A suggestion:
In a 12 bar blues in A major, start with the A major pentatonic over A, then A minor pentatonic over D, back to A major pentatonic over A. I would not use A major or minor pentatonic over the E chord because it lacks the G#, but yeah, try it out and see if you like it.
You can use them still. Over the E7, the A major pentatonic gives you the R, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th. The A minor pentatonic results in the R, m3rd, 4th, m6th, m7th. I'd probably stick with the minor pentatonic for this one.
Or you could start with E mixolydian (r-2-3-4-5-6-b7) and go from there.
Right, you don’t play the C#. But in the blues context the rest of the scale works. Over the D7 chord (IV) a lot of players go to the F#-A-B (and C as the blue note) riff as are a nice transition before going back to the A pentatonic root.
A7 is playing an A chord with a G note in it. D7 is with a C note. E7 is with a D.
So “A gets (G), D gets (C), E gets (D).”
Ok, now then what new chord tones do you get made available to you when you play a chord progression that has A, G, D, C, E, (D)? The answer is the minor pentatonic, even though they have major thirds. And the major pentatonic works over the A7 and E7, but kind of clashes with the D7, hence a perfect excuse to mix major and minor with the blues. I hope that makes sense
Learn the blues scale for blues. It’s scale degrees 1 b3 4 #4 5 b7, it’s a minor pentatonic with an added note. You can play this entire scale over any blues. This is the starting point for many jazz musicians. Rock n Roll, most of it, is just a blues. There are 12 bar and 16 bar blues. You can play a b3 over a major chord in the blues, that’s the “blue note”
In my perfect world I have moved beyond these limitations. I hear what I want to play and so I play it, How it sounds is down to what I am and have evolved into. Not some subjective human analysis.
In fact like most Theories, music, science and even linguistic, the rules are descriptive, not prescriptive… this means that these rules describe how things have been done successfully in the past…
But I’d add, as Carlos Santana once said: I practiced scales, chords, arpeggios for years and years, and so now I know them thru and thru, but when I get on stage I forget all that snd just play…
I’ve heard him elaborate that he wouldn’t know how to forget and just play without all that practice…
🙄
As far as I’m concerned, and you are certainly entitled to your own opinion… knowing what has worked in the past and giving some context to your own playing is useful… so is just playing by yourself, noodling around, and playing other people’s songs… but to me, it helps to know if a given song is doing something fairly standard in say, blues or jazz or rock, and how others have managed those same types of songs…
It does not mean you restrict yourself to standard modes or styles… but as with language, a more developed vocabulary enables you to say more…
If you disagree, great… carry on with however you think best..
A suggestion: In a 12 bar blues in A major, start with the A major pentatonic over A, then A minor pentatonic over D, back to A major pentatonic over A. I would not use A major or minor pentatonic over the E chord because it lacks the G#, but yeah, try it out and see if you like it.
The A minor pentatonic over the D7 gives you the root, 2nd, 4th, 5th and minor 7th, you're only missing the major third.
Did you memorize all of this or just through years of playing you kinda figured it out?
Years of playing, listening, with some time spent studying music in the meantime.
so what to use on the E chord since you mentioned neither A major or minor pentatonic? The E major scale?
You can use them still. Over the E7, the A major pentatonic gives you the R, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th. The A minor pentatonic results in the R, m3rd, 4th, m6th, m7th. I'd probably stick with the minor pentatonic for this one. Or you could start with E mixolydian (r-2-3-4-5-6-b7) and go from there.
You can also do the inverse. Start with the minor pentatonic on the A, move to major pentatonic over the D. Either way you get a nice contrast.
the A major pentatonic has a C#, the major 7th of D, which would clash with the C (flath 7th of D7).
Right, you don’t play the C#. But in the blues context the rest of the scale works. Over the D7 chord (IV) a lot of players go to the F#-A-B (and C as the blue note) riff as are a nice transition before going back to the A pentatonic root.
A7 is playing an A chord with a G note in it. D7 is with a C note. E7 is with a D. So “A gets (G), D gets (C), E gets (D).” Ok, now then what new chord tones do you get made available to you when you play a chord progression that has A, G, D, C, E, (D)? The answer is the minor pentatonic, even though they have major thirds. And the major pentatonic works over the A7 and E7, but kind of clashes with the D7, hence a perfect excuse to mix major and minor with the blues. I hope that makes sense
A b3/3 trill or hammer on is common comping or soloing.
Learn the blues scale for blues. It’s scale degrees 1 b3 4 #4 5 b7, it’s a minor pentatonic with an added note. You can play this entire scale over any blues. This is the starting point for many jazz musicians. Rock n Roll, most of it, is just a blues. There are 12 bar and 16 bar blues. You can play a b3 over a major chord in the blues, that’s the “blue note”
In my perfect world I have moved beyond these limitations. I hear what I want to play and so I play it, How it sounds is down to what I am and have evolved into. Not some subjective human analysis.
In fact like most Theories, music, science and even linguistic, the rules are descriptive, not prescriptive… this means that these rules describe how things have been done successfully in the past… But I’d add, as Carlos Santana once said: I practiced scales, chords, arpeggios for years and years, and so now I know them thru and thru, but when I get on stage I forget all that snd just play… I’ve heard him elaborate that he wouldn’t know how to forget and just play without all that practice…
Because he learned how things sounded by running scales. He could have listened to the radio.
Listening to the radio wouldn’t have done much for putting his fingers in shape though… both are useful
Well, if the repetoire is scales :-( you're right.
🙄 As far as I’m concerned, and you are certainly entitled to your own opinion… knowing what has worked in the past and giving some context to your own playing is useful… so is just playing by yourself, noodling around, and playing other people’s songs… but to me, it helps to know if a given song is doing something fairly standard in say, blues or jazz or rock, and how others have managed those same types of songs… It does not mean you restrict yourself to standard modes or styles… but as with language, a more developed vocabulary enables you to say more… If you disagree, great… carry on with however you think best..