From Blues to Rock!
Guns and Roses, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Queen, Van Halen, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are just some of the most renowned rock artists in the history of classic rock. So why am I talking about them in a blues blog? Well the simple answer is, ALL of these guys are blues players at heart, they’ve simply taken traditional blues ideas and ‘rocked them up!” If you already have knowledge about the basics of blues guitar, it is easy for you to learn how to apply the same idea in the rock genre. Through the use of blues guitar scales, you can easily perform the guitar riffs just like how the greats do.
If you are a fan of rock music and you want to play it on your guitar, the best guitar scale that you have to learn is the Pentatonic scale. Blues musicians also utilize this guitar scale. What is the pentatonic scale? For those who are just starting out with guitar playing, a Pentatonic scale is composed of 5 notes that produce 5 different patterns, which connects across the whole fret board. The 5 patterns got their names from the notes in the scale – the Root, m3rd, the 4th, 5th and b7th notes. By adding extra notes, you may produce other scales out of this pattern alone. You can start by playing the Pentatonic scale and you may add an extra note or two. In doing so, you may easily change from one scale to another (eg. The Blues Scale). The Pentatonic scale is very essential to guitar playing and is commonly the first scale and first pattern taught to guitarists.
There are 4 other different patterns that are vital for connecting the full fret board and belong to the Pentatonic scale. If you want to make the best out of these 4 patterns, or for any other kinds of scales, it is recommended that you use alternate picking and metronome. If you want to be successful in guitar playing, you have to master alternate picking. Once alternate picking becomes your second nature, you will be able to play the guitar faster and clearer.
Whenever you practice guitar playing, the use of metronome should always be included. It not only improves your timing but also helps you learn the songs and the scales faster, provided that you start off slowly. Furthermore, a metronome can make you produce better sounds. You may start with slow beats per minute (bpm) and listen to every note that you play. Are the notes clear or do they sound as if they are muted? Identify the string with muted sounds and adjust the position of your fingers. Try playing the note and see if the sound changed. Do this to all the strings until they are all clear. Then, you may change the speed of your metronome until you perfect each note.
If you want success with blues music, you should give the Pentatonic scale a try and learn it. Start off slow and work your way at faster rates. Once you feel satisfied with the speed that you are playing. Give a portion of your time and devote it to practicing scales, you will become a master of guitar playing. And when you perfect the Pentatonic scale, you may move on the other patterns without much difficulty. The only thing left for you to do is go out there and play!
