Technically, a pentatonic scale could be any 5 tone scale, but in practice when guitarists refer to the pentatonic scale, 99% of the time they are referring to the minor and major pentatonic scale. Not bad for a scale thats two notes shy of a major scale. Go back to sheet 1 to learn the a minor pentatonic scale that we will be working with. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale. In this exercise we play our major pentatonic scale over the entire range of our instrument up and back down again. To play the notes on the third string, youll need to shift your fingers.
The minor pentatonic scale is an essential scale to learn as a beginning guitar player. Here you will find scale diagrams for the five patterns of the minor pentatonic scale and tips on the fingerings for each however, i repeat, you will be best learning these patterns in context over the first two blues lead guitar modules essential blues lead guitar and all over blues lead guitar which is all about using all five patterns all over the neck. Strum a g minor chord, then play with the notes in the pattern. D minor pentatonic scale diagrams d minor pentatonic fretboard diagram.
Applying the minor pentatonic scale to the fretboard. Pentatonic scales for guitar by chad johnson softcover. We will begin by improvising melodies using only the black notes of the piano. Add some distortion, reverb and delay and you will be transported to that. Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. This is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note.
When you start out learning to play lead, chances are your fingers get fatigued quite quick, especially the neglected little finger. By combining pentatonics with fuller, seven note scale phrases, you instantly give your solos more variation and, because most pentatonic scale patterns use just two notes per string, you can inject quick runs that sound less linear and. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is. Guitar scales printable charts of the most commonly used. Pentatonic scales for guitar a pentatonic scale has just 5 notes. For a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. As the name would suggest, the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes. Sheet 3 a minor pentatonic scale practice exercises grade nov 9, 2019 welcome to the third sheet in a series of posts on the a minor pentatonic scale, which includes various exercises designed to build up your knowledge of the scales and also to give you ideas and memories of ideas for soloing and melody making. But theres a simpler way start with a major pentatonic scale notes. Mixing major and minor pentatonic scales guitar lessons. Link to pdf file with all 5 positions of theguitar minor pentatonic scale. Often when this scale is used in improvisation, you can use your 3rd finger instead of your 4th on 1st, 2nd, and 6th strings.
Pentatonic scale the essential guide national guitar academy. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. Bands like led zeppelin, the beatles, eric clapton, jimi hendrix, and pink floyd have all have tons of famous licks and solos founded on the minor. Pentatonic patterns for improvisation sample preparatory exercises below is an example of what i call pentatonic exercise 1 in the key of c major. A short lesson on learning the 5 shapes of the minor pentatonic scale and how to use them. One of the confusing thing about studying scales on the guitar is the lack of a standard set of names for. This is used to solo over a blues or a song in the key of a minor, and we will be learning a 12bar blues in the key of a very soon, so practise this scale now so you are ready to jam when we get to that. Why the minor pentatonic scale is not the best option to use am pentatonic scale box position lets start with questioning the good old minor pentatonic scale.
Sheet 2 a minor pentatonic scale practice exercises. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. Strum a g minor chord, then play the notes of the g minor pentatonic scale. Printable downloadable major pentatonic scale guitar chart. This, and every, scale can be thought of in terms of a formula that shows how the scale can be derived from the notes of the major scale which is the reference point for most things music theory related.
There is the major pentatonic scale and the minor pentatonic scale. The easy way to learn the pentatonic scales is with the 5 box pattern method. Introduction to the major pentatonic scale zombie guitar. Minor pentatonic can be seen as a stripped down version of natural minor, dorian and other minor scales. It also works pretty well over a major and c blues. Then i have a fourth a minor scale which i call a practical minor. The lower notes in that chord are the nine, the sharp eleven and the thirteen. The a minor pentatonic scale, root note fret, starts at the 5th fret of the low e string. Root b3 4 5 7 you can see these notes laid out in tab and notation for an a melodic minor pentatonic scale here. Different pentatonic scales for guitar altered pentatonics.
The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale. The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes. Then there are 4 exercises based on the first position of the a minor pentatonic scale, which all finish with an a minor chord to finish off the exercise and practice changing from the exercises to the chord. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. The minor pentatonic scale is simply the fifth mode of the major. How to apply the pentatonics to improvise over nearly any chord progression. Com the 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. The first position of the pentatonic minor scale that well learn, will be the a minor pentatonic scale at the root note fret.
