The 5 interlocking patterns

No, not if you play all of the patterns from root to root. All the different patterns are are different locations of the same notes, and each pattern coresponds with a chord shape for the same chord. There was just a great topic on here about modes that you might want to look at.

Hi, blutic1,

In short - the pentatonics are nothing to do with Modes.

Modes are relative to a major scale.

Best,

A :-)

am i the only one who hates using pentatonic scales, finds them boring and that they sound horrible, and like EVERYONE in the population of guitarists are all, well, in love with the pentatonic scale..

i think there is something wrong with me.

I tend to side with you alex, I'm having trouble being creative with them lately, but thats just my own incompetence I think.

sometimes adding the passing tones (a la blues) helps me out some.

M

Oh yeah, passing notes are great.  But I love the pentatonic scale too and some of my favorite solos are pure pentatonic --e.g. "Sympathy for the Devil".  Sorry.  

Yeah, I love pentatonic scales too.  They're not boring; it's what you do with them that makes them either boring or not.  A good example that comes to my mind is watching people's jaws hit the ground as Eric Johnson plays through these "boring" scales.  

i dont think scales are boring, i always play through them, different picking method's, hand over the neck, etc..

its just the sound of the pentatonic scale sounds so... unfufilling.

People love the pentatonic scales on guitar because you've got a good chance of hitting a decent sounding note over a chord progression no matter what you do... it might not sound brilliant, but it probably won't sound bad.

Having fewer notes does give you fewer melodic options, but as Serickso said, it's what you do with them that matters.  When I was starting to gig on a regular basis, and playing a lot of jazz, I hired a teacher (a bass player) as an improvisation coach.  At our first lesson, he played a progression in F at the piano, and I was to solo over it... using only F notes.  I could play any octave, any rhythm, but only the one note.  At lesson 2 I got to add Bb and had two notes to play with.

In my first composition class, the first assignment was to create a melody using a specified scale... which had only four notes.

Sometimes less is more.  Learn to work within tight limits, and when the limits come off, you're like a kid getting the 64 color box of Crayolas... with the understanding that shades of blue go with shades of blue, rather than just going wild with the palette.

From my side of the spectrum, when the Classical goes back in its case and the LP gets plugged in, Pentatonics are like Christmas and Birthdays all rolled into one; yeah, man - I can do what I want for a change.

A :-)

In my first composition class, the first assignment was to create a melody using a specified scale... which had only four notes.
Did you have to use only one rhythm too?   :)

Pentatonics aren't boring when you're free with them.  I like that they give you enough space between notes to bend and not go through a bunch of other notes.  And sliding too.  The trick is to make each note count, and then no one (you included) will notice that there are fewer of them.

Did you have to use only one rhythm too?Yes, the rhythm was dictated - and as I recall, it was in an odd time signature... 7/4 or something.

not as weird as 13/16 i bet :P

lol.