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Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces are 4 note patterns played over two strings which 'snap' together with other pieces to reveal the whole picture.
Lower Rectangle
Lower Rectangle
This piece of the puzzle sits right below the Home position. There are no convenient bends available in this position.
Home
Home
This piece is straight out of the Minor Pentatonic scale that we know so well, hence why I have labelled it home. You can bend the b7 up 2 frets to the Root, or bend the b3 up in a similar fashion to the to the 4.
Higher Rectangle
Higher Rectangle
This piece sits directly above the Home position and is a common pattern in Blues solos - some people call it the "Albert King Box". You can bend the 4 up two frets to the 5 - in doing so, all of the Pentatonic Minor scale notes are available to us.
Forward Trapezoid
Forward Trapezoid
This puzzle piece should look familiar - it is the same pattern we find on the lowest stings when we play the A Minor Pentatonic scale. You can bend the b3 to 4, but be careful not to place to much emphasis on the 4, as it is a tension note.
Reverse Trapezoid
Reverse Trapezoid
This is another hand position, as you can bend the 4 to 5, and the b7 up two frets to the Root, again making all of the Minor Pentatonic notes accessible.
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in Gm - Puzzle Piece Licks.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in Gm Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces.mp3Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces Combined
Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces Combined
(Along The Strings)
(Along The Strings)
Just like a jigsaw puzzle, we can snap the pieces together along the neck to get a more complete picture.
The order of the 'pieces' remains constant; LR Home HR FT RT LR Home HR FT RT LR Home HR FT RT
Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in Gm - Puzzle Pieces 2.mp3Rockstar Guitar Backing Tracks in Gm Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces.mp3"Time Zones"
"Time Zones"
Think of strings 6-3 (yellow) as being a country, while strings 2-1 (green) represent a different, neighbouring country. Each country is in a different Time Zone! The 'green' country is naturally an hour ahead of the 'yellow' country, so, when you cross the border, you have to remember to put your watch forward an hour!
Think of each fret as being one hour!
When our scale fragments straddle countries in two time zones, we have to remember to "put our watch forward". This means that all the notes on the B string will be one fret higher (or one hour ahead) than where we would normally expect to find them! The following diagram demonstrates how our Puzzle Piece shapes change as we cross the time zone.
This means we are introduced to some new "shapes", which may be confusing at first. However, if we can visualise that the notes in the 'green' country are just one fret higher, we should be able to recognise that they are still the same basic shapes!
Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces Combined
Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces Combined
(Across The Strings)
(Across The Strings)
The Pentatonic Puzzle Pieces also snap together across the strings, as seen in the diagrams below. However, because we cross the border between the countries on stings 2 and 3, we have to adjust that piece by "putting our watches forward" and nudging the B strings notes up one fret.
The green lines on the following diagram indicate the notes that have been "nudged forward.
If we examine the following following diagram, we can see that each Pentatonic Box is made of the the same 5 Puzzle Pieces. The order is the same along the strings and across the strings. You just need to adjust the shapes for the time zone shift! If you memorise the order of the shapes, you will find that the entire fretboard will open up and you will be able to navigate the neck with much greater confidence!
2/1 Lower Rectangle Home Higher Rectangle Forward Trapezoid Reverse Trapezoid
3/2 Forward Trapezoid Reverse Trapezoid Lower Rectangle Home Higher Rectangle
4/3 Home Higher Rectangle Forward Trapezoid Reverse Trapezoid Lower Rectangle
5/4 Reverse Trapezoid Lower Rectangle Home Higher Rectangle Forward Trapezoid
6/5 Higher Rectangle Forward Trapezoid Reverse Trapezoid Lower Rectangle Home
If you can say the sequence twice, forward and backward, you should be able to work out where you are at any point;
Along = Lower Home Higher Forward Reverse Lower Home Higher Forward Reverse
Across = Forward Lower Higher Reverse Home Forward Lower Higher Reverse Home
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