The following five basic "boxes" all link together up and down the fretboard. I am going to include the "Blue Note"
in how I lay this out, only because I use it all the time
when I play in and out of these "boxes". It's just a #4/b5, and it's got an * to show you 'whey eet iz'.
Later-- things get cool as, I'll show you how and where the 7 modal forms (in another Encore lesson here) basically
overlay these 5 -OR- it can be said that these 5 overlay or fit within the modal forms! It's all a treadmill man and you've got to walk on it with your fingers many an hour before you can ultimately, chuck the treadmill and run through the woods bare assed
.
OK- enough grab ass, let's get started. We'll Use the key
of Am (G Major) because SO much seems to be played there.
Know this though- you've got to practice in every key. Focus
on just one to get going though, that's normal, because everything at once can easily overwhelm.
|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|---|---|
|-5-|*6-|-7-|---|---|---|---|
|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|---|---|
|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|---|---|
|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|---|---|
|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|---|---|
Blues Box 1
|---|---|---|-8-|---|10-|---|
|---|---|-7-|---|---|10-|---|
|---|---|-7-|---|---|10-|---|
|---|---|-7-|*8-|-9-|---|---|Draw a circle around
|---|---|---|-8-|---|10-|---|the 9, 8's and 10's
|---|---|---|-8-|---|10-|---|these three strings!*
Blues Box 2
|---|10-|*11|12-|---|---|---|
|---|10-|---|12-|---|---|---|
|---|10-|---|12-|---|---|---|
|9--|---|---|12-|---|---|---|
|---|10-|---|---|13-|---|---|
|---|10-|*11|12-|---|---|---|
Blues Box 3
|12-|---|---|15-|---|---|---|
|12-|---|---|15-|---|---|---|
|12-|*13|14-|---|---|---|---|
|12-|---|14-|---|---|---|---|
|---|13-|---|15-|---|---|---|
|12-|---|---|15-|---|---|---|
Blues Box 4
|---|15-|---|17-|---|---|---|
|---|15-|---|17-|---|---|---|
|14-|---|---|17-|---|---|---|
|14-|---|---|17-|---|---|---|
|---|15-|*16|17-|---|---|---|
|---|15-|---|17-|---|---|---|
Blues Box 5
|
What's cool, is that in this key (because there's room for a full box back there) box 5 here, could just as easily have been our starting box back up at the nut...
|---|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|---|
|---|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|---|
|-2-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|
|-2-|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|
|---|-3-|*4-|-5-|---|---|---|
|---|-3-|---|-5-|---|---|---|
Blues Box 5
|
See, this stuff treadmills; As in,
Box 5--> Box 1--> Box 2--> Box 3--> Box 4--> Box 5--> Box 1
etc.
When you get more experienced, you'll be able to start out in say,Box 3 and accurately hop to any other box out of linear sequence, bending, hammering on, pulling off, applying vibrato, expressing yourself w/out thinking about it...but THAT'S where hours of practice separate the Vulcans from the ...Klingons?
One last very important note!!!
What I've shown you here, is for 'minor blues' emphasis.
The cool thing about the intersection of Blues and say, Southern Rock, is that you can switch back and forth between a "MAJOR" feel / sound and a "Minor" feel / sound in terms of emphasis.
Again, This is all A minor.
To use all of the above using a MAJOR feel sound, all you do is START at the A note again (5th Fret,6th. fat string) but this time, begin with Box 2, not box one... !
* Circle: This is the "Albert King" box w/in a box. a whole
lotta bending and expression comes outta here!
Get to it! Marc
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