This Concept Changed my Lead Guitar Playing

Summary

In this instructional video, the speaker addresses a common challenge faced by intermediate guitar players: feeling confined to box-shaped pentatonic scales. To overcome this, the concept of 'super positions' is introduced, which involves combining multiple pentatonic positions into larger shapes, expanding the fretboard visualization and note options. The video offers practice techniques such as diagonal patterns to enhance scale visualization and improvisation skills, ultimately leading to more creative and varied guitar solos.

Takeaways

• 🎸 Learning scales in box shapes is common among intermediate guitar players.
• 🚧 Players often feel stuck within these box shapes, limiting their playing options.
• 🎶 The minor pentatonic scale is a frequently learned box shape, but it confines players to linear playing.
• 🔄 To break free, the concept of 'Super positions' of the minor pentatonic scale is introduced.
• 🛠 Combining multiple pentatonic positions creates larger boxes, expanding the fretboard visualization.
• 🔄 Repeating notes are a natural part of these larger scales, and they're okay to include.
• 👂 Ear training is important, but so is visualizing scales on the fretboard.
• 📊 A practice technique involves playing diagonal patterns across strings to enhance scale visualization.
• 🎵 Expanding the scale to four notes per string increases the fretboard range for improvisation.
• 💡 This approach leads to more angular and wider interval playing, enhancing solos and phrasing.
• 📘 Tabs and practice exercises for these super positions are available for channel members.

Q & A

What is the main challenge that intermediate guitar players face according to the script?

The main challenge is feeling stuck in 'boxes' or limited fretboard positions when playing scales, which restricts their note choices and playing options.

What is the common way guitar players learn scales as mentioned in the script?

They learn scales in box shapes or positions along the fretboard, particularly the pentatonic scales.

Why does the script suggest that intermediate players feel confined to these 'boxes'?

They feel confined because they don't feel comfortable playing outside these learned positions, limiting their improvisation and soloing abilities.

What is the concept of 'Super Positions' introduced in the script?

'Super Positions' involve combining multiple pentatonic scale positions into a larger, single position to expand the fretboard area a player can visualize and play.

How does the script suggest practicing the Super Positions of the minor pentatonic scale?

By practicing them as if they are single pentatonic shapes, extending the scale's shape, and visualizing more of the fretboard.

What is the purpose of practicing diagonal patterns with the scales as suggested in the script?

The purpose is to force visual scale recognition rather than relying solely on the ear, enhancing fretboard knowledge.

How does the script recommend expanding the Super Positions further?

By adding more positions to the existing Super Position, turning a three-note-per-string scale into a four-note-per-string scale, for example.

What benefits does the script claim come from visualizing larger fretboard areas during soloing?

It allows for wider interval playing, more freedom in phrasing, and a larger selection of notes to choose from.

What additional resources are offered for those interested in learning more about Super Positions?

Tabs for Super Positions and practice exercises are available for channel members, and one-on-one online guitar lessons are also offered.

What is the significance of the B minor pentatonic scale in the context of the script?

It serves as the primary example to demonstrate the concept of Super Positions and how to expand playing beyond the basic scale shapes.

How does the script suggest intermediate players can improve their improvisation skills?

By learning to visualize scales across larger areas of the fretboard and practicing techniques that enhance this visualization.

Outlines

00:00

🎸 Overcoming the 'Box' Mentality in Guitar Playing

The speaker discusses a common challenge faced by intermediate guitar players who have learned scales in box shapes across the fretboard. They explain how players often feel confined to these shapes, limiting their note choices and phrasing. The focus is on the minor pentatonic scale, which is commonly learned and used. The speaker suggests a method to break free from these limitations by combining different pentatonic positions into a 'super position' that spans a larger area of the fretboard. This approach allows for more creative and varied playing by expanding the visual and physical range of notes available during solos. A practical example is given by combining the first position of B minor pentatonic with the next position starting on D, creating a three-note-per-string super position. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of visualizing scales on the fretboard rather than relying solely on ear training.

05:01

🛤️ Expanding Scale Visualization with Super Positions

Building on the concept of super positions, the speaker introduces a practice technique to further expand the guitar player's scale visualization. They demonstrate how to play notes diagonally across different strings, which helps in seeing the scales more clearly on the fretboard. The speaker then shows how to expand the three-note-per-string scale to a four-note-per-string scale by adding another position before the main B minor pentatonic shape. This results in an 8 or 9 fret distance visualization of the scale, significantly increasing the fretboard area that can be used for improvisation. The speaker provides an example of how this expanded scale can be used in improvisation, highlighting the wider intervals and more expressive phrasing that become possible. They also mention the availability of tabs and practice exercises for channel members and offer one-on-one online guitar lessons for those interested.

