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SUBSTITUTE Playing Over Changes
THE PENTATONIC SCALE is a good friend to us guitarists, but there occasionally comes a time when we want to spread our wings a little and think outside ‘the box’. Many of us investigate harmony and theory books and websites, only to have our interest rebuffed with musical jargon and exercises that seem impossible to assimilate into our repertoire (that has taken many a long hour to acquire as it is). A good solution could be to start with a universal pattern (like the Pentatonic or ‘Blues scale’), then add in more informed note choices on a progressive basis. Taking a wellused fragment of chord progression (known in many circles as a II-V-I) we’ve arranged three scales or patterns in the same area of the fretboard to demonstrate how to subtly shift between chords - plus a couple of ‘deluxe’ added notes to really nail the specifics of the chord.
THIS DM7 SHAPE takes its name from the C (or b 7) that occurs on the third string. You could also add a C from the 8th fret of the first string for a brighter effect.
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THIS SHAPE 4 D Minor Pentatonic contains the C that gives the matching chord its name. Try using any Cs as a temporary root, (start or finish phrases with them). This is a case of looking at existing shapes differently, rather than actually learning new ones…
BASED AROUND A shape 2 G
Major Pentatonic, there are some added F Naturals on the fifth and second strings. These allow you to reference the b 7 that characterises this chord without needing to learn new shapes or having to jump round the fretboard.
USING THE SAME principle as Ex 5, this shape 5 C Major Pentatonic adds a B on the third and first strings - perfect for emphasising a Major 7th feel - even over a straight C chord!
G7 DIFFERS FROM a regular G (or Gmaj7) chord by virtue of its F (or b 7) on the fourth string. It’s also possible to add another F in at the 6th fret of the second string.
A C MAJOR 7 CHORD contains a B note, and this sets it apart from a regular Major or 7th chord (with its b 7). It occurs here on the 4th fret of the third string.
