[AudioAUnderdog]

I think this thread is turning my mind into mush.

Actually, I think I get it. Mostly.

[gtrdave]

Pentatonic scales have gotten a bad rap for what I mentioned before and also because of the thousands of seemingly redundant blues songs/solos in existence.
That said, pentatonic scales are given their due by players like Eric Johnson, who take them to a place that few others are able AND he plays them in modal form, too.
Witness the marriage of pentatonic, diatonic and beyond in the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8aeeSTthQ

Dig the chromatic octave riff near 4:30...

[Guitarbite1985]

Basically, as a beginning lead player you can take the pentatonic and transform it into whatever scale you need because it only has five notes. (Even though you can do this with any scale) It is easier to see what is going on within the scale because of the number of tones.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by Guitarbite1985

Basically, as a beginning lead player you can take the pentatonic and transform it into whatever scale you need because it only has five notes. (Even though you can do this with any scale) It is easier to see what is going on within the scale because of the number of tones.

Yeah, but, to me, that's also part of the bad rep that pentatonic scales have. It's like saying, "here, just use these 5 notes and go play a solo", neglecting the fact that just 2 more notes opens one up to a world of melody and harmony and probably puts them on better ground to play a solo, since the song that they're playing the solo over is probably more diatonic scale friendly.
This is what I think Rainer. was saying earlier.

I know that for me, I didn't learn the pentatonic scale until way after I began to play leads and such.
I learned the C major diatonic scale first and then all of the other diatonic scales (and modes) afterwards, not even knowing that there was such a thing as a 'pentatonic' scale.
I did learn blues/rock licks from whatever records I was listening to at the time, but I had no idea that they came from a 5-note scale.

There has been a shift from blues-based influence to more pop-based influence in contemporary music over the years and with it has come the reduction of pentatonic melody vs. diatonic melody. Again, probably what Rainer. was saying earlier.
Still, the pentatonic scale has a very useful place in music, but it should not be, imho, one of "it's only 5 notes, it's easy, so go play a solo".

[AudioAUnderdog]

Problem solved, I talked to my teacher.