If a friend did foward this to you and you like what you read, check out the free lessons and subscribe at www.learn-guitar-online.com.

1) Tales from the gig. Monthly feature with a lesson we can all learn from.

2) Readers questions. Answers to your questions concerning guitar related matters.

Tales From The Gig

At a recent gig we were playing(check out my bands web site at www.cwstory.com ) we had just started the first set. Imagine my horror halfway through the first song when all of a sudden I had no sound coming from my amp. I instinctively reached down to jiggle my guitar chord hoping it was just a short in the cable. No luck! I turned around and looked at my amp and the light was off. Oh no!

I decided to check the fuse. It was blown.What luck, a minor problem easily fixed, except I had no extra fuses. Fortunately for me the club we were playing is right next to a music store that was still open. They didn’t have the exact fuse I needed but they had something that would get me through the night.

After the gig I decided to put together a list of essentials that I should keep on hand every time I go to a gig. Most of these items will come in handy for all of you, whether you play out or you just play at home. Without further adieu, here is my checklist of essential gear.

1. Extra strings. You should have at least one full set of extra strings and extra high E and B strings. Nothing worse than breaking a string and not having a new one to put on. Especially when your on a roll practicing or jamming with a band or friends.

2. A peg winder. I wish I would have invented these things. One of the greatest inventions for guitar players ever made. Saves a lot of time and wear and tear on your arm. For those of you that don,t know, a peg winder is a crank that slips over your tuning peg, enabling you to quickly take off or put on strings.

3. A small tool kit that contains at the very least a screw driver, wire cutters and hex wrenches to adjust neck tension or string height at the bridge saddles.

4. Accessories like picks, a strap and a guitar stand. Extra fuses for your amp(see story above). Extra guitar cables. You never know when you might have a short. An extension chord and a power strip.

5. Effects pedals or processor, whatever you use and your amp.

6. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention your guitar(s). I was 3/4ths of the way to a gig one time when I realized I had forgotten my guitar, but that’s another story.

I hope you find this list helpful. If you think of anything that should be added to this list drop me a line at bob@learn-guitar-online.com.

Reader Questions

Bob,

One question that I have that confuses me a little bit is the difference between the major and minor pentatonic scales. I've heard that if you take the minor scale (in "A" for example) and move it up 3 frets you will end up in the major scale. Is this true, and if not then what is the difference between them?

If you move a minor pentatonic scale up 3 frets you still have a minor pentatonic scale. Using A minor as an example, if you move it up 3 frets it becomes a C minor pentatonic scale.

This may clear up the confusion.The root of a minor pentatonic scale and a major pentatonic scale are 3 frets apart. In other words, if you take an A minor pentatonic scale with the root under your 1st finger on the fifth string, the note under your 4th finger would be a C, which would be the root of a C major pentatonic scale. The fingering then could be for an A minor pentatonic scale or a C major pentatonic scale. All of the fingerings for the pentatonic scale can be either major or minor, depending on which note you consider as the root.

Using the fingering for A minor at the 5th fret, start on A and play the scale up and down. Now, use the same fingering but start and stop the scale on C, 8th fret 4th finger. Just leave off the A at the 5th fret.

Even though you have just played the same scale notice the difference in sound when you start on A and then C. It sounds different because the intervals you hear are not the same. When you start on A the first interval you hear(A to C) is called a minor third(3 frets on the guitar is a minor 3rd).

When you start on C the first interval(C to D) is a major 2nd and from C to E is a major 3rd, causing the scale to have a major sound. A minor and C major are relative keys and can be substituted for each other. A lick that works over A minor can be played over C major and the other way around is also true.

Thinking of a scale as major or minor will often determine where you play it, even though it is the same scale. I intend to cover this in later lessons as I have time to add them on. I hope this helps.

To your guitar playing success.

Best wishes,

Bob