6 String Freedom

Part 9: Pentatonics become musical choices · Lesson 081 / 117

One string can make a phrase

Today’s one thing

Break the habit of always running a box from its bottom.

Use only the B string at frets 5 and 8: E and G. Over Am, these are the fifth and minor seventh relative to A. E belongs to the Am triad; G does not, unless the harmony is Am7.

Play E–G–E with a one-beat, one-beat, two-beat rhythm. Then keep the notes and change the rhythm. You can make a recognisable phrase without crossing a string or demonstrating the full pattern.

Finish the next phrase on A at high E fret 5. The move to another string now serves a chosen destination. It is not merely the next step in an ascending scale exercise.

Do not rename the backing Am7 automatically whenever you briefly play G over Am. The lead can add colour over a triadic accompaniment. Describe what your melody does and how it moves.

Hear it

Pent One String

Audio file

Four-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.

A concrete example

Over Am: E–G–E is 5–b7–5 relative to A. G adds a minor-seventh colour outside the Am triad before returning to E.

Fretboard view

High E (string 1) is the top line, matching guitar tablature. Select a note to hear it.

Root / tonicChord toneTargetChanged / colour noteOther note
Two-note phrase over Am
Play E–G–E on the B string, then resolve to A on high E.
Guitar fretboard diagram: Two-note phrase over Am. High E string on top, frets 5 to 8. Notes E, G, A.
E is the fifth of Am; G colours the triad from outside before returning.
Play notes from a larger button list

One small map at a time. Hear the notes, then play the example without looking.

Try it, slowly

  1. Play the two-note phrase on the B string.
  2. Keep its notes but add a rest before the return.
  3. Make a second phrase ending on A and explain the different destination.

Check one idea

Is G a chord tone of an Am triad?

Show the explanation

No. Am is A–C–E. G is part of A minor pentatonic and a chord tone of Am7, but over the stated Am triad it is an added melodic colour.

A good place to stop

You can make and explain a small phrase without running the whole box.

Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.