Improvised scales

[Jrogers]

I have heard some music teachers say stick with the notes in the scale. But, I have found from experience that musicians often combine scales, particularly in guitar solos. For example, Duane Alman and Dickie Betts seem to combine Minor Pentatonic scales with Major scales in Jessica. I guess you just do whatever sounds good for your tastes. Do any of you have any words of wisdom or rules of thumb concerning sticking to notes in a scale?

[Toxikator]

This is a blues thing (major/minor ambiguity), and it's a subject of serious discussion. The music teachers you're deaning with are likely classical specialists, learning something like the major/minor ambiguity of the blues is probably a course within itself (it was for me).

Unfortunately, I am as lost for sources as you are and I'd really like someone more well-versed in the blues to teach it to me.

[mayan]

I guess that's kind of the point...one person's blues scale is bread and butter and brilliant whereas someone from the "academy" might not find it so felicitous. It may be a western sensibility versus everybody elses sensibilities. Either that or the margarita I just quaffed is kicking in.

[Topiness]

edit... did't read title

[nuffink]

I have heard some music teachers say stick with the notes in the scale. But, I have found from experience that musicians often combine scales, particularly in guitar solos. For example, Duane Alman and Dickie Betts seem to combine Minor Pentatonic scales with Major scales in Jessica. I guess you just do whatever sounds good for your tastes. Do any of you have any words of wisdom or rules of thumb concerning sticking to notes in a scale?

Avoid the "avoid" notes.

What is an avoid note? A minor 2nd (1 semitone) or minor 9th (13 semitones) above any of the chord tones.
There are any number of exceptions to this -

• the root of a major 7th is itself an "avoid" note being a semitone above the 7th
  the tritone dissonance in a dominant 7th is so strong that it allows the rule to be largely ignored
  "avoid" notes in metrically weak parts of the bar (passing tones) don't count
  etc
  etc

but it's still a good rule of thumb

[Toxikator]

I guess that's kind of the point...one person's blues scale is bread and butter and brilliant whereas someone from the "academy" might not find it so felicitous. It may be a western sensibility versus everybody elses sensibilities. Either that or the margarita I just quaffed is kicking in.

I think it's more stylistic than anything else. the genre and style dictates what tonality is used; major, minor, or a combination (or none of the above)