Target Notes in the “Happy Box”…

Since the physical shape of “The Box” and “The Happy Box” are the same, beginning lead players learning the Major Pentatonic Scale sometimes try to play all their licks from “The Box” in the new position 3 frets down.  This sounds BAD.  Although they share the same physical pattern, they contain different notes, and are therefore DIFFERENT SCALES.

Since we are playing in the key of A Major, it makes sense to “target” the notes of an A Major chord in our lead lines.  Here are the notes of an A Major chord (highlighted in green) as they appear in “The Happy Box”.  The good bending location is highlighted in red.

To get the sound of this scale and its proper usage into your ears, “target” the chord tones by beginning and ending your licks and phrases on a note from the root chord, in this case, A Major.  All your lines will sound “sweet”.  As you become more familiar with using the scale, all the notes are fair game as long as you resolve them nicely.  Although the “Happy Box” only has one good bending location, it is a DANDY.  Use it judiciously!!!