How to solo over any chord using the pentatonic scale steve stine guitar lesson. The major and minor scales may be musiceducation stalwarts, but they sound a bit academic when used over chord progressions. The notes for the a minor pentatonic scale are found all over the fretboard, as shown in the diagram below. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. The major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar.
Scale diagrams are used a lot throughout this site, so its important to understand how to read them. Since most players are far more familiar with the minor pentatonic scale shapes, this is an easy cheat for getting the major pentatonic notes under your fingers. Master the minor pentatonic scale using the whole fretboard. The pentatonic scale is the first scale any guitar player should learn. Pentatonic scales and the caged system lead guitar playing. On this page youll find a complete guide to learning and using pentatonic scales on guitar. This scale is most commonly broken up into five major pentatonic positions as shown in the diagrams below. Recall from the introduction to the blues scale lesson, i explained how the blues scale is exactly the same scale as the pentatonic scale, only with the addition of the b5 note. The awesome part is that they contain the same note intervals with. The e minor pentatonic scale can be divided into patterns. This scale is perhaps less familiar to most guitarists than the minor pentatonic, but it is equally useful. Jun 28, 2016 to play the g minor pentatonic scale in the third position, begin with your middle finger on the sixth string, eighth fret and play through the pattern as noted. Major pentatonic scales guitar chords diagrams scales. Blues minor blues scale guitar patterns chart, key of a by.
Guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. May 09, 2014 the major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. There is also a major blues scale see modes of the minor blues scale below, and both are commonly used. The major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. The first guitar scale to start with is the pentatonic minor scale. Here, you see some optional fingerings for a few of the pentatonic scale patterns namely, patterns one. The first shape we will learn is the standard minor pentatonic shape. That goes for my guitar students and those studying independently. Lets get into the two pentatonic scale navigation tips. If youre not yet familiar with the pentatonic scale, check it out here.
This is because they sound great over many styles of music, and are relatively easy to start improvising with. Let me let you in on a dirty little secret of music education. Guitar pentatonic scales the 3 types of pentatonic. You hear this sound all the time in just about every style of music rock, blues, country, jazz, you name it heres a video taking you through some major pentatonic essentials, and i develop these ideas in a. Styles include blues, funk, rock, country, licks, theory, technique and more. Jguitars scale calculator will draw scale diagrams showing the fretboard with notes in the selected scale highlighted. They are usually the first scales beginner guitarists learn to play.
This lesson explains how to play the 5 positions of the blues scale, which is identical to the 5 pentatonic positions with the exception of one note. The main difference between scale diagrams and chord diagrams is that with chord diagrams, we play all of the notes in the diagram at the same time, whereas with scale diagrams, we play each note one at a time. With the pentatonic scales, youre only dealing with five notes, versus the seven that are found in a normal diatonic scale. In a moment well look at one of the coolest scales of all, the blues scale.
It shows the 6 most common guitar scales in their most common positions. Of all the various guitar scales, the pentatonic minor is both the simplest to learn and the easiest to apply. Blues minor blues scale guitar patterns chart, key of a. In this lesson, were going to look at how to interpret scale diagrams. How to play the pentatonic scale on guitar dummies. Scales you can use in the real world, created by a human guitarist.
In this lesson were going to be learning pattern 3 of the minor pentatonic. The pentatonic scale is used both for soloing, and for basing song riffs around. Click on the required key for scale notes and fret position diagrams in each key. Guitar scales chart the 6 most common guitar scales. The pentatonic scales are a staple of modern rock, blues and pop music. Guitarists with an interest in learning to play lead guitar must learn their pentatonic scales. Apr 15, 2016 the 5 pentatonic scale shapes guitar lesson.
The process outlined in this video and on the lesson page will help you to develop your improvisation and composition skills, so youll know how to make music with the scale instead of wandering. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. Mar 17, 2018 the major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar. Lets take a look at what makes up this scale and how its applied to the guitar fretboard. Scale diagrams are a great way to learn new scales. Optional fingerings for pentatonic scales on the guitar dummies.
