Sequencing Pentatonics

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Welcome to this tutorial on Sequencing Pentatonics! A sequence, as I'm sure you know, is a group of notes played together in a specific order. Sequencing scales is very common in classical music, or classical inspired music such as Neoclassical Rock. In this tutorial we will look at some examples of this approach in the pentatonic scale, using both a stric...

Media Length: 1:50

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Ok! In this example, we have a tried and true pentatonic sequence, that you will probably have come across in one shape or another before. You play the sequence descending in 3-note groupings. First off, we play it in triplets, which would be the most common way of playing a 3-note grouped sequence. However, we also want to be able to play any sequence in...

Media Length: 4:26

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: This example is similar to the previous one, but uses a 4-note grouping instead. The way to approach it is still the same however. You first play it in the original note value (seeing how 4-note groupings are often played using straight 16-notes), then with triplets.

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: In this example, I have added an additional note, to change the 3-note pattern into a 4-note one. You simply play the first note in each 3-note sequence twice. As in the previous examples, try it with both note values. Another thing to remember is to practice these things in a musical context, not just to a metronome. All tunes have their own "groove", an...

Media Length: 3:10

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Of course any sequence can also be played ascending, as well as descending. This here is one example of an ascending sequence. Use the same approach as before!

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: In this example, I am moving down the sequence but through several positions, not just the first one.

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Here is something a bit different. This time I have a lick rather than just a sequence. This one is intended to be played over the turn-around of a funk-blues or jazz-blues, with some altered or substituted chords. Therefore I have included both Mixolydian, Dorian and the whole-tone scale. Try it out over a backing or tune, and see what you think. Depending...

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Now the fun begins! Tapping sequences in the pentatonic scales is something that has been an integral part of my playing style since early on, brought about by guys like Reb Beach, Greg Howe and Nuno Bettencourt. There are of course several different approaches to this as well, so once again, this is more my take on it. The most tricky part of these examp...

Media Length: 5:52

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Instructor: Richard Lundmark Level: Intermediate Topic: Exercises Style: Rock

Excerpt: Ok guys! In these last examples we are moving our right hand up throughout positions 3,4 & 5. It is basically the same thing as in example 7.a, but there we are staying in the 2nd position with our right hand. I hope this will open your ears to the many cool sounding sequences you can get by expanding the distance between your hands, thus creating larg...

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