85 Playing in Other Keys So far, all ofthe riffs inthis book have been inthe key of “A,” meaning that in each case the “A” note has been the tonal center, or “home base.” (Technically, the note that names a Key is called the keynote.) Any note may act as this central pitch, making it being possible to play in any of twelve different tonal centers, or “keys.” To play the minor pentatonic scale in different keys, you simply slide the entire pattern up or down the neck of the guitar so as to match the root of the scale pattern with the new keynote. ‘The following fretboard diagrams demonstrate the minor pentatonic scale in several different keys: ‘A,B, D, Eand Fé, (A sharp sign (#) raises the pitch of a note one fret, so F# would be located on the second fret, 6th string—one fret higher than F.) Notice that in each case the seale patter’s lowest root (represented by a square) corresponds to the keynote, For example, the “A” note is located at the Sth and 17th frets, so that’s where the A minor pentatonic scale pattern begins; the “B” note is located at the 7th and 19th frets, so that’s where the B minor pentatonic pattern begins; “D" is at the 10th fret; “E” is at the O and 12th frets; etc. (If you don’t remember the names of the notes on the sixth string, go back to page 8 and review them now.) Underneath each diagram is the same two-bar riff, except that it is moved, or transposed into each ey. Also, the riff introduces pickup notes, which are notes that precede the first full measure of the phrase. In this case, since they are two sixteenths—a total of one half of a beat—they come in on the “4 of 4. (You count backwards for pickup notes. For example, if there are three eighth notes as pickups, you would play them as the last three eighth notes of the countoff measure: “+4 +".) The riff is written only in the low position each time, but play it in both. A minor pentatonic Key Amino i i‘ —— ae Rome we 38