| Author |
Topic: Playing in all keys |
Burton Lee
From:
Denton, Texas, USA
|
Posted 25 Sep 2004 8:52 am |
|
A question for the players:
I was practicing the other day, feeling locked in the E9 box and unable to make anything new, when I realized that my whole approach to playing the E9 neck has been to play major (and related) scales based on two positions: root on the 8th string, and root on the 6th string w/ B pedal.
I have a standard E9 setup, and I can play a complete chromatic scale from top to bottom using these pulls on a single fret.
Have any of you mastered playing in all twelve keys on the same fret?
This strikes me as a really good idea. My playing background is on single-note horns so this kind of work was the requirement for real playing of any sort. Obviously work in this direction is the reason why some players tune ET, but I'm wondering if there are only some scale positions that became useful (like scales with root on 9th string or 7th string) or if you feel reasonably comfortable playing in C# on the 8th fret.
I get very frustrated feeling like I'm only playing on the highways of the instrument; doing the same things over and over again. I like the hypothetical prospect of being able to play in C major on any fret on the guitar and using bar position to determine the location and character of the pulls (no more A pedal cliche!) and the timbre of the horn.
Ok, now school me. Why is this a bad idea and tell me why the C6 neck is inherently better suited for modern jazz or any other heavy playing.
While you respond, I'm going to play major scales and arpeggios starting from the F lever very slowly.
Burton Lee
Denton, TX
|
|
|
|
Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
|
Posted 25 Sep 2004 9:09 am
|
|
| At the 8th fret, I can play the following scales: C D Eb F G A Bb. The other 6 scales are only one fret away, so I don't see any point in learning them. I would never play in the key of C# at the 8th fret, for example. |
|
|
|
Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
|
Posted 25 Sep 2004 9:59 am
|
|
Your time will be better spent exploring where to find diatonic and extended scales up and down the neck. On E9 there are many more pockets than the two you referred to. Look in particular at the positions where the E strings are raised and lowered 1/2 step. In C, look on the first fret with E's lowered and using the A and B pedals in and out. Also, on the 11th fret using E to F with and without the A pedal. Find where notes of the diatonic scales lie and then look for other useful scales -- like the dim w/h or h/w scales.
Why C6?
Range is one reason. You can comp more like a jazz guitarist with more closely voiced, interesting chord voicings and the single note stuff is handy as well.
It's not the tuning. It's the music. But you probably already knew that. All the notes are there. Finding the most useful positions and tying them together with tranisition notes can be very rewarding. And it's funny -- I buy a bunch of really cool instructional stuff from lots of sources, but the stuff I use the most is what I figure out for myself.
Don't waste your time learning to play in C# on the 8th fret.
------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps
|
|
|
|
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
|
Posted 27 Sep 2004 8:14 am
|
|
Burton, another thing you can use is your 9th string (D) as the root. You'll have to have your B pedal depressed as it'll become the 5th of the scale. Your 1st and 7th strings become 3rds and the B strings become 6ths. The E's will be 2nds or 9ths as they're used. There are a lot of single string solos you can do out of this position. You'll find things in all the pedal and knee lever combinations that'll keep you going for the rest of your life...Welcome aboard!!..JH
------------------
Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.
|
|
|
|
David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
|
Posted 27 Sep 2004 11:19 am
|
|
There are places to find roots, all over,
But alss as was just pointed out you can start on an odd string from another degree of the scale like 2nd or 3rd inversion and still build the scale.
And use less "standard" root strings to build from.
The Eb and F wones are very useful starting points |
|
|
|
David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
|
Posted 27 Sep 2004 12:27 pm
|
|
| You can also play a chromatic scale on any single string by going up and down the neck. But the other strings may not give you the harmony you want for chords. The same is true for playing chromatics at a single fret. Even if you can do it, the other strings may not give you the harmony you want. Some of the most interesting playing to me is moving up and down the neck with sliding harmony changes under or over the melody. b0b once experimented with a full diatonic copedent, but he seems to have abandoned it. Ask him why? I suspect it has something to do with moving harmonies. |
|
|
|
