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SmartFX
4•7
Now let’s try a different scale and see how Smart Harmony works. We’ll keep the settings
the same for Key (E), Mix (50%) and Routing (Post). But let’s set the Scale to pentatonic
major and Shift to +3rd.
Use the up/down arrows to display Scale, then turn the Presets knob to display PntMaj.
Use the up/down arrows again to display Shift, then turn the Presets knob to set it to +3rd.
Your Scale and Shift screens should look like this:
Now before you play anything, here’s a tip to help you understand what notes make up any
scale you might select. Set the Mix parameter to 100%, then navigate back to the Shift
screen. Set Shift to +None and play an open low E note - it should sound normal.
Now turn the Presets knob to the right one click at a time and play a single E note with
each click. Your notes will shift to +2nd, +3rd, +4th, +5th, +6th, +7th, +8th and +9th.
As you play your E note the notes you hear will be E (+None), F#, G#, B, C#, E, F#, G#
and B. Guess what? That’s your pentatonic major scale.
Now set your Scale and Shift values back to where they were in the graphic LCDs above
and play the 9 notes we just experimented with. Your harmony notes should be right in
tune. Improvise some single note riffs in the key of E, using only those same notes in any
combination. The harmony notes should be in perfect tune with your riffs.
Change the Shift parameter to +4th and play more riffs, again using only those 9 notes.
They should be in perfect harmony. Some Shift values like +2nd might not sound so
musical, but in most cases the Smart Harmony notes will sound pretty good.
If you have a degree in music theory, you already know what these scales are all about, but
if you’re a self taught rock’n’roller, do some experimenting and see what happens.
For a reference to all the Smart Harmony scales, check out the table on the next page.