[Harp-L] Advantages to learning scales (Was: What is a scale)

[Robert Coble <robertpcoble@xxxxxxxx>]

Michael Rubin posted one of the most informative posts I've ever
seen on this subject!

The whole world looks like a nail to an unknowledgeable person with
a hammer. Or, put another way, a fool with a tool is still - a fool.

Learning some scale theory just puts more tools in your gig bag.
When and how those tools are used differentiates the skilled artisan
from the amateur, regardless of the pay situation.

One of the most important things that can be learned by practicing
scales is familiarity with where the note sounds can be made on a
particular harmonica, without having to think about it. You simply
"hear" a particular sound in your mind, and you can recreate that
sound on the harmonica. That frees your creativity when improvising.
You "know" what works, without consciously thinking it through. Scales
give you disciplined practice, learning where those sounds can be made.

A knowledge of scales and modes can be useful when choosing
a particular harmonica key to use for a particular musical key
or when playing across a particular chord progression.

By knowing the scales, you can choose a particular harmonica
which gives that particular scale in an easier way. The easiest
thing to do is to use a diagram of all the different scales to
map out where those scales can be found on particular keys of
harmonicas.

Here's a practical book that has a lot of the scale information
in an appendix:

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation"
Michael Miller
ISBN 1-59257-210-3
2004, Alpha
US $16.95  

A lot of bookstores have a copy of this book, so you can check it
out without having to buy it.

Appendix C has a layout of the following scale/modes for every key:
- Major
- Natural minor
- Harmonic minor
- Melodic minor
- Pentatonic major
- Pentatonic minor
- Diminished
- Whole tone
- Blues
- Bebop major
- Bebop minor
- Bebop diminished
- Bebop half-diminished
- Dorian mode
- Mixolydian mode (dominant scale)
- Locrian mode

I used a highlighter to mark the notes vertically that occur
naturally in each harmonica key. I then looked at all the different
keys to determine which harmonica key had a particular scale
available and where it was located on that harmonica. It certainly
opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities that I was unaware of
previously.

In addition to learning something about different available scales,
you also learn what scales work best when playing against specific
chords and chord progressions. That was really important to me,
because I have no interest in learning theory just for theory's sake.

The book also includes 160 patterns (licks, if you will) for the
major scale, 160 patterns for the minor scale, 224 patterns for
the dominant seventh, 116 patterns for the half-diminished seventh,
and then 116 rhythm patterns. Any of the 116 rhythm patterns can be
applied to any of the 660 lick patterns, giving you a wealth of
patterns that can be used when soloing. I doubt that even the best
of students would rapidly pick out and absorb 76,560 different
patterns (licks) by just listening to solos. As great as David
Barrett's instruction is, if you followed his "Lick-A-Day" program,
it would take you over 200 years to learn that many licks. Sigh;
so much to learn, so little time available to do it!

Until studying some musical theory, I had no idea that I could
use 3 different major pentatonic scales playing across the I-IV-V
progression in a particular key - on the same harmonica.

For example, using a "C" harmonica, you can play the "C", "F" and
"G" major pentatonic scales across the chord progression I ("C")-
IV ("F")-V ("G"). 

Why? Because all of the notes for each of those 3 pentatonic scales
are available naturally on the "C" harmonica.

"C" major scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
Pentatonic scale: scale degrees 1-2-3-5-6-8
"C" pentatonic scale: C-D-E-x-G-A-x-C
"F" pentatonic scale: F-G-A-x-C-D-x-F
"G" pentatonic scale: G-A-B-x-D-E-x-G

IMHO, it's not likely that, just by listening to solos, you would
learn that any or all 3 of those pentatonic scales can be used for
soloing over the I-IV-V chord progression. After learning the theory,
you would now have a much richer toolset to use.

A word of caution: book knowledge and practical application are two
distinct things. It's like the difference between eyesight and
eyeglasses: eyesight is actually vision; eye glasses are (or should
be) an AID to eyesight, IF NEEDED. Too often, some people seem to
think of theory (eye glasses) as if it automatically conferred practical
application (eye sight). That analogy can be attributed to J. R.
Capablanca, one of the greatest of chess World Champions, who was a
"natural" (unbooked) player.
 
HTH,
Crazy ('bout harp!) Bob
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