[N-lightMike]

Another excellent example of how to present a song @David_M_Dm . This is so much more than simply playing the chord transitions and singing the different parts. I need to learn how to do this with my songs.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Wow, that was simply excellent @David_M_Dm . You really captured the “feel” of the song beautifully. That is how to play a “full” song, including different parts and a solo but also all the little interesting changes. Very well done. Thanks for posting.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Well, @Moonhare , it looks like you have received some great info. But head knowledge is just… well… head knowledge.

You need to go to a store and physically pick up guitars and play them to know how they feel. In my experience, the very small guitars are hard to play unless I am standing up with a strap. I usually play sitting down and the very small bodies are awkward to hold. My favorite guitar based on size and shape is a parlor, but it’s an Alvarez, so I’m not sure if it would be a double O or a triple O or even a single O. But it is the shape of those body styles and it is a “12 fret”. As mentioned, that means the neck has 12 frets to the body. What wasn’t mentioned is that completely changes the relative proportions of the whole guitar. In the black and white picture that @Cadgirl provided, notice in the middle of the top row where a 12 fret is next to a 14 fret. The 14 fret body is actually shorter than the 12 fret. That’s because the overall length from the end of the body to the top of the head stock is about the same yet the neck is shorter. That puts the bridge and saddle deeper into the body and gives the guitar a bigger sound for the size of the body. And the short neck is extremely comfortable. And the body is thinner than the dreadnoughts and the jumbos as mentioned. But it’s very comfortable in the lap as the body is actually longer. Now, the only way I would ever have such detailed knowledge about how these guitars fit me it that I have played them. In fact, I own 11 guitars and have sold a number of others that I used to own. Lots of time in a guitar store can save you lots of money.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

I think you left something out of your formula, @jumpinjeff . What about that inner spark called creativity. 😎

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Well, that was certainly an interesting experience, @AAstrum . Those guys probably walked away chuckling about the rabbit hole they just sent you down. Mind you, it’s certainly not a bad rabbit hole, it’s just not the fastest route to learning to solo.

So, let’s start with your actual question as I really have no idea what those guys intent was when they told you to learn the Bb blues scale.

First, the Bb blues scale is simply the blues scale in Bb. Some people would call it the key of Bb, but to me that’s confusing. All blues scales are a derivative of the minor scale, which means they are not the identifier of their key, but their relative major “owns” the key. So, this is the key of Db. The notes in Db would be Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db. The major pentatonic would be Db, Eb, F, Ab, Bb, and back to Db. You leave out the 4th and the 7th degree.

Now, you can take those same notes and create the minor pentatonic scale, just start from the relative minor, which is the sixth degree. So, the minor pentatonic would be Bb, Db, Eb, F, Ab, and back to Bb. If you are one of those who like to memorize “formulas”, you would leave out the 2nd and the 6th, which are the same 2 notes, just in a different degree (position) when you start counting from the 6th. That’s what I meant above about “confusing”. I can derive all this from my head because I understand all the different scales, yes, including modes, as a modification of major scale. Truth is, all music theory is simply a way to define the music so we can talk about it. It isn’t the music itself. Many times, you can explain the exact same piece of music in a number of different ways.

So, back to the Bb blues scale. We have the Bb minor pentatonic, Bb, Db, Eb, F, Ab, Bb. Now, if you stick in the note between the 4th and the 5th, counting from the relative minor, you get the “blues scale”. Now, don’t get confused, because we left out the 2nd. So, what we have is 1 (Bb), 3 (Db), 4 (Eb), 5 (F), 7 (Ab), So, the Bb (minor) blues scale would have an E added, or “Fb”. So it would be Bb, Db, Eb, E, F, Ab.

But, since music doesn’t have any “real” rules, there can be a blues “major” scale. That would be the same thing as we just did using the Bb major scale. Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb. The major pentatonic would be Bb, C, D, F, G, Bb. Now the note you stick in counting from the relative major is between the 2nd and the 3rd, which would be C#/Db. Again, it’s the same note, just starting the count from a different note. (To verify this, count from the relative minor, G, which is the 6th. G (1), A(2), Bb (3), C (4), D (5), Eb (6), F (7), G (1). So, the Bb major blues scale is Bb, C, Db, D, F, G, Bb. (Technically, this would be the blues in G, or the G minor blues scale, but that doesn’t stop people from playing the “G minor blues” using the Bb as the tonal center and calling it the Bb major blues scale.)

