Playing guitar

[S.L.I.P.]

Can she play the guitar? Can she play the bass? Instrument no care...

[bjornpdx]

Not a great time to post a comment after the preceding one, but here goes. ?

This is sort of on topic I think.
Over the last 40 or so years I've gotten into spurts of learning the guitar. Practice for 6 months then give up and 5 years later do the same. I've had several teachers over the years. In all that time I only knew how to play up to the 5th fret.

In the last year I made this amazing discovery, like it was a secret you guitarists were keeping from the rest of us - patterns! I memorized the pentatonic scale patterns (like the CAGE stuff - and I know about the controversy learning it) and now I know my way around the guitar pretty well. I play crappily but it's good enough for my needs.

 

[Grem]

22 minutes ago, bjornpdx said:

it's good enough for my needs.

That's what it's all about.

 

The underlying need.

[S.L.I.P.]

1 hour ago, Grem said:

The underlying need

[Grem]

@S.L.I.P. 
In more ways than one!!

[Wibbles]

Somewhere to park your bike.

[Notes_Norton]

14 hours ago, bjornpdx said:

<...snip...>I memorized the pentatonic scale patterns (like the CAGE stuff - and I know about the controversy learning it) <...>

A lot of people dis pentatonics, but every human musical culture on earth independently discovered the pentatonic scale. One of the oldest instruments ever found was a thigh bone of a band drilled out to play a pentatonic scale.

The reason is physics and I don't remember exactly the formula, but the sound waves are all divisible to that of the tonic (or something like that) so that they are more or less natural harmonics of the root. I learned that many decades ago, so if someone can correct or elaborate on that it's appreciated.

Even bop players like Charlie Parker played predominantly in the pentatonic scale, varying off for tension, and coming back to resolve the tension.

The great Motown sax player Junior Walker played only 5 notes, but he knew where and how to play them.

You can play for yourself, you can play for other musicians, or you can play for the general public. If you are good enough, you'll get the audience you asked for.

I play for the people, the people understand pentatonics, so I play a lot of pentatonics, drift off for tension, and return to resolve the tension.

What I play is a cooperation, even a dialog between myself and the audience.

And remember, the objective to playing music is to have fun. That's why they call it PLAYing music.

Notes

Edited August 2, 2020 by Notes_Norton

[RobertWS]

On 7/31/2020 at 5:45 PM, craigb said:

Two words:  David Gilmour.

Two more words:  Carlos Santana.

[S.L.I.P.]

1 hour ago, RobertWS said:

Two more words:  Carlos Santana.

Two other words, that may not be words: BA PU

[Notes_Norton]

On 8/2/2020 at 11:01 AM, RobertWS said:

Two more words:  Carlos Santana.

And two more, Stan Getz