Lead guitar notes to play over a I-IV-V progression in a rock, country or blues guitar song typically can be taken from a pentatonic scale and played in almost any order.
What most guitarists don't realize about the lead guitar notes they are playing is that the leads and licks they play for their rock song can be played exactly the same way yet in a different position on the neck over the exact same chord progression to come out with an entirely different sound.
In other words, play a I-IV-V progression and play a rock lead solo over it.
Then play the exact same chord progression (for arguments sake play A-D-E) but change the root note of the pentatonic scale you play over that chord progression and you instantly transform the song from a rock song in a minor key into something that sounds like a country song in a major key.
Sound unbelievable? It's true.
Lay down a track playing a repeated series of a I-IV-V progression using all major chords...
for this example I'll use A-D-E.
I play the A chord at the 1st string 5th fret (1st string being low E).
The D chord starts on the 2nd string 5th fret, and the E chord is two frets up from the D.
Once you have a couple minutes worth of track to play against, run your tape and play a rock minor pentatonic scale at the A position on the 1st string.
Does it have that kind of rough and ready rock sound to it? Good.
You're probably doing it right.
Keep in mind exactly what lead guitar notes you played from the A minor pentatonic position for the next section.
Now...
play the exact same tape...
only now when you play your pentatonic minor scale three frets down the neck (instead of having your root note at A, set your root note at F sharp).
Your pentatonic minor scale is now in reality a pentatonic major scale when played over the same A-D-E chord progression, throwing in an occasional D (an extra note not in the normal F sharp minor pentatonic) into your F sharp scale.
Playing the same licks and lead guitar notes in this new position will sound bright and cheerful like a major scale country song even when played over your rock I-IV-V progression.
Bizarre huh?
What most guitarists don't realize about the lead guitar notes they are playing is that the leads and licks they play for their rock song can be played exactly the same way yet in a different position on the neck over the exact same chord progression to come out with an entirely different sound.
In other words, play a I-IV-V progression and play a rock lead solo over it.
Then play the exact same chord progression (for arguments sake play A-D-E) but change the root note of the pentatonic scale you play over that chord progression and you instantly transform the song from a rock song in a minor key into something that sounds like a country song in a major key.
Sound unbelievable? It's true.
Lay down a track playing a repeated series of a I-IV-V progression using all major chords...
for this example I'll use A-D-E.
I play the A chord at the 1st string 5th fret (1st string being low E).
The D chord starts on the 2nd string 5th fret, and the E chord is two frets up from the D.
Once you have a couple minutes worth of track to play against, run your tape and play a rock minor pentatonic scale at the A position on the 1st string.
Does it have that kind of rough and ready rock sound to it? Good.
You're probably doing it right.
Keep in mind exactly what lead guitar notes you played from the A minor pentatonic position for the next section.
Now...
play the exact same tape...
only now when you play your pentatonic minor scale three frets down the neck (instead of having your root note at A, set your root note at F sharp).
Your pentatonic minor scale is now in reality a pentatonic major scale when played over the same A-D-E chord progression, throwing in an occasional D (an extra note not in the normal F sharp minor pentatonic) into your F sharp scale.
Playing the same licks and lead guitar notes in this new position will sound bright and cheerful like a major scale country song even when played over your rock I-IV-V progression.
Bizarre huh?
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