Now, the real key is not finding out what the Bb blues scale is. Because if you were playing the Bb minor blues scale, you would only solo over the keys of Bb minor, Bb major and Db major. If you count minor and major scales and leave out the modes, you have 24 keys. So that leaves 21 keys you couldn’t solo in.

Of course, if you learned enough music theory to know what the “Bb blues scale” was as (opposed to simply knowing the 6 notes) then you would know how to solo over any key. And, that, I believe is what they meant.

My suggestion would be to take the fretboard wizard class and put effort into the Wednesday scale lessons. Eventually, you will understand all the above explanation. But the truth is, you could become a great soloist without ever understanding music theory. But you’d have trouble playing with the jazz players if you didn’t know music theory, but even in that situation, it is possible.

I hope I helped rather than adding to your confusion. I will do my best to clarify if you have further questions.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Wow @Moonhare , it’s absolutely amazing seeing the advatages you have because you are a musician. Good for you finding out what you can play. That’s a great win to play the F major and F minor across 5 strings. Excellent.

@dr_dave gave you some great advice for practicing the E shaped barre chord so you can build up your strength.

However, I don’t think you need any more strength. Experiment with your index finger. Move it up, down, roll it some, etc, until you find the spot your finger pushes all the strings down. I think you will be able to do the F barre sooner than you expected.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Very nice guitar @Greebosolo . I have a parlor guitar that is all mahogany and I love it. I can understand why you fell in love with this. The parlor is so comfortable to play and mahogany is such a warm sound. Have fun and I hope to hear you play her some time.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Well done @AttyTJ . I thought I was pretty familiar with Dire Straits, but I never heard this song. Thanks for posting.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

I want to thank you for your little charts @Cadgirl. They are very enlightening. I have tried lots of guitars but still I hadn’t understood the various shapes of guitar bodies and necks as I do now.

@Moonhare, you have gotten some amazing insight into the choices and how to pick a guitar. @Cadgirl has brought up another very important consideration in the neck. Many people love the wider necks (Classical guitars and Martins) for playing finger style. But many people play finger style on the thinner necks. And then there is the cross sectional shape of the neck. So many choices, so many guitars. *sigh*

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Yeah, this guitar journey helps me see positive stuff way more often and even helps turn seeing positivity into a habit. I am glad I could add to your day; you have definitely added to my day. 😊

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Hey @jumpinjeff

I was reading some of the comments on the current “whiners” thread. That makes me more reluctant to participate in the community than the loading speed. I have so many things in life that I could whine about that are so much more whine worthy, but I don’t want to whine about anything (or truthfully, as little as possible) because it brings me down.

But the truth is, I am practicing more and social butterflying less. It is true that the social media site we used to call TAC was unique. But it is also true that no one, and I mean no one, signed up with TAC because of that. We signed up because we bought into the practice method that Tony explained to us in the marketing video. And this new site is MORE aligned with that practice philosophy.

So what’s the conclusion? I had my ups and downs on the other site. I’ll have my ups and downs on this site. I watch free YouTube videos, but I don’t pay money for other guitar instruction anymore. Since I will always use TAC as my guitar practice framework, I will always come by the forum sometimes.

So, right now, can I say something more about Guitar Math? Yeah, I know why I kept setting my guitar aside before and why I don’t set it aside anymore. I get tired of my same old same old and playing guitar ends up feeling stale. That’s because I gravitate toward the same old same old. But Tony keeps pushing me into other things that I didn’t think I was interested in. And that keeps my guitar playing fresh.

So, “fresh” + “creative” + “soul soothing” = play guitar every day. That’s my guitar math, and TAC drives that. 😍

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Well, if you have already taken the Fretboard Wizard Course @AAstrum then I would make some different suggestions. There are a couple of very in depth, free YouTube videos covering the CAGED system. Also, some very good videos about how to solo. There is a lot more to soloing than simply knowing scales. That’s why I recommended the Wednesday lessons as the most important thing is to just practice your scales against backing tracks. Put the time in, see rewards. Keep looking for head knowledge, see a never ending search.

Just remember, it’s a journey. Have fun.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

That’s great @Mark, I hope you can get this down. And I completely agree about this chord transition sounding awesome. Let us know how your efforts go.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Yes, I believe that. I was sure I would never be able to do this. So it must be possible for others, including you @Moonhare.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Yes, exactly @Loraine . I played my barre chords like that for years. I got to the point I was literally leading with my three fingers, middle, ring and pinky all at once, but the index was last. And the first time I tried to do this I was sure there was no way it would ever happen. But lo and behold, guitar progress does happen. 😆

MG 😀