[Loraine]

Barbara, I think you’re confusing yourself by trying to lump all scales into a pentatonic shape. The pentatonic scales are one of many.

The pentatonic scales are determined by the note and where in the scale you’re playing that note determines major or minor for instance, a C major pentatonic will start on the C note, whereas the C minor pentatonic will start on the A note.

The major pentatonic scale contains the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth notes of the major scale, while the minor pentatonic scale contains the first, third, fourth, fifth, and seventh notes of the natural minor scale.

Starting point
The major and minor pentatonic scales contain the same notes, but they start from different points.

Relative scales
The major and minor pentatonic scales are complimentary to each other, similar to how C Major and A Minor are relative scales.

The Pentatonic scales all have the same shape.

But we do not learn the Pentatonic scales at TAC in every week’s lesson. Tony often will do a scale horizontally or vertically, but they are not to be confused with the pentatonic shape.

There are a lot of different types of scales that can be played on a guitar outside of the pentatonic scales, including:
Major scales
There are 12 major scales to learn, including C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, and C#.

Minor scales
There are three types of minor scales: natural, harmonic, and melodic. The most common is the natural minor scale.

Other scales
Other scales include Lydian mode, Dorian mode, chromatic, whole tone, and blues scales.

Music modes
The names of the music modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.

The five major scale shapes form the basis for most other scales in western music.

[Loraine]

Hey @Rudy53 Are you looking for anything in particular? You can go back to any course you like. Click on the music notes icon in the menu at the left. It opens up the resources menu. You’ll see all the beginning courses, the skills courses. Etc.

[Loraine]

@MNG Great Job! I still struggle with the percussive slaps. You nailed it!

[Loraine]

Happy 1st TACiversary Barbara! That went by awfully fast. I remember when you first started. I see so much progress and you over this past year and I think that you’re doing fantastic. Just continue doing what you’re doing and you will continue to improve. I look forward to seeing you over the next year as you grow.

[Loraine]

OK, first I feel like I’m always apologizing for the length of my post, but there was so much in your post that I want to touch upon a lot of it.

Barbara, I was laughing as I read your comments not out of jest or making fun of you or thinking it was funny but because I understand completely where you’re coming from. I’m years into this and I cannot play improv well or comfortably. I often can’t understand the relationship between the notes or scale as they were taught, and the background music. I haven’t really studied the fretboard enough to know where all the notes that could be played are located. That’s on me, because at my age, I simply see confusion. I laughed to at you becoming mentally exhausted from the effort. in order to have a clear understanding of the correlation between where specific notes are on the fret board, it might make it easier. However, I’m gonna suggest something simpler. I use this quite often. If I have to practice improv.

I simply stick to the Pentatonic scale for whatever key the lesson is in or the background music and simply play different notes along that scale. Don’t worry about what’s been taught so much in the lesson just stick with the pentatonic for now.

Another way to practice improv is to choose a note on the E string and decide on whether you want to do a major or a minor pentatonic scale. Then go to YouTube and search for whatever note you’ve chosen and type in that note and major or minor, and then type in”backing track” after the key for your scale. Many backing tracks will pop up you can pick and choose whichever ones you want, and then, depending on whether major or minor, start with either your pinky or your index and just use the pentatonic against the backing track that you found skip around do notes whatever sounds good you know it might be playing the same note over and over just a combination of notes but just have fun with it close your eyes even if you can just start to feel it. I actually find this very enjoyable sometimes and I often zone out as I’m doing it because it just starts to sound so good and can be very relaxing.

OK, now lastly, I’m gonna comment on perfection. As you know TAC teaches progress, not perfection. In fact, you can never reach perfection. No one can. You can strive towards it, but that does suck the fun out of things. Just relax have fun know that you’re gonna make mistakes. Learn to laugh at yourself. Also, we’re taught to practice in small segments. You practice for 10 minutes. You mark something complete you can continue But do not spend an hour or two hours on something because it becomes unproductive and you will probably take two steps forward and three steps back. You will continually be frustrated. Trust what’s taught and what so many others before you have been taught and have learned from that if you break something down into small segments you will actually be more productive and you will to continue to improve and move forward. Stagnancy is our enemy. We can’t get caught up in perfecting something. This is why so many lessons cycle through every few months because their benchmarks for you to look back at your previous benchmark and to see how far you’ve come since then. On a typical day I will pick up the guitar multiple times for 10 minutes and play something and put the guitar back down. And then I might come back to it later I might play the same thing, but more often than not. It’s something different just by doing that you’re increasing your skills.

[Loraine]

@PickinmyPocket Congratulations on your 1st TACiversary. To great number of sessions and it must feel really good to have played more than you ever had. I have no doubt in my mind that you can reach 300 this year. It only gets better and better than more. You play keep up the great work and it was great to meet you. I hope to see you more in the forums.

[Loraine]

Really appreciate your support through this entire thing. I still have quite a bit to get over. The pain is a show stopper most days.

[Loraine]

Thanks Phil! Hope to be able to keep playing. It’s pretty painful though.

[Loraine]

Thank you. Me and my baby 4th July trip back home to a Chicago.

[Loraine]

After I put a new one up. Has happened twice now

[Loraine]

<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”>Thanks. It really was great. See my message to JumpnJeff above. I hope that’s not the case, but it is painful to play and feels worse than it did before. </font></font>

[Loraine]

Thanks, Jeff! I think it will be short-lived. I see the surgeon tomorrow because I had another fall at the airport in SC on Christmas Eve. I had X-rays Christmas day, and there were no new fractures, but the wrist and hand are still pretty painful. I’m being a rebel by playing, But it’s a tease to say try it only to be told to stop again.

[Loraine]

I really appreciate that @cwglazemusic !!

[Loraine]

Ah, but I never went anywhere. I was simply a bystander and cheerleader the last several months. I truly appreciate your support.

[Loraine]

Thanks so much @John_Bolling_Hall . It’s a start, which I’m happy with.