When do I use Pettrucci's style

[{D|aBo|uS}]

Hi everyone. For those of you who tried to play some of John Pettrucci's songs, you probably notice that there is always somewhere in the song a fast picking scale. In fact, it is often not even a scale, it is just picking everything from point A to B. You know like :


-----------------------------------------14-15-16-17
----------------------------13-14-15-16------------
-------------------13-14-15------------------------
------12-13-14-15----------------------------------

I have been playing for some years, 12 actually, so I am not a god, but I think I can do cool stuff, so don't be too hard on me thinking that I suck! . But I still don't really know when it is appropriate to use this kind of thing.

P.S. Pettrucci is far from being the only one to use these things, but I mentionned him as an example.

667, the neighbour of the beast

 

[-Gavin-]

Its called Passing Tones. You use notes outside of the scale to create a sense of tension as they dont fit. It is fine to use these as long as you dont stop on any of the "extra notes".


Zakk wylde does this often. Its when you want to extend a run and make it sound a bit wierd as when you play off key notes, you get a sense of Dissonance that does create a feeling of tension.



Where/When to use it? whenever the hell you want man

 

[-Gavin-]

I.e, to the Aminor Pentatonic, you can do


-------------------------------5-7-8---------
-------------------------5-7-8---------------
---------------------5-7--------------------
---------------5-6-7-------------------------
---------5-6-7-------------------------------
---5-7-8-------------------------------------

You're adding in Extra chromatics and offkey notes which, when played ovr a Pentatonicminor chord progression ... fuck, i;ve already Explained it. Give it a go bro. Your ears will tell you better.

 

[{D|aBo|uS}]

Well, thx man. I tried one day when I had to compose a solo. The thing was really sounding weird, but I think that the think I did wrong was to use it with a bad timing. Of course, I suppose that you cannot go off tone all the time and make the whole damn solo sound weird.

So with what you said, I think...I hope that I will be able to make it fit in my solos.

Thx

 

[-Gavin-]

YEah, it usually sounds best when played shitfast, and dont overuse it man.


Once a solo or whatever.