Each having 5 forms, so technically there is the minor pentatonic scale, and the major pentatonic scale. As this website is focused on, and to be honest, biased towards rock, blues, metal, and folk guitar styles, pentatonic minor. Pdf total guitar the ultimate scale book guilherme mauricio. Illustration courtesy of desi serna this new pattern 1 is identical to. The e minor pentatonic scale is a useful and fun guitar scale to know. How to learn the pentatonic scales with 5 box patterns. Still, this scale s importance cannot be underestimated, as it is used in so many genres of music, from rock and blues to country and bluegrass.
They both share the same notes, but the root is a different note. Some common songs that utilize the a minor pentatonic scale are. If you are stuck in the pentatonic box then this is the way. Link to page dedicated to the guitar minor pentatonic scale. Wikipedia has a nice article on these scales including the others here. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar.
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. Use the e minor pentatonic scale when playing 12 bar blues in. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only.
When we start discussing the application of scales to chords were talking about modes. The blues scale differs from the pentatonic minor scale only by the addition of a single note. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. To do so, simply connect pattern 5 to another pattern 1, as shown here. Even better, the minor pentatonic works well over both major and minor chord progressions. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. Minor pentatonic scales to introduce a novice guitar player to the world of rock music requires that he learn a series of scales, which we can call the tools of the trade. The major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar. The open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 5th pattern root note a guitar tuning. Free printable guitar scales 14 most commonly used scales. The melodic minor pentatonic scale is built from the following interval pattern.
Below is a c major scale and its relative minor scale, a minor. Applications of the minor pentatonic scale in jazz. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. This is a very enjoyable skill, and will introduce classical musicians to. The word pentatonic implies that there are five notes in these scales, and that is correct. You can also think of the melodic minor pentatonic scale as being a fragment of the corresponding melodic minor scale. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations.
Lets take a look at what makes up this scale and how its applied to the guitar fretboard. Nov 22, 2016 the pentatonic scales are a staple of modern rock, blues and pop music. Cds calendar about anton photosvideos jazz study jazz blog sheet music contact. This is in a minor, but the scale pattern is moveable. There are numerous other applications of the minor pentatonic scale though, as you can see in the table below. The one pentatonic per chord approach to soloing over a. Finger strength and pentatonic scale lesson guitar lessons. The corresponding shapes are about two octaves long 4. I list the most common 3 and 4note chords, and a few 5note chords, from a natural, harmonic and melodic minor scales. Nine times out often the new note will on the sixth string, 7th fret.
How to play the pentatonic scale on guitar dummies. The most obvious use of the minor pentatonic scale is playing the scale over a minor chord or a dominant 7th chord with the same root for example, a minor pentatonic over am7 or a7. To derive the minor pentatonic scale from the natural. It is similar to the natural minor scale, the alteration is that you need to omit the second and the sixth notes from the minor scale.
This exercise is a simple scalar pattern based on the a minor pentatonic scale, but spanning 3 of the common box shapes. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal. Sheet 3 a minor pentatonic scale practice exercises. The diagram below shows all the notes in the g minor pentatonic from frets 3 through 15. Sep 11, 2017 a pentatonic minor scale on the guitar neck. The system you can follow to attain complete guitar mastery. Print and download in pdf or midi a minor pentatonic scales. Link to guitar pro file of tab for guitar minor pentatonic scale. The only 3 major and 3 minor chord shapes you need to know. For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics.
Minor pentatonic pattern 1 major pentatonic pattern 5 playing this pattern from left to right and up across the strings means you will be playing the e minor pentatonic scale. The last scale shape begins with your fourth finger on the 15th fret. Technically speaking, any scale with only 5 notes can be called pentatonic. Look at the illustration above and notice that some of the notes have been outlined in yellow. We are going to learn the scale in the key of a, so, the a minor pentatonic scale. This note can clash, but you can bend the minor third up a half step to a major third, which is a common tactic by blues guitarists. The minor pentatonic scale has a minor 3rd or b3 while the major chord as a major third. The 14 most common and usable guitar scales printable and ready to use 1.
Clicking here and on the image below will open a pdf file of the guitar major scale chart that prints nicely. A tab example has been provided for each of the new patterns. This page contains guitar chord charts for, major chords, minor chords, power chords, add2. Now lets play the g minor pentatonic scale in the second position. Show me chords that sound good with an a minor pentatonic scale. The scale is made up of five notes per octave, thats why it has the word penta, meaning 5 in greek. So, for example, try creating a few guitar riffs using the g minor pentatonic scale in the third position beginning on the 8th fret. The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. One of the best ways to start becoming comfortable with a new scale or pattern is to try and create a few interesting riffs with that scale. Oct 07, 2017 this video is for guitar students to become familiar with the shape and pattern of this common pentatonic scale while also improving their right hand pick technique. Still, this scales importance cannot be underestimated, as it is used in so many genres of music, from rock and blues to country and bluegrass. This book of written lessons is an excellent tool and reference manual to develop and enhance your guitar skills.
Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning. Not only does it sound great, pentatonic scales are also easy to learn. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. No doubt about it, this fivenote scale packs a punch. Aug 27, 2014 coincidentally, when i first started learning to improvise between different positions it was focused on a minor pentatonic as well.
Once you are familiar with the intervallic characteristics of the scale, it should be very easy to play in any key. G major e minor pentatonic scale guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. How to tell when you can use the e minor pentatonic scale in a way that musically works and. The minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. A pentatonic scale is a popular fivenote scale that youll need to know for riffs, solos and melodies, especially for rock and blues. Apr 16, 2016 introduction to the major pentatonic scale. Pentatonic minor scale guitar patterns chart, key of a. That will keep your root note of the minor pentatonic scale the same as the major pentatonic scale.
You can always play the minor pentatonic scale when you are playing some blues solos, but in this quick lesson i will share with you a cool method of. Include free cheat sheet, template, and video so you can get started today. Therefore, a pentatonic scale is a fivenote musical scale. Once you know the five major pentatonic scale shapes, you automatically know the five minor pentatonic scale shapes. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams. For the a minor pentatonic scale, its a snap to learn in two octaves in the fifth position, and it helps you with your frethand strength. Use your 3rd finger to shift positions on the way up. This pentatonic scales guitar lesson shows you all 5 shapes using the key of a minorc major pentatonic as the example scale. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. The minor pentatonic scale the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in just about all genres of music. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard.
The notesintervals for the minor pentatonic scale can be found all over the fretboard. Most minor chords in jazz use the dorian sound, so lets start by. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. Guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. A pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale which can be used to create solos and melodies. The minor pentatonic scale the beginners scale mike stith. That is just my list of chords from the 3 a minor scales that are good to use when writing songs in a minor key. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition pdf. Beginner guitar 5 pentatonic scales the ultimate guide. The secret to using the 5 pentatonic scale shapes as major or minor. However, the scales we are concerned with here are the most commonly used for guitar, the major and minor.
How to connect the pentatonic patterns on the guitar dummies. The minor pentatonic scale by paul tauterouff the minor pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly scales used in rock, blues, country and jazz music. They are usually the first scales beginner guitarists learn to play. If you want to connect the chords to the key scale, you may target chord tones within the scale. If you start at the g on the 3rd fret of the low e string youll get a g major pentatonic scale. In this lesson were going to be focusing on one of the most popular guitar scales, the a minor pentatonic scale. It is this blues note that gives the scale its unique bluesy tone. And worldwide, there are many forms of pentatonic scales from west africa to eastern china. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic. Here is the equation of the minor pentatonic, have a look at how it relates to the natural minor scale. Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject.
Guitar scales 5 mustknow guitar scales for beginners. Scales and arpeggios for guitar by mike georgia to keep things simple approach it like this. When you feel comfortable playing through all five pentatonic scale patterns on the guitar, the next step is to connect them to cover the rest of the fretboard. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. The minor pentatonic scale is used in all genres of music, and is a handy scale to have in your arsenal. A minor pentatonic can be used as a lead scale over chord progressions in a minor, c major, and a blues blues can imply a specific, sixnote scale, as well as a chord progression. The guitar major scale is happy upbeat and useful in a variety of styles of music. Practicing e minor pentatonic scale sheet music download.
How to play the a minor pentatonic guitar scales fender play. Learn the pentatonic scale guitar secrets, free online. Beginner acoustic guitar lesson tom petty i wont back down. The solution below shows the a minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef.
In the diagram below the first pentatonic scale pattern is shown together with four more patterns. 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. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. These notes create a pentatonic 5note scale that is easy to see, and can be. Master the minor pentatonic scale using the whole fretboard.
Once learned, the player can immediately start improvising rock guitar. Find or record a backing track that is in the key of c major, and play the above scale shape with your first finger located on the 5th fret and your pinky finger located on the 8th fret. However the popular genres of western music are based around two. A minor pentatonic guitar scales guitar scales chart. Many intermediate guitarists get stuck playing only this scale over a dominant blues. A minor pentatonic scale diagrams a minor pentatonic fretboard diagram. The versatility and playability of the scale makes it a popular choice for use in guitar soloing and melodies. This is a big difference because this changes the tone center and root note which will make it sound like a completely different scale. Pentatonic scales with images pentatonic scale, guitar.