indian pentatonic lateral lines Pt 2

Learn how to take the exotic and evocative Pentatonic scale along the length of the neck. Shaun Baxter is your mystical guide...

Last month we learned how the Indian Pentatonic is formed by raising the 3rd of a Minor Pentatonic in order to create an ear-catching and adaptable sound from within the Mixolydian scale. This means it can be used over static dominant 7th chords.

A Mixolydian

A B C D E F# G b3 b7 1 2 456

A Indian Pentatonic

A CDEG b3 b7 1 4 5 As you can see, this scale can also be seen as Mixolydian with the 2nd and 6th missing. Diagram 1 shows the A Indian Pentatonic scale laid out in a guitar-friendly two-notesper-string format. Fundamentally, we have simply taken the traditional A Minor Pentatonic shapes and raised each minor 3rd (in this case, C) up a semitone to a major 3rd (C#), keeping that note on the same string each time. You should also look at establishing what this scale looks like when extracted from the traditional CAGED shapes of A Mixolydian: the resultant shapes will be similar to the two-notes-per-string versions in Diagram 1; however, the major 3rd and 4th intervals (C# and D) will always appear on the same string, and this is something that will also feature in many of the lines studied during this lesson. In the lesson title, the term ‘lateral’, refers to the principle of moving along the length of the guitar neck, rather than just staying in one position. This will require you to visualise the various CAGED shapes as you pass through them. If you don’t view what you play in a visual context like this, you’ll get lost. To break out of box-like position, it is useful to start experimenting with different ways of configuring the notes of the scale. For example, if 2 - 2 - 2 2 - 2 - 2 represents two-notes-perstring, then you should also try: 3-3-3-3-3-3 1 - 3 - 1- 3 - 1- 3 3 - 1- 3 - 1- 3 - 1 2-3-2-3-2-3 3-2-3-2-3-2 ... and so on. Note that the latter two combinations will produce a symmetrical approach whereby the same fingering is played over three separate octaves on the following string pairs: • Sixth and fifth • Fourth and third • Second and first This approach is very useful on guitar, and is similar to the way that piano players view notes on their instrument (each octave looking the same). Significantly, it will force you to pass through at least three CAGED shapes or positions as you shift up and down from one octave to the next.

Lateral movement, in its purest form, can be practised by taking what you have just played and simply shifting your hand up or down the guitar neck to play an equivalent idea either higher or lower in the scale. This is a great way of: • Learning the scale • Getting more mileage out an idea

(allowing you to play longer passages) • Producing thematic development Basically, it’s an approach that allows you to take each musical idea ‘for a walk’ without just abandoning it or treating it like an individual cell of information, and is a principle that will be illustrated in many of this lesson’s musical examples. Happy fretwalking!

fundamentally, we have simply taken the minor pentatonic shapes and raised the 3rd by a semitone