Not all pentatonic scales are created equal.
Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Advanced
Lesson Overview:
• Develop an understanding of the Hirajōshi scale and its modes.
• Learn how to apply traditional Japanese sounds to Western tonalities.
• Create compelling lines based on variations of the pentatonic scale.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Japanese pentatonic scales are an improvisational home base for many musicians—certainly guitarists, whether they know it or not. Some of the scales, such as Ryo, are simply the major pentatonic scale, and it’s hard to say whether it’s first use was in Japan or much earlier in African and European folk songs. Other scales, however, have a distinct Japanese flavor to them. We’re going to investigate five of these scales, which are really just modes of the same scale, and see how they can be used both melodically and harmonically in such different genres as metal, blues, and even jazz fusion.
The main scale we’ll check out is called Hirajōshi. There are five forms, or inversions, of this scale, each with its own distinct tonality. It is important to know that these scales are actually derived from tunings of the koto, a 13-string instrument from Japan. The formula for the scale is 1–2–b3–5–b6. In the key of A, for example, that’s A–B–C–E–F. You could think of it as a natural minor scale without the 4 and b7. Ex. 1 shows a three-octave fingering for the scale.
Click here for Ex. 1
Just as with any pentatonic scale, there are five positions of the scale to cover the entire range of the fretboard. Each scale has its own name, which is similar to how we think of modes and the major scale. As I mentioned before, Hirajōshi is the name for our scale starting on the root (in this case, A). In Ex. 2 you can see how we’d play through the various modes of the Hirajōshi scale. In order, they are Hirajōshi, Iwato, Kumoi, Hon Kumoi Shiouzi, and the final one we can just call the Fifth mode.
Click here for Ex. 2
Many rock and metal guitarists, including Marty Friedman and Tosin Abasi, have used these scales. Let’s check out two different sequences that will get these sounds under your fingers. Ex. 3 is a sequence that goes up and down over the Fifth mode of the Hirajōshi scale. Play this as written, using hammer-ons and pull-offs, and then try picking every note.
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Ex. 4 uses a different kind of sequence where there are a few notes close together and then a leap. Try these sequences on the rest of the shapes around the fretboard.
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Next let’s explore some of the chords that can be created using this scale. In Ex. 5 we create chords by using each scale tone as a root and stacking other scale tones on top of it. Some of these shapes might be a little tough to play comfortably at first, but don’t give up. It will come together.
Click here for Ex. 5
Now that you’re familiar with the sound of this scale and have explored it across the fretboard, let’s look at a more modal-oriented application that works well in blues and jazz-fusion. Everything we’ve done so far is great over a natural minor sound, but there are more chords and harmonic possibilities to explore.
In the next group of examples, we will compare various modes of the Hirajōshi scale to the applicable Western modes that we’re familiar with. Each example will give you both a scale fingering and the diatonic chords (like what we did in Ex. 5).
Ex. 6 shows how the A Hirajōshi scale is based off of Aeolian and works great in minor-sounding vamps.
Click here for Ex. 6
The next mode, Iwato, is related to the Locrian mode and can be applied over half-diminished chords (Ex. 7).
Click here for Ex. 7
Not all Japanese scales have to sound dark and ominous. In Ex. 8, we can see the Kumoi mode and it’s application over major 7 and Lydian-based chords.
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In Ex. 9, we can see the Hon Kumoi Shiouzi mode. Because it contains the b2 and b6, the Phrygian mode is a natural companion. If you add in a G natural, Phrygian dominant works as well.
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Finally, the Fifth mode returns (Ex. 10) to some more major-sounding harmonies by including the 3 and the #11—the key note in the Lydian mode.
Click here for Ex. 10
You’ll notice we’ve now covered five of the seven major modes, but the two most common ones (Dorian and Mixolydian) have been left out. In the following two examples we hit those sounds, but we skip the root.
Over Dorian-style chords we’d reach for the Hirajōshi scale based on the 5 of the chord. For example, over an A Dorian vamp we would play E Hirajōshi (Ex. 11).
Click here for Ex. 11
We can apply a similar rule for Mixolydian applications. This time, we’ll play a Hirajōshi scale that’s a whole-step above the root. In Ex. 12 you can see how we would apply a B Hirajōshi scale to an A Mixolydian sound. Start here for some wickedly weird blues lines.
