SPOILER ALERT!! Theory question about Clapton solo

[mickk]

I managed to transcribe the rhythm track for the Eric Clapton solo and checked it with the tab. All looked fine I'd got the right chords and notes but, and here's the spoiler, I'd used the G minor pentatonic but the music notation is showing D minor (unless my theory is really screwed up). So what is happening here. Any pointers gratefully recieved. 

Mick

[close2u]

G minor pent = yes. 

don't know where you're getting the D minor notation from. 

[mickk]

Oh boy do I feel stupid. I'd started to transcribe the lead part and was checking the first few bars. The opening note is a D flat and the flat sign is sitting near the third line up in the stave. Because it's right at the start of the bar I jumped in and took it to be a key signature! It was only a quick look to make sure I was on the right lines but as they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and my tiny mind was now thinking one flat = Fmaj/Dmin! The really dumb thing is I'd already checked the Rhythm part and not really taken any notice
of the music notation.

Just think people like me are allowed to vote 

[TB-AV]

Just think people like me are allowed to vote 

It's often said.... truth is stranger than fiction.

[mickk]

Hang on a minute, I've just rechecked the music notation for the lead part and it does have a Fmaj/Dmin key signature, one flat! I admit in my original post I said the rhythm track which doesn't have one.

Now I'm even more puzzled, why are the rhythm and lead parts in different keys? Is the lead part G minor? If so why the different key signature?

Or am I really losing the plot?

Mick

[shadowscott007]

If you're in the key of Fmaj and your tonal center is G then you are playing G Dorian, which is a minor mode and because it is a minor mode the pentatonic minor works.

Or your tonal center is a minor chord, in this case the 2 chord, Gmin.  So G pentatonic minor works.

Probably more ways to look at it, but those are two useful ways.

Shadow

[mickk]

Shadow
Cheers for that, I can see how that works (although I think modes are a bit of a black art!)

The more I think I know about theory the more it seems to bite me on the bum!

Mick