THE LEGENDARY GUITARIST's FAVORITE FRETBOARD SHAPE!!! FIGURE 1: This is a series of short phrases in typical BB style. You'll find that they revolve around the sweetest of scale tones, the major third and major sixth (in this case, C# and Line the notest up end to end and they form what is essentially an A major pentatonic (A B C# E F#). BB however would most likely think not of a linear up and down series pitches but rather a tonal center around which a handful of sweet notes orbit. The of the spot is that it conveniently gathers the sweet notes directly under your fingers, so moving out of position you can focus on essential details of melodic phrasing that draw the screams--sliding, bending, swinging, dynamics, and vibrato. phrases like these to a 12-bar blues progression presents the extra challenge of chord changes and form; rather than brief sentences, it's a complete story. A ----------------------------------------------------------| -----10-----12b---------------10--12-----10---------------| -/11----11---------------/11---------11-------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------| -----------------------12-----------------------------------| -------10h12h10-----------10-10-(10)--12b--12b--12-10h12----| --/11------------11-----------------------------------------| ------------------------------------------------------------| ------------------------------------------------------------| ------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------10-11-12------------------------------------| -10~~~----10--12b------------10-10~~-(10)----12b-12-10---------| ---------------------------------------------------------11----| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------12b-12---12---10-12----------------------| -12b-(12)--------10-----------------------12b--12--10~~~~~----| --------------------------------------------------------------| --------------------------------------------------------------| --------------------------------------------------------------| --------------------------------------------------------------| FIGURE 2: This is a sample solo in A played entirely in the sweet spot. Notice how other notes are brought into play to add more flavors to the mix--the emphatic bend from C to over D chord in bar 5, the salty one and one half-step "overbend" up to G at the top of the (first string/12th fret) over the E chord in bar 8 and the slightly bent (pulled) G note the third string's 12th fret during the turnaround's E chord in bar 12. Sweet. [slow blues d.=72] A9 D9 ---------------------------------------------------------------| -12b-12h10-----12b-(12)----------10--12----10h12---------------| -----------11---------------/11--------11----------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| A9 ------------10-11--12------------------------------------------| ----10--12b------------10-10-(10)-------10--12b12b12b12b12b----| -11-------------------------------------11---------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| ---------------------------------------------------------------| D9 -----------------------------------10--12-----------------------| ------10--13b---10--13b---13---------------12b-(12)h10--12b-12--| --/11-----------------------------------------------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------------| ----------------------------------------------------------------| A9 -------------------------------12-----------------------------| -10h12-----------10--12----10------10-(10)-(10)------10h12h10-| ------------/11---------11-----------------------/11----------| --------------------------------------------------------------| --------------------------------------------------------------| --------------------------------------------------------------| E9 -----------------------------12b--12--10--12-----------------------| ------10-----10----10-10-10-------------------12b-12-10-(10)-------| -11----------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| D9 A9 D9 -------------12b-12b--12--10-12------------------------------------| --------10-----------------------13b--10--10-----12b-12-10----10---| -11\------------------------------------------11-----------11------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| A9 E9 A9 -------------------------------------------------------------------| -----12b---10-------------------10-----10~~~~~~~-------------------| -11------------12b--9-(9)---11-----11------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------| -------------------------------------------------------------------|