At first glance, bluegrass guitar scales appear to be similar to
country guitar scales. While the basic scales as similar the way
these scales are played on the guitar creates a whole new world
of exciting music.
Except for some of the old rhythm-only players like Lester Flatt
and Carter Stanley, who used a thumbpick and one fingerpick,
bluegrass guitar is almost always played with a flatpick.
The main primary bluegrass guitar scales are: the major
pentatonic, the major diatonic scale and the mixo-lydian mode.
G major pentatonic
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------0---------------------
-------------------0-----2---------------------------
-------0-----2---------------------------------------
--3--------------------------------------------------
G major pentatonic (2 octave version)
-------------------------------------------------------0-----3--
--------------------------------------------0-----3-------------
-------------------------------0-----2--------------------------
-------------------0-----2--------------------------------------
-------0-----2--------------------------------------------------
--3-------------------------------------------------------------
G major pentatonic 2 octaves (alternative pattern)
----------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------8-
--------------------------------------------------7-----9-------
-------------------------------5-----7------9-------------------
-------------------5-----7--------------------------------------
--3-----5-----7-------------------------------------------------
G major diatonic scale
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------0----------------
------------------------0-----2-----4----------------------
--------0-----2----3---------------------------------------
--3--------------------------------------------------------
G Mixo-Lydian mode
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------0----------------
------------------------0-----2-----3----------------------
--------0-----2----3---------------------------------------
--3--------------------------------------------------------
Other guitar scales commonly used in bluegrass music are: the
blues scale and the minor pentatonic scale.
G blues scale
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-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------3----5------------------
-------------3----4----5-----------------------------
--3----6---------------------------------------------
G blues scale (2 octave version)
--------------------------------------------------------------3--
-----------------------------------------------------3----7------
---------------------------------------3----5----6---------------
-----------------------------3----5------------------------------
-------------3----4----5-----------------------------------------
--3----6---------------------------------------------------------
G minor pentatonic scale
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------3------5--------------
----------------3------5-----------------------------
--3------6-------------------------------------------
G minor pentatonic scale (2 octave version)
--------------------------------------------------------------3--
---------------------------------------------------3----7--------
--------------------------------------3------5-------------------
-------------------------3-----5---------------------------------
-------------3-----5---------------------------------------------
--3-----6--------------------------------------------------------
One of the limiting factors for most guitarists when learning
bluegrass guitar scales is developing right hand speed/strength
The hardest thing about bluegrass guitar is keeping up the
relentless flow of eighth notes from one end of a solo to the
other.
Jazz guitarists call this endless stream of eighth notes melodic
continuity. If you want to hear great examples of melodic
continuity playing in bluegrass music have a listen to guitarist
Tony Rice. Rice is one of the all-time greats as far as bluegrass
guitar is concerned.
I would also recommend listening to other fine bluegrass players:
Doc Watson, Clarence White, Darol Anger, Norman Blake, Sam Bush,
Vassar Clements. This is what a good bluegrass music is all
about.
Although you can play bluegrass music on any guitar, the ideal
bluegrass guitar is a dreadnought acoustic guitar.
Another feature of bluegrass guitar scales is the use of guitar
techniques such as hammer-on's and pull-off's and slides in
preference to bends.
Often the bluegrass guitarist will play a scale in a linear
fashion as opposed to the more conventional lateral version.
G major diatonic scale (linear version)
---3----5----7----8----10----12----14-----15--------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
Here's another way to play the same scale, this is a descending
version of the G major diatonic scale, the open strings give a
cascading effect.
---------------0-------------------------------------------
---8-----7---------------------0---------------------------
--------------------7----5-----------------0---------------
------------------------------------7----------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
It's quite common for a bluegrass song to have a chord
progression derived from the minor pentatonic scale while the
guitarist solos over the progression with a mixo-lydian mode.
Sample bluegrass chord progression:
G G F F D D G G
//// | //// | //// | //// | //// | //// | //// | //// :||
If bluegrass makes you smile, these bluegrass guitar scales will
have you grinning from ear to ear.
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