I was just outside and was thinking about that. Say a song is in A and the progression is A D E. Would it sound decent if I played the minor pentatonic on each chord? Or would it be better to play the minor pent on each chord. Say on A I'd play F#m pent, on D chord play Bm pent and on the E play C#m pent? I get pretty bored just playing the simple rhythm these days but I'm by no stretch of the imagination a lead guy. I just do fills.
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Would it sound decent if I played the minor pentatonic on each chord? Or would it be better to play the minor pent on each chord.
That's got me a bit confused, it sounds like both are the same option? Does "pentatonic" mean something different than "pent" ?
I don't know if this answers your question or not - for that progression I'd play a lead using the Am pentatonic.
Don't use the pentatonic, Dennis, because it won't fit with many tunes.
Instead, start learning some arpeggios - the chord tones. Over a major chord you'd use a major arpeggio, like this for C:
---7-10-
-8------
And over a minor, you'd use a minor... here's C minor for comparison:
------10-
-8-11----
Those will fit in any situation, because every note is in the chord.
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Dennis
I am with NoteBoat on playing arpeggios, or simply pick the chord single note arpeggio style. This always sounds good over strummed chords.
But playing fills is another technique that is used. Eric Clapton is famous for playing runs and fills between chords.
If it is a Major chord you can use the Major or Minor Pentatonic. The Major will sound Country, the Minor will sound Blues or Rock.
If it is a Minor chord then you must use the Minor Pentatonic.
By the way, when you say play a F#m pentatonic over an A chord, that is really the A Major Pentatonic scale. The Major Pentatonic scale looks exactly like the Minor Pentatonic in form or box shape, only 3 frets down. So the A Minor Pentatonic scale 1st position is at the 5th fret (index finger), just move down to the 2nd fret and play the same shape and you will be playing the A Major Pentatonic.
Hope that wasn't confusing. But the F#m pentatonic and A major pentatonic have the same exact notes, only different root notes. It is the note you start the scale with that makes the difference.
F#minor Pentatonic= F#, A, B, C# E
A major Pentatonic= A, B, C#, E, F#
Same exact notes, but different order. :D
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