AlexSkolnickExplorestheMajorPentatonicScale

BYVINNIEDEMASI

April10,2014

Asfarasjazzcatsgo,AlexSkolnickisquitetherarebreed.Verywell
respectedinboththemetalandjazzcommunities,hefirstearnedhis
stripesasateenagetitanwithBayAreathrashstalwartsTestamentinthe
late80s.Shortlythereafter,flirtationwithbookssuchasNicolas
SlonimskysThesaurusofScalesandMelodicPatterns

andMick
Goodricks TheAdvancingGuitaristinspiredhimtoleavethebandand
pursueadegreeattheNewSchoolUniversity.Whileanundergrad,he
formedtheAlexSkolnickTrio,andreleasedGoodbyetoRomance:
StandardsforaNewGeneration

in2002,agroundbreakingprojectthat
integratedjazzandmetalvocabularyinanimprovisationaltriosetting.
Sincethen,Skolnickhasgracefullynavigatedbetweenseeminglydisparate

musicrealms,releasingseveralmorejazzrecordings,touringwiththe
TransSiberianOrchestra,reunitingandtravelingtheglobewith
Testament,andcurrentlyputtingthefinishingtouchesonan
ArtistSharefundedworldmusicprojectcalledPlanetaryCoalition
(www.planetarycoalition.com).Anavidwriteranddeepthinker,Skolnick
hasalsorecentlypublishedhisautobiography

GeektoGuitarHero,a
thoughtprovokingchronicleofhislifethroughmusic.Theprofessorof
jazzmetalrecentlytooktimeforanarticulate,cerebralchatwithGP.

Oneoftheenduringchallengesforguitaristsistobecomefluentin
allfivepentatonicscaleshapes,hesays.Itsonethingto
memorizethescales,buttoreallydevelopavocabularyoflicks
outsidethestandardrootonthesixthstringform,Ifindthatit
helpstoviewthemfromarelativemajorperspective.Tothatend,
SkolnickregardstheApentatonicminorshapethatstartsonthe3
(C)inFig.AasarootpositionCpentatonicmajorscale.

Fig.A

Fig.B

Fig.C

Fig.D

ContainedwithinthenotesonthetopfourstingsisEx.1asCmajortriad.

Ex.1aEx.1b

Byfocusingonthesenotesandembellishingthemwithavarietyofbends,
slides,hammerons,andpulloffs,wecandeveloplineslikeEx.1bthat
haveastrongCmajormelodicism.

Whenworkingoutlines,youllalwayswanttobenduptoscaletones,sothe
Aonthe10thfretofthesecondstringinEx.1ctravelsafull
stepandahalftoC.

Ex.1c

Nowletsjourneythroughtheremainingscaleformsandunearth
thetriadswithin.OnthebottomthreestringsoftheCpentatonic
majorformshowninFig.B,lurkstheC/EtriaddelineatedinEx.
2a.Ifindthisgripergonomicallysuitedforlickswithhammerons,
pulloffs,andaHendrixstylechordalstab,(asdemonstratedby
Ex.2b.)

Ex.2aEx.2b

Youcanthenswitchyourfocustothetopthreestringsofthescaleandgrab
theopenDshapedC/GofEx.2c.Trypullingofftothelowernoteinthe
scaleoneachstringtogetatasty,countryflavoredrunlikeEx.2d.

Ex.2cEx.2d

PlaythroughthenextscalarshapeshowninFig.C,andnoticehow
theprevioustriadcanberepurposedasEx.3astwelfthposition

C/Echordarpeggio.Explorethescalarnotesabovethistime,and
digEx.3baveryDavidGilmouresquemelodicphrase.

Ex.3aEx.3b

ForthefinalscaleformshowninFig.D,welldropdownanoctave
tosecondposition.HeadsupthisscalehasEx.4asfull
fifthstringrootCmajorbarrechordcontainedwithin.Take
advantageofthisfacttocultivatesweeping,arpeggiosbasedruns
likeEx.4b.

Ex.4a

Ex.4b

Theresawholeworldofmusicinsideeachofthepentatonicscaleshapes,
saysSkolnick.Youjusthavetotakethetimetoexploreit.