Each position of the scale overlaps with the position above and below it on the fretboard. The scale illustrated below is what many call the basic box position and has its low root played with the first finger on the low e. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. The fifth position of the g minor pentatonic scale begins with the second finger on the sixth string, thirteenth fret. Pentatonic scale is constructed from five notes from the natural minor scale, also called the aeolian mode. The easiest way to remember this scale is to think of it as the minor pentatonic and simply learn where the added notes are within the normal five minor pentatonic positions. This is a bluesy sounding scale that is used in thousands of blues and rock classics.
The 5 major pentatonic scale shapes positions guitarhabits. Pentatonic scales guitar lesson with tabs the 5 positions. Now we will add one note to the minor pentatonic scale and turn it into the sixnote blues scale. Heres a lesson that walks guitarists through learning to play the major and minor pentatonic scale in five positions, all over the guitar fretboard. Major pentatonic guitar scale learn all five positions. As we learned in the minor pentatonic scale lesson, this scale has just 5 tones 1 root, b3 minor 3rd, 4 perfect 4th, 5 perfect 5th and b7 minor 7th. The 5 major pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons.
Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal scale forms although the scale forms above make it relatively easy to see how the scale relates to the underlying chord, they do not always o. You can also download the chart as a pdf by entering your. This lead guitar lesson will show you the five positions of the pentatonic scale. How to play the blues scale across the entire fretboard. Illustration courtesy of desi serna this new pattern 1 is identical to. Learn the minor pentatonic scale in all 5 fingerboard positions. This is a great way to maintain or improve your knowledge of these scales. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms.
The root notes in this case a, are shown by the black dots, the other notes in the scale are shown by the red dots. A minor pentatonic scale practice in 5 positions guitar compass. The pentatonic scale can broken up in to five small patterns, or scale shapes, that connect up and down the fretboard. May 09, 2014 looking at it from the major scale, if you leave out the 4th and the 7th note of the major scale youll also end up with the major pentatonic. With each scale i have discussed my preferences for fingering the scale. Pentatonic scale patterns 5 pentatonic scale positions. A minor pentatonic scale practice in 5 positions guitar.
A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. The major pentatonic is a really cool sounding scale, used a lot in country and country blues, and also great for playing over regular chord progressions that would usually take the major scale. Here are the 5 standard 2 notes per string positions for the a minor pentatonic scale. The e minor pentatonic scale can be divided into patterns.
To keep this consistent with the pentatonic scale lesson, we will use the key of a minor again. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system. The minor pentatonic scale can be learned using what is called boxes. After the 5th position, the patterns just repeat, starting with the 1st position. It only includes five notes rather than the usual seven, so the construction or pattern of a pentatonic scale on your fret board is a lot simpler. The minor pentatonic scalewritten by david taub the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in most music genres all over the world. The pentatonic scale is the foundation of blues guitar and the perfect place to begin your blues guitar journey. All of the root notes are b because this is the b minor pentatonic scale. C major pentatonic uke scale w,w,wh,w,wh on the soprano. Mar 17, 2018 similar to the major scale in the caged system, the pentatonic scale contains five patterns that are each connected to the pattern above and below it on the fretboard. Looking at it from the major scale, if you leave out the 4th and the 7th note of the major scale youll also end up with the major pentatonic.
To do so, simply connect pattern 5 to another pattern 1, as shown here. Follow through the rest of the pattern as shown above. This entry was posted in resource and tagged 3 notes per string, arpeggio, chord, download, fingering, maj7, major 7th, minor pentatonic, pdf, pentatonic scale, positions, scale on october 12, 2014 by jens. The minor pentatonic scale written by david taub the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in most music genres all over the world. The minor pentatonic scale is built from the five scale degrees of root, b3rd, 4th, 5th, and b7th. The b minor pentatonic scale can be divided into patterns. Pentatonic scales are commonly grouped in five positions named boxes corresponding to the five.
Aminor pentatonic is a reasonable starting place with the minor pentatonic scale and has the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th fret respectively as the first fret on the different positions. Learning the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale can be very useful if you want to start improvising over a backingtrack. The word pentatonic implies that there are five notes in these scales, and that is correct. Some people find it easier to think in minor terms, and. All the fretboard diagrams below show c minor pentatonic, so the notes built on that root are c e. The musical styles that use the major pentatonic are country, blues, fusion, jazz and rock. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Its important to note that the fingering is very loose with the minor pentatonic, much more so than with other scales. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. Click here for instant access to the 17 page pentatonic scales chart. In the diagrams below, i outline each of the scale positions, the root note patterns of the position, and the suggested fingering of the notes for the position. Once you have all mastered all five positions, you will able to visualize and. The 5 shapes shown below are all the same scale g major pentatonic scale just played in different positions, so you can learn the scale all over the neck.
