vernplum
New member
I'm out of the country, bored and slightly merry from drinking too much wine. Thus, expect me to spout drivel and be patronizing. 
Pentatonics can become tired and cliched sounding if everybody plays them the same way (about 95% of people do...)
Consider the following tired lick, done by everyone from Jimmy Page to Steve Vai:
E---8-5-8---5-----------------
A---------------8-5----8-5---
D---------------------------7
G------------------------------- etc... descending triplets
B-------------------------------
E--------------------------------
Do something different. One way is with string skipping. Nuno Bettencourt is great at this:
E-----------------------------
A---------------------------
D---------------------5-7-------- etc... hammering every second notes
G---------5--7------------------
B----------------5-7----------------
E----5-8---------------------------
Or, a bit harder, play these stretches (EVH, George Lynch, Zakk Wylde):
E---5-10-8-----------------------------
A------------5-10-8-----------------
D----------------------5-9-7--------
G------------------------------- etc...
B-------------------------------
E--------------------------------
Mix everything up.
Instead of playing triplets, play fours. Instead of playing 4's play 5's.
Instead of descending the entire pattern, descend two strings then ascend one, or descend one, string skip 2, ascend one, then switch to something entirely different. Experiment and you can never become bored.
Pentatonics can become tired and cliched sounding if everybody plays them the same way (about 95% of people do...)
Consider the following tired lick, done by everyone from Jimmy Page to Steve Vai:
E---8-5-8---5-----------------
A---------------8-5----8-5---
D---------------------------7
G------------------------------- etc... descending triplets
B-------------------------------
E--------------------------------
Do something different. One way is with string skipping. Nuno Bettencourt is great at this:
E-----------------------------
A---------------------------
D---------------------5-7-------- etc... hammering every second notes
G---------5--7------------------
B----------------5-7----------------
E----5-8---------------------------
Or, a bit harder, play these stretches (EVH, George Lynch, Zakk Wylde):
E---5-10-8-----------------------------
A------------5-10-8-----------------
D----------------------5-9-7--------
G------------------------------- etc...
B-------------------------------
E--------------------------------
Mix everything up.
Instead of playing triplets, play fours. Instead of playing 4's play 5's.
Instead of descending the entire pattern, descend two strings then ascend one, or descend one, string skip 2, ascend one, then switch to something entirely different. Experiment and you can never become bored.
