Need a kick start

[jmays]

I've been playing for twelve years with no formal training. As you can imagine, my playing has been pretty stagnant. I'm going to make a concerted effort to learn the foundation I've been missing and this site looks like a great start. Meanwhile, I have a show to play in two days and I'm doing Mustang Sally. I can't really improvise worth dick because I don't know my scales. So...I know that Mustang Sally is in C. I'm pretty comfortable with the C Penatonic, but I think it's hokey to bust out a long strictly-penatonic scale and don't know how to figure out which scales would be complimentary with the key of C (in that blues style). Can anyone help me get a grasp on this concept or direct me to the information.

[StoneDragon]

I've never played that song... is it just a straight blues in C? I've got Buddy Guy's version running through my head but it's been many years since I've heard that one.

If you can play through the changes sticking to C minor pentatonic, then the easiest way to spice things up in two days time is try adding some filler notes to the pentatonic scale:

Minor Pentatonic:

|-0-|---|---|-0-|---|
|-0-|---|---|-0-|---|
|-0-|---|-0-|---|---|
|-0-|---|-0-|---|---|
|-0-|---|-0-|---|---|
|-0-|---|---|-0-|---|

Pentatonic with "filler" notes:

|---|-0-|---|-x-|-0-|-x-|
|---|-0-|---|-x-|-0-|---|
|-x-|-0-|-x-|-0-|-x-|---|
|-x-|-0-|-x-|-0-|---|-x-|
|---|-0-|-x-|-0-|---|-x-|
|---|-0-|---|-x-|-0-|---|

Try working some of these extra notes into your runs and licks. You don't really want to "hang out" on these extra notes... just slip them in once and a while between the normal notes.

You can also drop down 3 frets (as if you are playing in A) for that sweet major blues flavor. That can be particularly effective in the right spot. Especially if you just visit the major for a moment and then slip back in to the minor sound.

BTW.... even though it just looks like you are filling in the holes in the pentatonic scale, you are actually borrowing notes from the Dorian mode and the mixolydian mode... as well as the "blues" scale. Some of the finest blusemen never needed any more than that http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/smokin.gif

[MrSamson]

Well said Stone,

But I can understand the cat'z frustration as well...

http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/devil.gif