The following is intended for use with the C Minor Pentatonic Scale and also applies to all scales!
Make yourself stay in one octave at a time. So play your C Pentatonic Scale to your recorded rhythm tracks (see previous lessons) and limit yourself to two to seven notes at a time. When I first started to do this I would think this sucks I need more notes
but in time I realized that it was me that was limited not the notes.
Another important technique is for every melody or riff your create make three to seven variations of the same idea. This one technique alone has allowed me to write songs, create melodies and solos in abundance and quality. See examples below. Learn as given then create your own variations. Now the C Minor Pentatonic Scale the number formula is:
R, b3, 4, 5, b7, 8th/R or octave.
The notes would be:
C, Eb, F, G, Bb, C
Riff #1 (all examples given are using just the notes in the C Minor Pentatonic Scale)
Eb, C, G
Variation #1
G, C, G, Eb
Variation #2
G, Eb, C
Variation #3
Eb, C, Eb, C, G
Variation #4
G, Eb, G, Eb, G, C
Variation #5
C, G, Eb
Variation #6
G, Eb, G, C
Variation #7
G, G, G, G, Eb, G, G, G, G, C
Now transpose these to each position (register) of your instrument, then to all 15 keys.
All materials copyright 2010. For personal use only.
Vince Lauria Sun and Earth Music