As with all the positions, play this scale slowly and. Pentatonic guitar magic how to use the simple pentatonic scale to solo over chords from blues to rock tojazz. When the player wants to lighten things up, the major pentatonic is the scale of choice. The last scale shape begins with your fourth finger on the 15th fret. Minor pentatonic scale patterns the 5 positions as we learned in the minor pentatonic scale lesson, this scale has just 5 tones 1 root, b3 minor 3rd, 4 perfect 4th, 5 perfect 5th and b7 minor 7th. The two extended scale forms shown far right use the 2string, 5note unit shown immediate right as a building block. In this lesson you will be learning some ways to use the pentatonic scale in a solo. Here is a video that shows how to play the pentatonic scale in its 1st position across the guitar neck and how to use it. Mar 19, 2015 mix fastest way to nail the pentatonic scale shapes 1 to 5 youtube. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. The major pentatonic scale guitar shapes and theory. Its also a good way to learn where the notes are on different parts of. Youll not only learn the uses of the scale in its basic form, but youll come to understand how its very simple ergonomic shapes through five different positions across the guitar neck. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale.
Jun 22, 2016 the 5 notes pentatonic scale a minor pentatonic scale 1st position 5th fret the pentatonic scale is about as straightforward a scale as you can get. This article serves as a reference for navigating minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. Click here for a free printable pdf file of this scale. Mix fastest way to nail the pentatonic scale shapes 1 to 5 youtube. This is another method for visualizing the fretboard and having the ability to solo in key as i explained in the 2 lessons on how to solo using the full diatonic scale over the entire fretboard. Youll find below the 5 different positions shapes of the c major pentatonic uke scale in standard tuning gcea, along with their ascending tab patterns. Sep 01, 2019 download pentatonic scale positions pdf the pentatonic scale is the foundation of blues guitar and the perfect place to begin your blues guitar journey. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. Various positions of the major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar with the fingering on the guitar neck. We can add the flat 5, b5, or blue note to the pentatonic scale, making it a sixnote scale called the blues scale. Youll find below the 5 different positionsshapes of the c major pentatonic uke scale in standard tuning gcea, along with their ascending tab patterns. How to connect the pentatonic patterns on the guitar dummies. Something that cannot be said of the two notes of the major scale that are not included in the major pentatonic scale the 4th and 7th.
To make things more interesting, well play the scale along with a jam track. A minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic. Once learned, the player can immediately start improvising rock guitar. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system, scale degrees vs. This free video by peter vogl will show you how to practice the a minor pentatonic scale in five different positions. Now we must learn the minor pentatonic scale thoroughly, up and down the neck. The 5 minor pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons. Major pentatonic guitar scale chart click here for a free printable pdf file of this scale.
Mar 25, 20 learning the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale can be very useful if you want to start improvising over a backingtrack. Welcome to lesson 3 of the pentatonic scale, pentatonic blues licks. All of the root notes are e because this is the e minor pentatonic scale. The 5 notes pentatonic scale a minor pentatonic scale 1st position 5th fret the pentatonic scale is about as straightforward a scale as you can get. To learn these scales take each pattern one at a time and practice with a metronome. A minor pentatonic scale 5th position once you have all mastered all five positions, you will able to visualize and more importantly, play the minor pentatonic scale over the entire fret board. Several typical pentatonic blues licks will be used as a starting point to develop your knowledge of the pentatonic scale. Major pentatonic scale tab and notation click here for a free playable guitar pro file of this scale. Starts on 5th of the pentatonic scale starts on 6th of the pentatonic scale. As your soloing gets more sophisticated, the less you have to hunt for the box patterns the better off youll be. The red dots indicate a root note and the black dots indicate a note in the scale.
The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used in all styles of music. The horizontal scale forms shown to the right are one way around this problem. It is in the minor family of chord and scale qualities. This article serves as a reference for navigating major pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. Learn the 5 caged scale positions of the dorian minor scale with jay skylers accurate, high quality guitar neck diagram. This scale is transpositional and can be played in, and should be practiced in, all keys.
Similar to the major scale in the caged system, the pentatonic scale contains five patterns that are each connected to the pattern above and below it on the fretboard. Penta, is latin for five, much like a pentagram has five sides. There are five positions to learn, after which the first pattern repeats an octave higher. Guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. A good way to remember it is to think of it as natural minor with a caged system fretboard diagram of the c pentatonic major scale. Above is the a major pentatonic scale shown in 5 positions. Once you know the five major pentatonic scale shapes, you automatically know the five minor pentatonic scale shapes. Played over a 12 bar blues, there are not many ways you can mess this up. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the.
Fastest way to nail the pentatonic scale shapes 1 to 5. The minor pentatonic scale and its 5 positions music is win. Use the e minor pentatonic scale when playing 12 bar blues in. You would simply play pattern one again at the a note on the 17th fret. 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. Language sitemap guitar scale major pentatonic pattern 15 fingering.
How to connect the pentatonic scale across the entire fretboard and use it in your solos duration. Once you know those 5 positions, and you are comfortable soloing within a key all up and down the fretboard, learning the blues scale is pretty simple. The major pentatonic is easy to learn if you already know the minor pentatonic scale. The blues scale is esentially a minor pentatonic scale with an added flat fifth. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in. There are many approaches and so long as you have a logical one, it will be fine.
How to play the pentatonic scale beginner guitar hq. How to solo over the entire fretboard using the 5 pentatonic. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. The 5 shapes shown below are all the same scale g major pentatonic scale just played in different positions, so you can learn the scale all.
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