Choosing scales when improvising

[omo]

I really have truoble choosing scales. I guess my question comes down to:

When I listen to some song in key X and feel Y is there any golden rules on which scales will work when improvising over this song? Is there any other factors that comes in.. like pace? Others?

I hear that minor pentatonic almost always works out in minor songs right? Why is this? Why not a natural minor?

If the song is in A minor and I choose a minor scale to do my improvising, does it have to be the A minor? I don't get this :-)

This is my first post, but thanks for this great site anyway.

[wild_axeman]

" READ " (http://pub141.ezboard.com/fguitarclinic101frm10.showMessage?topicID=218.topi c)

[wild_axeman]

I hear that minor pentatonic almost always works out in minor songs right? Why is this? Why not a natural minor?
observe....


A Natural Minor
A B C D E F G

active tones ( or notes that 'pull' in one direction or the other
by halfstep and must "resolve" in this manner)

A B->C D E<-F G = (A natural minor)
| | | | |
A C D E G = (A pentatonic minor)

Just junk the active tones (B and F here) to get pentatonic.

Now you can safely play A minor pentatonic over any chords
that you can make out of it's notes which are A C D E G !!!!
If it starts to sound boring then just add some tension
by playing those tense notes (B and F).Likewise
If those notes become boring drop them again.

[Marz_guitarz]

As usual that is excellent advice from the Wild Man.

Just to add to the chaos, you can actually play any note on the guitar if played at the right time in the right passage. Don't be confused :confused: . Everything said above is the golden rule, but remember your EAR won't let you down.

After some experimentation with the theory taught to you by "The wild Man" you will play a note (maybe by mistake) that sounds GREAT and according to theory should not work at all but does. The note is probably played in a passing chromatic scale or the chords in the rhythm progression have no third.

If one plays chromatic scales you can hit every note on the guitar at some point in time and be completely "IN" with what’s going on. Just don't land and hold them. Also if you only play power chords which contain only the 1st and 5th you can start off playing a major scale solo and midway shift to minor or even diminished. This technique actually works well and sounds so nice.


Don't be confused your ear will tell you what’s right and what’s wrong.

Please don't try this with out the supervision of an adult. You might get hurt.:p

LOL just joking.

Marz

[wild_axeman]

If one plays chromatic scales you can hit every note on the guitar at some point in time and be completely "IN" with what’s going on. Just don't land and hold them.
Don't land on them ON THE BEAT! Between beats is okay (in passing) but don't hold them.Just like Marz said.This is something that really helped me to begin to phrase.I was missing this for a long time.I was painting a picture with half of the available colors.You can approach any "in" note from a half step above or below by playing them on the up beats and resolving them on the down beats by using hammer ons,pull offs and slides.Those little grace notes add so much expressiveness.It's like a singer's vibrato!

Makes all the difference in the world! ;)

[Marz_guitarz]

kool I never realized that but you're right Wild. I just used the old ear. Now that I think of it I have been doing that all along for years. lol

Cheers
Marz