unusual fingering because of the use of the low semi-tone key. What do you do, or is it just my YAMAHA YTS-25 (Japanese model) that isn’t particularly refined? I like the fuller/warmer tone of the low C# in the higher octave register better, but battle to play it fast enough when otherwise moving mostly between F-C.

Does it make sense?

Jan

[Jan]

Sorry, I had to remove the new table again because this posting system doesn’t allow for original spacing, and as a result it looks confusing.

J

[Jan]

Hi Johnny,

Reading down through the columns, I was trying to list the tones in a pentatonic pattern that I can include for improvisation as the song progresses through its 1-m6-3-4-5-1 sequence. I failed abysmally, I think. What is actually meant by a minor 6? Is it the pentatonic minor scale of the B major’s sixth note? Or, how would you explain it?

Jan

[Jan]

– which in my impro table would mean the following (if I’ve understood it correctly): x = progression – y = pentatonic scale

X || 1 || m6 || 4 || 5 || 1 ||
=================
1 || B || Ab|| E ||F#|| B ||

---

2 ||C#||Bb||F#||G#||C#||

---

3 ||D#|| C ||G#||A#||D#||

---

5 ||F#|| Eb|| B ||C#||F#||

---

6 ||G#|| F ||C#||D#||G#||
==================

Sorry, it gets a bit out of shape when published. The idea is to follow the notes going down the columns as the song progresses along the 1-6m-4-5-1 pattern.

Jan

[Jan]

Thanks again, Johnny. You’re a hero.

Let me just get this right: So, when I improvise following the mentioned progression, I should play pentatonic scales of (1) = B, (minor 6) = G#, (4) = E, (5) = F#, and back to (1) = B ?

Best

Jan

[Jan]

… Then again, when I look at the various guitar tab websites they seem to say that guitars play in Amaj – in which case I should play Bmaj? Maybe I’m just confused?

[Jan]

One more question regarding C blues improv. The progression is I – IV – V – I. This means that I on my Tenor should improvise over the pentatonic scales of D – G – A (and back to D), or am I wrong again?

[Jan]

Thanks Johnny, your help is immensely appreciated.

I must be extraordinarily thick because I always thought that Cmaj = Amin (two notes removed) but that obviously isn’t the same. I’ll try the minor pentatonic scale to improvise through the solo section.

Jan

[Author]

Posts