This lesson features the hexatonic major scale which has been a part of the trademark sound of the Allman Brothers Dickie Betts for years. This scale is very melodic, so even simple parts played with some feel will sound great.
Allman Brothers Style (applying the hexatonic major scale)
In this lesson I’m going to show you a really cool sounding scale that you can use to create a very southern rock kind of sound. I’ve heard this scale referred to as a Hexatonic Scale because of the fact that it contains six notes. The easiest way for me to explain it is to think of a Pentatonic Scale (five note scale) with one added note.
In this case an E major pentatonic, with an A note added. This will give you the six note E major hexatonic. If you spend some time playing around with this scale I think you’ll start to create licks that sound very much like the Allman Brothers or The Marshall Tucker Band .
I'm going to give you an example chord progression that you could play this scale over or you could simply play an E major chord.
E Hexatonic Major
E|------------------------------------9-12-|
B|--------------------------9--10--12------|
G|--------------------9--11----------------|
D|--------------9--11----------------------|
A|----9--11--12---------------------------|
e |-12------------------------------------------------------|
E|-12--9-----------------------------------|
B|-------12--10--9-------------------------|
G|-----------------11--9-------------------|
D|-----------------------11--9-------------|
A|-----------------------------12-11--9---|
e |------------------------------------------------------12-|
Example chord progression
E|---0--------0---------0-----------------|
B|---0--------0---------0-----------------|
G|---4--------2---------1-----------------|
D|---6--------4---------2-----------------|
A|---6--------4---------2-----------------|
e |----0------------0-------------0------------------------|