Click here for Ex. 12
The last tonality to explore is a more altered sound for jazz. If you play Hirajōshi a half-step higher than the root of an altered chord you get a cool sound that includes the b9, #9, and b13 (Ex. 13). Experiment with soloing over a E7alt to Am progression using F Hirajōshi to A minor pentatonic.
Click here for Ex. 13
Draw inspiration from virtuosic Indian musicians to improve your technique in new and compelling ways.
Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn about the rich musical history of India.
• Develop new ways to play arpeggios across the fretboard.
• Understand how to connect octave shapes.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
This column is about exploring cultures and traditions from around the world and applying new ideas to shred guitar technique, so this time let’s turn to the great Hindustani Indian musicians for inspiration. India has one of the oldest and most developed musical traditions in the world. Musicians begin studying at a young age and are put through rigorous training to achieve prodigious results. While we aren’t going to delve into any actual Indian music, I’ll break down one series of exercises that’s performed by advancing Indian musicians. If you keep an open mind, these exercises will help you see the fretboard in new ways.
I was fortunate enough to study Indian music under Rajeev Taranath, a sarod guru, and play in a few ensembles. I studied ragas (melodic and improvisational compositions that are modal in character and often, like melodic minor, have an ascending and descending version of the scale), sargam (similar to solfege), and a South Indian rhythmic system called solkattu, which has a spoken component called konnakol. I studied the traditional Hindustani Indian music notation system and arranged many of their exercises and pieces in Western notation. And it’s one of these exercises I’ll share here—a study of intervals. Regardless of what musical style or genre you play, this exercise will give you incredible mastery of the fretboard.
Due to the raga system, arpeggios are quite different in India. Unlike Western music, traditional Indian music isn’t based on chord progressions, so musicians perform melodies over a tanpura drone. They often superimpose harmony over the drone or explore intriguing intervallic ideas.
As I mentioned, these exercises are transcribed from Indian notation and were designed for an instrumentalists to explore the full range of their instruments. These examples come from the third part of a sapāt, a series of exercises that begin each practice session. The exercises here use the A major scale (A–B–C#–D–E–F#–G#), but once you have achieved a decent level of understanding and speed, you should try it with other modes and in other keys.
Ex. 1 takes you through the key of A major playing every note in the scale in four octaves, ascending and descending. I suggest playing these notes in pairs, using your first and fourth fretting fingers to outline the shape of each octave. This is a great way to visualize the neck, see roots, and make connections in different positions.
Click here for Ex. 1
Ex. 2 adds an additional note between each octave giving you a root-5 pattern (almost like moving power chords up the neck). Notice that when descending, you play fourths since the inverse of a fifth is a fourth. As you play the fifths, again use two fingers, but this time fret each octave note with the first finger as you work your way up. When descending, try to barre two notes at a time. Roll your barre finger, so the notes don’t ring out.
Click here for Ex. 2
We reverse the idea of Ex. 2 for Ex. 3. Here, we ascend in fourths and descend in fifths. Instead of moving the pattern up stepwise, as in the previous examples, it moves in leaps of diatonic fourths: A–D–G#–C#, etc. Play the ascending fourths as barred pairs, but descending fifths as moveable power chords.
Click here for Ex. 3
For rhythmic variety, let’s use triplets in Ex. 4. This time, we’re playing a three-octave shape using triads and moving diatonically up the neck. The position shifts will help you visualize the connections between scale tones across the entire fretboard. Use legato when possible.
Click here for Ex. 4
Ex. 5 breaks out of the octave theme and moves to ascending fifths. It turns around and descends in fourths (with one exception where an interval is a third away). For this pattern you can play the ascending fifths in pairs of three, and use a barre to play the fourths.
Click here for Ex. 5
Ex. 6 is an interesting intervallic idea of connecting thirds by a scale step. For example, we start with a diatonic major third (A–C#) before moving to the next note of the scale (D) and repeating the pattern in three octaves.
Click here for Ex. 6
Finally, our last example (Ex. 7) descends using thirds, starting on each note of the scale. This is similar to Ex. 6, but descends from the highest octave.
