Combining scales

You can use any notes you want in a solo and combine them any way you like. What matters, of course, is if you like the resulting sound. The ability to develop a pleasing melodic solo using notes 'outside' of a given scale is something that takes some time to develop.

But there are things you can do to help the process along. The first is to be aware of what notes are in a scale.

The A minor pentatonic scale is made up of the notes A, C, D, E and G

The G major pentatonic scale is made up of the notes G A B D and E

What should be obvious is that the only real difference between the two is the note B in the G major pentatonic doesn't exist in the A minor pentatonic, but the note C does.

This means that switching between the two is really pretty straight forward. Simply leave out both the C and the B notes until you've effectively moved the tonal center of the solo line from the A note to the G note.

The notion of a tonal center is pretty straight forward -- it is the tone that a line tends towards for resolution, and is typically the tonic of the key of the moment.

I was reading the Scaling the Heights article on this website (found here: https://www.guitarnoise.com/lessons/scaling-the-heights/ )

it shows two ways to play the G major pentatonic scale: one with open strings and one without. i understand the major pentatonic scale without open strings allows you the opportunity to slide the root up and down the neck therefore opening doors to playing scales in with different notes.

what are the reasons for playing major pentatonic scales with open strings if you can't slide it up and down the neck?

what are the reasons for playing major pentatonic scales with open strings if you can't slide it up and down the neck?

I think a lot of methods introduce it this way- because most of us start playing open strings alot? Because you might as well start understanding at the bottom? The question of why they introduce it that way first isn't clear to me.

BUt in terms of what good it is- one of the things about guitar, to me, is that there's more than one way to play about anything. And the more ways you know, the more you can play what you want, when you want. Sometimes, if your hand is nearest the headstock (playing low or open chords, say) the nearest pentatonic when you want it is the one with open strings.

In any case- it's not the position that makes the scale. Which ever position you play a given scale in, the notes are the same. The notes are the scale. (SOme may say, the intervals.)

Best,
Ande

One of the reasons for using open strings is that the notes sound different to fretted notes. Play an open G, then play the 15th fret of the low E string. Same note, different sound. Some guitarists prefer to use open strings, because of this.