Keywords

💡Intermediate guitar players

Intermediate guitar players are those who have a foundational understanding of guitar playing but are still developing their skills. In the video, the speaker discusses a common hurdle that these players face, which is feeling stuck within the confines of the scales they've learned. This concept is central to the video's theme of overcoming limitations in guitar playing.

💡Box shapes

Box shapes refer to the specific patterns or positions in which guitar players learn to play scales, particularly pentatonic scales. These shapes are typically five frets wide and are learned across different positions on the fretboard. The video discusses how players often feel confined to these shapes, which can limit their playing options.

💡Pentatonic scale

The pentatonic scale is a five-note musical scale, often used in guitar playing for solos and melodies. It's a common scale for beginners to learn. The video script mentions learning the pentatonic scale in box shapes and how this can lead to feeling 'stuck in these boxes'.

💡Fretboard

The fretboard is the part of a guitar where the strings are pressed down to change the pitch of the notes played. The script discusses how intermediate players often feel confined to certain areas of the fretboard when playing scales, which can limit their creativity and note choices.

💡Note choice

Note choice refers to the selection of individual notes that a musician plays within a piece of music. The video explains how being confined to box shapes can limit a player's note choice, leading to a more predictable and less varied sound.

💡Phrasing

Phrasing in music refers to the way notes are grouped together to create a musical idea or melody. The video suggests that being stuck in box shapes can limit a player's phrasing, leading to more linear and less angular playing.

💡Super positions

Super positions, as introduced in the video, are larger scale shapes created by combining multiple pentatonic box shapes. This concept is central to the video's message of expanding a player's fretboard visualization and note choices beyond the confines of traditional box shapes.

💡Fret

A fret is one of the metal strips on the neck of a guitar that divides the fingerboard into sections. The video discusses how players often visualize scales over a limited number of frets, but super positions allow for a broader view of the fretboard.

💡Visualization

Visualization in the context of music refers to the mental imagery a musician uses to understand and navigate the instrument. The video emphasizes the importance of visualizing scales on the fretboard, rather than relying solely on ear training.

💡Diagonal pattern

The diagonal pattern is a practice technique mentioned in the video where notes are played across different strings in a diagonal manner. This technique helps players visualize and understand the relationships between notes on the fretboard more effectively.

💡Legato

Legato is a playing technique where notes are played smoothly and connected, often used in guitar solos. The video suggests that the wider intervals and larger scale shapes provided by super positions lend themselves well to legato playing.

💡Hybrid picking

Hybrid picking is a guitar technique where a player uses both the pick and fingers to play notes. The video mentions that this technique, combined with the use of super positions, can lead to a more free and expressive playing style.

Highlights

Intermediate guitar players often feel stuck playing scales in box shapes.

Learning scales in box shapes can limit a player's note choice and playing options.

The common minor pentatonic scale is often the first shape learned by guitar players.

Feeling confined to these scales can hinder a player's ability to explore the fretboard.

Introducing 'Super positions' of the minor pentatonic scale to break free from box shapes.

Super positions are created by combining existing pentatonic positions into larger shapes.

Practicing super positions can help visualize the fretboard more effectively.

Diagonal pattern practice helps in scale visualization and reduces reliance on ear.

Expanding from a three-note to a four-note per string scale increases fretboard options.

Super positions allow for wider interval playing and more freedom in phrasing.

Legato and hybrid picking techniques complement the super position approach.

Tabs and practice exercises for super positions are available for channel members.

The instructor offers one-on-one online Skype guitar lessons.

Channel membership provides access to exclusive content and lessons.

Improvisation using super positions results in a more dynamic and varied sound.

The video concludes with an improvisation example using the B minor pentatonic super position.

The video encourages viewers to explore and practice super positions for guitar playing.

