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Issue No.6

Last updated on 4 May, 2023

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OCTAVE PLAYING IN THE STYLE OF GEORGE BENSON USING THREE NOTES PER STRING MINOR SCALES

Ibanez logo

George Benson

Ibanez GB10 headstock


To inject a jazz-funk feel into your improvised lines look no further than the fantastic playing of guitarist and singer Mr George Benson.

Mr Benson has the distinction of being the first signature series artist for Ibanez guitars.

 

George Benson is famous for many things in guitar-circles but he is most noted for his use of OCTAVES in his improvised guitar lines.

The shapes that can be used for this purpose are the FORWARDS OCTAVES - 6Em4 - 5Am3 - 4Dm2 - 3Gm1

In all the forwards octave shapes the string in-between the two notes is muted with
the flesh of the first finger by purposely mis-barreing.

The photographs below show the shapes for A.

The first half of the tablature locates the exact same notes for each of the four forwards octave shapes in turn.

 

6Em4 octave - A sound 5Am3 octave at 12 - A sound 4Dm2 octave - A sound 3Gm1 octave - A sound

The second section of the tablature shows the 6Em4, 5Am3, 4Dm2 and 3Gm1 shapes for an A sound.

6Em4 - 5Am3 - 4Dm2 - 3Gm1 octaves tab

 

The four forwards octave shapes will now be used to play the 3 notes per string natural minor box shapes (as previously laid out in BLOGoZON No.2 ) using the strummed octave method employed by George Benson.

 

Click on the bullet points below to move to each CAGED octaves three notes per string shapes played with octaves:-

 

5Cm2 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

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  • 5Cm2

    5Cm2 fretboard

    5Cm2 - D natural minor 3nps octaves tab
    5Am3 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

  • View pdf of GuitarPro5 printout of 5Am3 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves
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  • 5Am3

    5Am3 fretboard

    5Am3 - Dm 3nps octaves tab
    5Am3Gm1 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

  • View pdf of GuitarPro5 printout of 5Am3Gm1 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves
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  • 5Am3Gm1

    5Am3Gm1 fretboard

    5Am3Gm1 - Dm 3nps octaves tab
    6Gm3Gm1 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

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  • 6Gm3Gm1

    6Gm3Gm1 fretboard

    6Gm3Gm1 - Dm 3nps octaves tab
    6Em4Em1 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

  • View pdf of GuitarPro5 printout of 6Em4Em1 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves
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  • 6Em4Em1

    6Em4Em1 fretboard

    6Em4Em1 - Dm 3nps octaves tab
    6Em4Dm2 box shape - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

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  • 6Em4Dm2

    6Em4Dm1 fretboard

    6Em4Dm2 - Dm 3nps octaves tab
    4Dm2 box shape at fret 12 - D natural minor (3 notes per string) octaves

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  • 4Dm2

    4Dm2 at 12 fretboard

    4Dm2 - Dm 3nps octaves tab

     

    So as you can see it is not only the shredders that can get some mileage out of the three notes per string patterns.

    Have fun - see you next BLOGoZON.

     

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    4 May, 2023


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