➧ CHOPS
S O N I C S N A P S H O T
Wes Montgomery’s
Magic Box
BY JUDE GOLD
➧
MOST GUITARISTS rec-
ognize the shape in Ex.
1 as the E minor penta-
tonic scale—and with
good reason. After all, it is the
world’s most popular launching
pad for rock solos and blues leads
in the key of E. More advanced
players know that the same notes
also spell the G major pentatonic
scale—G being the relative major
of E minor. But if you take this scale
and “fill in the blanks” with passing
tones—which are represented by
the circles on the grid in E x .
2 —you’ll open up a world of
Ex. 1
➧
melodic possibility. And without
ever stepping out of this twelfth-
position “box,” you’ll have access
to some of the most swingin’ guitar
lines ever—namely, those played
by the great Wes Montgomery.
Ex. 2’s shape is easy to
learn—it simply calls for four
notes per string, with each finger
covering one fret. The trick is in
knowing how to use each
pitch—each color—melodically.
With its many passing tones, the
box’s obvious application is in
chromatic phrases, such as the Ex. 3
one Montgomery played in Ex. 3.
C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 0 0
 = 100-144
Swing feel
G7
Ex. 2
   
 
  
2

 4

4
4 1

 4
 
E minor/G major
Pentatonic scale
XII

XII

13 12
T
15 14 13 12
A
15
B

TIPS JAR • CARLOS SANTANA

➧
“The point of music is to tell stories with a melody,” said Carlos Santana in the June ’78 GP. “All

that stuff about playing notes, to me, is just like watching some cat pick up weights. After a while,

who wants to see somebody flex their muscles? There are thousands of guitar players out there, but

Santana
really only about 30 you can listen to and tell instantly who they are. It took me a while to realize that
telling
tales in
having your own individuality is a very beautiful gift—even if you only know three notes.” g the late
’70s.

9 8 GUITAR PLAYER NOVEMBER 2002

M O N TG O M E RY PH OTO : G P A RC H I V E S ; S A N TA N A PH OTO : N E I L Z LO ZOW E R
➧ CHOPS
S O N I C
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 9 8
Over G7, this meandering line
starts on the b7, F, and works its
way down to the minor 3, Bb, be-
fore ultimately tagging the major
3, B. But chromaticism is just one
of this box’s many capabilities.
Montgomery also used this posi-
tion to generate tasty arpeggios
Ex. 4
 = 100-144
Swing feel

  
G13
1 G7
 2
S N A P S H O T
such as Ex. 4, where he successive-
ly tags the b7, 9, 11, 13, and tonic
of G13 with a fun-to-play, stacked-
thirds fingering. And deriving G
minor pentatonic blues licks from
the box is a cinch if you know—as
Montgomery did so well—which
pitches to play (E Ex. 5).
To really hear the power of this
box in action, dive into E x . 6 ,
which demonstrates Mont-
gomery’s amazing gift for gener-
ating endless streams of lyrical
eighth-notes that stay in position.
First, play through the accompa-
nying chords, which comprise the
Ex. 5
 = 100-144
Swing feel
   
 4 
 
2
➧
first four bars of a jazz-blues pro-
gression in G. Then, test-drive
Montgomery’s flowing phrase and
listen for how it effortlessly nails
the chord changes. The only chal-
lenge will be determining if these
smooth moves are easier on your
fingers or your ears. g

 4  4
3 1

 4
  4

 

12 15
T
13 13 15 13
14 T 12 15 15 12
A 15 A 15
B B

Ex. 6

 = 100-144


Swing feel
G9 G7 9 C7 C dim7
X2 1 3 3 3 XX1 3 2 4 T X1 3 2 X 2 X1 3 1 X
IX IX VIII VIII

G9 G7 9
C7
     
 4       
    
    

  
1 4
   
2 1
3 2 2


4
    3 4

 4
4


1

T
13 14 12 15 13 12
A
14 13 12 12 14 15 14 15 12 13 15 12
B
15 12 12 15 14 15 14 12 1215 14
15 14 15 12 13 14

L E S S O N S O N L I N E AT T R U E F I R E . C O M

November ’02 Guitar Player Master Class:

Audio Versions at
Perpetual Motion BY ANDY ELLIS guitarplayer.truefire.com
November ’02 Guitar Player Chops:
Guest Guru—Joe Satriani BY JUDE GOLD This month’s Guitar Player lessons, and hundreds of previous
Sonic Snapshot—Wes Montgomery BY JUDE GOLD months’ lessons, are currently available for immediate download.
Reader’s Challenge BY RON KOOP Visit today and get $10 worth of TrueFire cash!
Classic Column LEE RITENOUR ON ARPEGGIOS Net scrapers: To decode GP’s music notation and hear Sessions
sound samples, visit the Lessons Archive on the Web at gui-
tarplayer.com.

NOVEMBER 2002 GUITAR PLAYER 1 0 0