Mga where guitarists learn, improve, excel and have fun with lessons by robert renman. A minor pentatonic scale guitar chords diagrams scales. The guitar pentatonic scales are the most useful scales there are. Note that the intervals that make up the am pentatonic scale are universal to all minor pentatonic scales. It is one of the most commonly used scales in rock music, with a timeless bluesy sound that is favored in every genre from country to metal. If you are stuck in the pentatonic box then this is the way.
To play the g minor pentatonic scale in the third position, begin with your middle finger on the sixth string, eighth fret and play through the pattern as noted. Sep 26, 2018 the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music. If youre not yet familiar with the pentatonic scale, check it. Dont waste time on minor pentatonic yet, this one simply owns it. The minor pentatonic scale is the best scale to learn if you want to learn guitar scales to play solos and lead guitar. We focused on major scales, because they are in a sense, the master scale. Show me chords that sound good with an a minor pentatonic scale. In diagram bellow you can see a visual representation of a pentatonic minor scale pattern. In the right hands, especially those that have been blessed by mythical crossroads, the pentatonic scale is a powerful tool for any guitarist. The easiest way to learn the scale over the entire guitar neck is to split it up into smaller, easily digestible shapes or patterns. Its great to be able to visualize the chord shape that goes with the particular major pentatonic scale you are playing.
For example, if we were to play the scale so the bottom blue note is on string 6, fret 5, that note would be a therefore the scale would be called the a minor pentatonic scale. In the previous lesson we discussed what scales are, why theyre important, and the many benefits of learning them well. If we want to interpret a scale diagram by playing the scale over one ocatave, we do the following. Its one of my favourite patterns as there are loads of super cool tricks to explore further down the road but for now were going to be looking at the straight pentatonic and adding in the blue note. The versatility and playability of the scale makes it a popular choice for use in guitar soloing and melodies. All of the root notes are e because this is the e minor pentatonic scale. Oct 26, 2009 free downloadable pentatonic scale diagrams. Tab makes it very easy to see what you should be playing, and ive included tab of the minor pentatonic scale to allow you to see how it translates over from diagrams. Since it contains a flatted third and a natural fifth, the minor blues scale is, by definition a minor scale. May 15, 2019 by ghzenuser in order to learn how to solo and improvise in blues and rock you must know the 5 pentatonic scale shapes. A major pentatonic scale guitar chords diagrams scales. Guitar pentatonic scales the 3 types of pentatonic scales. For more info on the scales themselves take a look at our guitar scales section where you will find more details on these scales and links to further guitar scale content.
This is the only pentatonic scale pattern that requires a position shift. In this lesson, we are going to look at another scale the minor. A better way to learn the major pentatonic scale on guitar. Dec 08, 2019 note that the intervals that make up the am pentatonic scale are universal to all minor pentatonic scales. Use the e minor pentatonic scale when playing 12 bar blues in. A brief rundown of familiar and not so familiar pentatonic shapes. There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. The tips you find here focus on how you finger the patterns. How to read scale diagrams online guitar books guitar. When you reach the second string, youll need to shift your hand up one fret. Apr 29, 2016 just add that b5 and youre good to go. The red dots indicate a root note and the black dots indicate a note in the scale.
The major pentatonic scale produces a clear, melodic sound ideal for soloing over major chord sequences. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Pentatonic guitar magic how to use the simple pentatonic scale to solo over chords from blues to rock tojazz. For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics. This is the scale you see in the guitar scale chart on this page. How to play the blues scale across the entire fretboard. Learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, their patterns, when to use them, and why theyre the scale shortcut. The 5 pentatonic scale shapes you must know guitarhabits.
