Soloing question - combining scales

[rand]

I'm one of those people that skipped theory and went straight to tabs

So I'm getting started with theory again. I have what sounds like a stupid question: can you combine scales when playing lead over a song? FOr example, with Watchtower, A minor and A minor Pentatonic both seem to work just fine...so can I use either one (or incorporate both into one) for that song?

[i-am-me]

of course. you can use any scale you want really. some sound better than others. i just usually go simple and combine the major scale and its relative minor.

but i don't know much about theory, so i could be wrong.

[rand]

Do musicians usually combine scales when writing a solo for a song or do they stick to one?

[saleen]

if you take a look, Am and Am pentatonic contain the same notes, the pentatonic is just a slimmer verison (it contains less notes), the pentatonic will almost always work because it contains the real basic notes that will be part of almost any scale you want to use. It is when you add scales besides the pentatonic that you are really specifying towards a particular song, such as adding the bluesy notes of the blues scale in order to get that particular sound you are looking for. I always start with the pentatonic and then figure out what other notes work. It is also important to use the chords that are in the song and outline them, the notes in a chord are pretty much guranteed to sound good at the part in the song where that chord is being played. hope I haven't been too confusing.

[Dancing Ants]

there really are no "wrong" notes...just what sounds better and what doesn't...use 'em both! if no one else does, and it works out nice, then you've invented something new.

[ericwormann]

No you aren't allowed to do that. Didn't you read the rulebook?

[rand]

No you aren't allowed to do that. Didn't you read the rulebook?

r-e-a-d

[MWR]

I'm one of those people that skipped theory and went straight to tabs

So I'm getting started with theory again. I have what sounds like a stupid question: can you combine scales when playing lead over a song? FOr example, with Watchtower, A minor and A minor Pentatonic both seem to work just fine...so can I use either one (or incorporate both into one) for that song?

The general theory behind soloing is to use every tool that you have to avoid monotony. So for Watchtower you can and should use A natural minor, minor pentatonic, minor blues as well as arpeggios. That doesn't mean you want to use all of them all the time but staying with just one scale can get pretty boring.
Of course bends, vibrato, slides, rythmic variation etc. are going to give it feeling which is ultimately the point.
As you learn more and more scales you'll start to see the notes that define that scale and how each scale is related to it's natural minor/major. So if your playing in A minor you won't need to make that obvious switch from natural minor to minor pentatonic, you'll be able to inject those notes at your discretion. This is what gets you out of playing within a "box".

there really are no "wrong" notes...just what sounds better and what doesn't...use 'em both! if no one else does, and it works out nice, then you've invented something new.

Hmmmm. Thats not the most sound advice for someone that really wants to learn this stuff.
There are notes that wont sound good and the whole point of theory is to know what those notes are and where they can be used.
For example: the harmonic minor scale.
If your play A harmonic minor over Watchtower with no discretion it's gonna sound bad. It's a i, VII, VI, VII (A minor, G, F, G) progression in A minor. A harmonic minor is the same as the natural minor but the 7th degree is raised a half step to G#. A G# played over a G is going to sound bad.
In the most basic scenario involving an actual chord progression the harmonic minor can only be used over a major or dominant V chord. So in A minor you can play A harmonic minor over E or E dominant.
The only time you can use "any" scale you want is when playing over a static chord which is generaly synonamous with eastern ragas.

[Davy28]

ragas are so sweet.