The Final Frontier of Guitar
John Mayer once said that “Chord Tone Soloing” is the final frontier of guitar playing. Indeed, it is difficult to master chord tone soloing on guitar due to the nature of the instrument. Not only can notes ascend up a string but also across different strings. Furthermore, we require 2 hands to play a single chord unlike some other instruments.
When conducting research in altered pentatonic scales, I discovered that these held the key to solving the chord-tone-soloing problem. In the right combinations, altered pentatonics can successfully hit all chord tones in any chord progression. Better yet, since pentatonic scales use alternate picking, this allows a seamless transition for most guitarists to pick it up. Finally, this system covers the entire fretboard and is completely transposable to any key as most shapes are on guitar.
Nonetheless, this work is dedicated to the advancement of guitar learning for all guitarists regardless of musical style. I hope you will find the knowledge presented here useful in your learning journey. There are many systems that cover Chord Tone Soloing but I believe none quite as systematic as this.
The final frontier of guitar is no longer unchartered. I humbly present the Hefni Pentatonic System.
About the author.
Rizal Hefni is a guitarist, songwriter, mix engineer and music producer with over 30 years of experience. He has taught at various music institutions over the years such as at Twintech University College and at Tritone Labs. For the last decade, he headed the Music Department at Orita Sinclair School of Design and Music. As a guitar educator, he specialises in the fields of sweep picking and pentatonics.
“The Hefni Pentatonic System is the result of 8 years of research. I designed it to ensure guitarists achieve maximum proficiency in chord tone soloing. With time, I am confident the Hefni Pentatonic System will overtake the CAGED system as the most effective way of mastering the guitar. I hope you will get hours and hours of enjoyment learning it as much as I did developing it!”
Rizal Hefni