punk scales?

[jamesbrookes]

im trying to expand my knowledge of playing punk. is there such thing as a punk scale(s)? and if so what are they called? thanks

[Scottgun]

Yeah:

Hit tonic, then tonic an octave above and anything in between.


Seriously, punk will lean toward pentatonic scale if anything.



Scott

[Erick Lam]

EEEEEEE

Then there's AAAAAAA

[cowsgomoo]

it rather depends on what style of punk you're looking at... but you're barking up the wrong tree by thinking of scales

there isn't any particular scale that we could give you and you'd instantly sound like X or Y band, but different groups do have different harmonic approaches

e.g. The Clash's early stuff used lots of major key I-IV-V chord progressions (played as powerchords... the tonality comes from the chord movement & melody, not usually as triads from the individual chords), with movement to vi in bridges etc... they also used things like: IV-iii-ii-I as a 'run-down' sequence...

the Ramones are again a similar 'major key' punk band... lots of I-IV-V

modern punk pop like Blink 182 also use major keys, but a typical Blink tune will use the vi chord a lot... nearly all of their songs seem to be built around I-V-vi-IV... again, lots of powerchords

Sex Pistols... well, there's your IV-iii-ii-I again that we mentioned in the Clash.. it crops up in God Save The Queen, Holidays In The Sun (and The Jam use it for 'In The City')... the Pistols use lots of major keys... one signature thing of the Sex Pistols is where you'll use an approach note a semitone below the chord... listen to the beginning of 'God Save The Queen'... G#-A-A-A etc.. a direct descendent of 'Johnny B Goode'

there are more exotic flavours of punk, such as Dead Kennedys, that are far more interesting harmonically but what you have to remember is that punk rock has its roots in rock n roll, so you need to use I-IV-V as the framework to view it

if you DO play punk rock, you need to approach it with a healthy respect for the idiom or it just won't work... you have to be pretty broadminded to get anything out of it because if you approach it as if it's beneath you, and that you feel like you're slumming it playing punk rock, you will not get it right

[garth elson]

major scale is Tonic, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7, P8.

minor scale is Tonic, M2, m3, P4, P5, m6, m7, P8.

punk scale is Tonic, P4, P5, P8.

lol, kidding! but mostly, this is true. Even in examining Flea's playing, it's a lot of hammering-on to a note from an open string, playing the octave from there, and then fitting in some percussive perfect fourths and fifths. flea is amazing, but his percussive rudiments and style are a lot of what sets him apart; moreso than his notes, in my opinion.

[ding_man]

Theory is not what punks about in my opinion. It can be.

Punk is about a bunch of kids buying crap equipment and after learning to play for 2 weeks they learn a set and go on a tour.

Punk rawk!