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As an advancing guitarist, you’ve probably played many scale and arpeggio exercises, but it’s often good to escape the familiar to expand your horizons and grow in new ways. I hope this lesson offers a new perspective of the fretboard and a sense of how virtuosity is developed on other instruments in other parts of the world. Before I leave, I’d like to mention a few names of famous Indian musicians to check out: slide guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, violinist L. Shankar, mandolin player U. Srinivas, sarod master Ali Akbar Khan, sitar player Nikhil Banerjee, and tabla player Swapan Chaudhuri.
With some deft hybrid picking, you can turn your guitar into a West African music machine.
Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn how to use hybrid picking to play cross-string scales.
• Discover how to combine different picking patterns into a single phrase.
• Explore West African melodic ornamentation.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
For this month’s global music tour, we’ll venture into areas of West Africa that are brimming with great music—both traditional and modern. There are many fantastic guitarists there, including Djelimady Tounkara from Mali, who is one of my absolute faves. However, for this lesson we’ll delve into imitating the styles of other instruments on guitar, specifically a 21-string African harp called the kora. To keep things shredtastic, we’ll explore the techniques of hybrid picking using cross-string scales.
The kora has two sides or rows of harp strings that are attached to a large resonating gourd or calabash. Because the kora is ancient, and songs have been taught and passed down for hundreds of generations, it’s played with an astounding technique. The double harp rows are often used to play fast, resonating lines and scales. Alternatively, one hand can play a repeating ostinato pattern (called “kumbengo”), while the other executes a melody. One of my favorite kora players—and the inspiration for this lesson—is Toumane Diabaté. Check out the video below to see a basic primer straight from Diabaté:
Much of the real beauty of the kora lies in letting the notes ring out. Diabaté is a master of this shimmering sound, though he also does intricate muting when the music demands it. To emulate the kora on guitar, it’s important to play cross-string scales: Instead of fretting consecutive notes on the same string, we’ll find ways to attack each note on a different string—a technique that allows notes to sustain and blend together. Do to the tuning of the guitar, this can lead to some tricky left-hand stretches, but with some practice the results are beautiful. The key here is to use hybrid picking. With this technique, you grip the flatpick as normal with your thumb and index finger, but also use your middle and ring fingers (notated in the examples as m and a, respectively) to attack selected strings.
To start things off, Ex. 1 uses a basic E minor pentatonic scale (E–G–A–B–D) where just two notes are held at the same time. Remember, in all of these examples it’s essential to let the notes ring out whenever you can. For the picking hand, we’ll alternate between normal downstrokes and plucking with the middle finger.
Click here for Ex. 1
For Ex. 2 we stick with the same scale and position as Ex. 1, but we’ll use a slightly different pattern that moves over three strings and includes the picking hand’s ring finger. This one has some wide sequence skips, but make sure to let the notes ring out as mini three-note chords. To accomplish this, use small barre chords for each pattern.
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The next idea (Ex. 3) uses the E minor pentatonic scale in the 7th position. This example features an eight-note pattern with a wide, string-skipping leap in the middle.
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Ex. 4 illustrates how to play a full minor pentatonic scale using some rather difficult stretches. This is a common approach for playing cross-string scales. While it’s easy to play three adjacent notes on piano, it’s tough on guitar. Developing a strategy for moving this shape and concept around the neck will allow you to create more of that kora sound.
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Our next example (Ex. 5) uses the same three-note shape, but adds a variation to the picking pattern. We can also see how that shape moves vertically in the same position. Feel free to experiment with these ideas and generate your own variations.
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Ex. 6 moves both horizontally and vertically throughout an E Aeolian (E–F#–G–A–B–C–D) scale. This lick also adds new notes to the melody and is a great way to practice the many combinations of flatpick-middle-ring hybrid picking. Now we’re starting to sound more like a kora.
Click here for Ex. 6
Ex. 7 gets into crafting melodies. If you listen to Toumane Diabaté, you’ll notice his sense of rhythm and command of ornaments or trills. One way to imitate this on the guitar is to practice fast trills between two notes on different strings, attacking them with pick and middle finger. Here, we only repeat this once, but you should loop this section as often as you need to get the sextuplets to feel natural. It’s okay to dig in a bit harder and play those trills loud for emphasis, but to develop dynamics, I suggest you go from soft to loud while practicing the trill as you loop it.
Click here for Ex. 7
I hope you enjoyed this lesson on kora sounds for the guitar. Imagine the possibilities of using these concepts in improvisation or songwriting. Exploring music from other cultures, instruments, and countries can inspire you to express yourself in unique ways.