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Blues Guitar in 6 Weeks  ~ B.B. King Style/week 4 - Steve Trovato Page One

In week 4 of the American Blues Guitar in 6 weeks course we are exposed to many of the techniques of Blues Master B.B. King.

"We are going to play over a blues shuffle in the key of G using the major and minor pentatonic scale to create great blues licks".

Mr. Trovato plays the major pentatonic over the backing track so we can hear what it sounds like. He then shows us how to play it in the 7th position of the fret board (forefinger at 7th fret)

He mentions the CAGED system and that we are using the C shape. He explains that shape and the notes. Vibrato, slides and bending are part of the lesson too.

This 7th position shape is a different one than in week 3 and also one that you need to know. Week 4 is also a great lesson.

OK some annoyance arises as he he is showing us the notes of the pentatonic scale. He does it orally when it would be much simpler to see it on paper.

Now here is something I have noticed about at least 3 licklibrary instructors Steve Trovato, Stuart Bull, and Danny Gill in particular.

They all have a different way of naming notes which is confusing. Our instructor Steve here has a system which is exact but doesn't convey any intervallic information.

For example, he says 5/10 is note one, your root or tonic note, a G note, and that this G note is on the 5th string at the 10th fret. He uses the same matrix system for the the other 4 notes of the scale but he doesn't tell you what the note names are.

He doesn't mention that that there are two octaves in this scale he is showing us. I guess we are supposed to figure it out for ourselves and there are benefits to doing it this way especially as he takes a lot of time to go through the scales with us and

I have to say its the best explanation of these concepts that I have come across. There are always more questions due to the different concepts involved. Theory and mechanics require different nomenclature. "Speak"

However, an other instructor like Stuart Bull might say position 4 in G on the A string and position 4 on the D string where as Danny Gill might say you play the G note on the A string at the tenth fret.

Week Four Page Two

Role Models

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