The fretboard is shown with the lowest pitch string at the bottom and the highest pitch string at the top unless youve tuned your instrument differently. Simply move the minor pentatonic scale 3 frets down and youll. The shapes of the major pentatonic scale are exactly the same as those of the minor pentatonic scale, except the root note is located else where. Jul 24, 2017 in the right hands, especially those that have been blessed by mythical crossroads, the pentatonic scale is a powerful tool for any guitarist. A better way to learn major pentatonic on guitar youtube. Here are the diagrams that show which chord shape goes with each pentatonic scale shape. Pentatonic scales contain five notes, which is how it gets its name penta5, tonic tones. Scales minor scale thru common keys in 1st position. The root note is the note the scale is named after. Pentatonic patterns are extremely common in popular music, especially the rock and blues genres. The major pentatonic scale shares the same notes as its relative minor counterpart so although the diagrams might seem familiar its important to take note of where the root notes differ for the major pentatonic positions as opposed to. No doubt about it, this fivenote scale packs a punch. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. This scale is often used in country and rock music.
A lot of blues players tend to get stuck in the first pentatonic scale shape, but to be truly free and improvise across the entire fretboard you need to know all the shapes. Adjust the start fret option to further highlight a finger pattern for playing the selected scale in a different position on the fretboard. From the basic pentatonic scale guitar fretboard pattern to improvising using minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar neck. The 5 major pentatonic scale shapes positions guitarhabits.
Its also one of the simplest scales to play as there are only five tones to negotiate, making the patterns very easy to memorise. The 2nd note of any minor pentatonic scale is the root of the relative major pentatonic scale. There is a very powerful secret in this ebook that most dont know about. This lesson will help you to learn to read scale diagrams for guitar. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams. The 5 pentatonic scale shapes guitar lesson youtube. Plus, major pentatonic works over a number of different chord.
Theyre used to play melodies, riffs, lead guitar solos, and bass lines. For more info on the scales themselves take a look at our guitar scales section where you will find more details on these scales and links to further guitar scale content by. For rock guitar, youll want to learn to play the pentatonic scale, which supplies you with better melodic fodder. Scale diagrams are like a snapshot of your guitars fretboard. The free guitar scale diagrams below lay out the mixolydian pentatonic scale for you all over the neck and as the five interlocking positions that link together to let you play the scale any where on the neck in any key. The major pentatonic scale is one of the most used scales in modern and ancient music. Eric clapton songs usually offer a generous use of the scale. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. More information on pentatonic major scales can be found on this page.
Before we get right into it, its important to understand that conventions for writing out scales do vary, depending on who is writing them out. Pentatonic scales and the caged system lead guitar. Jun 19, 2019 from the basic pentatonic scale guitar fretboard pattern to improvising using minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar neck. Although the pentatonic scale is not the only scale available for playing rock lead, it is. Even if you never learn another scale in your life, if you master the pentatonic lol scale, youll go far. Oct 21, 2015 the process outlined in this video and on the lesson page will help you to develop your improvisation and composition skills, so youll know how to make music with the scale instead of wandering. The major pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly used major key scale, not only in guitar solos, but also other instrumental and vocal melodies. The only thing that changes is the root note from which the scale is built. The minor pentatonic scale left handed diagrams for guitar. Its extermely common for books, videos, and teachers to show you. Its the repeating patterns thing i go on about all the time. Optional fingerings for pentatonic scales on the guitar.
Pentatonic scale diagrams and fingerings guitar lessons. The first scale most guitar players learn is the minor pentatonic scale. Ive started writing up all the notes i give to guitar students so rather than getting a photocopy of something i wrote in the back of an envelope when i was 19 and figuring all this stuff out myself i can just print off or hyperlink to resources when i need to give stuff out. Jun 04, 2012 the free guitar scale diagrams below lay out the mixolydian pentatonic scale for you all over the neck and as the five interlocking positions that link together to let you play the scale any where on the neck in any key. In this lead guitar lesson, well go over the five pentatonic scale shapes. This is a five note scale containing the intervals 1,3,4,5,b7.
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