Transcripts

[Music]

I think among a lot of intermediate

guitar players there's kind of a a big

hurdle that everyone has to go through

especially if you learn scales the way

that I did one of the common ways to

learn scales is in these box shapes

there's different positions along the

fretboard and usually guitar players

will learn the pentatonic shapes kind of

across the fretboard and the thing that

everyone falls into is that you feel

like you're just kind of stuck in these

boxes I know I felt this way

and it does affect your playing the

common one that most people know how to

play is like the main minor pentatonic

shape so I'm in B minor and I'm going to

play the

[Music]

shape guitar players learn this and then

you know you're playing guitar solo and

you feel like you just that's the only

place you can go you don't feel

comfortable going underneath it or above

it anywhere else on the neck you're kind

of stuck in these boxes and then maybe

you learned some other boxes so you

learn the one

[Applause]

[Music]

after but you're still just kind of

confined to these little like four fret

spaces one of the um downsides of this

is that your note choice is limited and

your

phrasing and playing options are limited

for

example you kind of get stuck playing

all these very linear

[Music]

like which is cool but you know maybe

you want to play something a bit more

angular and with wider intervals so

that's kind of what I want to talk about

today doing this thing that I call Super

positions of the minor pentatonic scale

so essentially what it is is creating

bigger boxes from these pre-existing

boxes so you don't really have to learn

anything new it's more about just

thinking of these positions maybe a

little differently let's take a very

simple example of this so I'm going to

take the first pentatonic box of B minor

the one starting on B

[Music]

and let's take the pentatonic shape

starting on the next note which is a

d which goes like

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

this now the concept is that we're going

to combine both of these positions into

a single position there will be

repeating notes that's okay there's

repeating notes all over the guitar so

so we're going to play this as a single

three note per string pentatonic superp

position so slowly it's going to sound

like

[Music]

this the idea is to practice this as if

it's a single pentatonic shape I'm

taking the shape of the pentatonic scale

and extending it so now I have more of

the fretboard that I'm visualizing and

notes that I have to choose from another

thing that I've noticed intermediate

guitar players tend to do is when

they're learning these scales and

playing them and practicing they're

using a lot of their ear rather than

knowledge of the fretboard for example

when you play all this stuff in order so

I'm playing the notes in order it's very

easy to just use your ear to be like oh

I need to go a half step up or a whole

step up it's good that you can use your

ear to hear that but I think it's also

important that you're able to visualize

scales on the fretboard and using your

ear is a hard way to do that so I have a

few practice techniques to work on these

combined pentatonic boxes scale

visualization the first one I call like

a diagonal pattern instead of playing

three notes on the same

string I'm going to play three notes on

three separate strings in a diagonal way

so what I'm playing is the first note on

the first

string the second note on the second

string and then your third note is going

to be the third note on the following

[Music]

string so I'm getting these notes

from that superp position scale and then

I'm just spreading them out diagonally

and then now you just take this and then

you go down the strings so it's going to

sound like

[Music]

this and then you go the other

[Music]

direction the point of this is that it

forces you to visually see your scales

rather than purely relying on your ear

when you're playing them in order I

don't want to have to play the scale in

order to play the scale you know the

next step of this would be to take this

idea and expand it further so now I'm

going to take I have this

[Music]

position which is a three note per

string scale and I'm going to turn this

into a four note per string scale so I'm

going to add the position before the

main B minor pentatonic shape so the

position before sounds like

[Music]

this and now if I play these three

positions together as a single superp

position it's going to sound like this

so it's four notes per string

[Music]

[Applause]

and now instead of only

visualizing four Frets of a scale or

even a six fret distance of the B minor

ponic scale I have an 8 fret or even

nine fret distance that I'm memorizing

of this scale that I'm visualizing all

at once so I have this entire amount of

the fretboard that I have to choose from

when improvising and soloing so here's

like an example of how this could sound

so I'm just going to improvise and I'm

going to use the super position of the B

minor pentatonic scale and you're going

to hear it's a lot of wider interval

playing I do a lot of Legato and hybrid

picking and so that also really lends

itself to this style it just kind of

frees your

phrasing and playing

[Music]

so I have the tabs for a few of these

super positions and a few different

practice exercises available if you are

a channel member so if you're interested

in that kind of thing you can uh check

out the channel membership there's also

a bunch of previous live streams that

you can view and a couple member only

videos I'm also currently giving

one-on-one guitar lesson lesons so if

you're interested in having a one-on-one

online Skype guitar lesson um we can

chat about whatever you'd like I offer

four lesson bundles or single lessons uh

you can check that out there's a link in

the description yeah anyways I hope you

guys enjoyed this quick little video and

uh I'll catch you guys later bye

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]