These arpeggios are very similar to the major and minor arpeggios, but with an added 7th interval. It is now time to learn how to use the minor pentatonic scale, which is a must if you want to learn to play lead guitar and improvise. Guitar teachers can print the book or single sheets for their students. Learn the basics with our online beginner guitar lessons, and in the meanwhile, start learning the. Jul 29, 2016 the scale im using in the video is the g minor or bb major pentatonic.
After you play the pattern above up and down a few times to memorize it, start playing sequences on it. How to play a pentatonic scale patterns for soloing guitar. Jun 28, 2016 the pentatonic scale works really well over simple chord progressions, and because its one of the easiest scales to learn, its usually the first scale taught. Guitar players use scales to play melodies, riffs, solos, and bass lines. The guitar lesson tab and notation as well as the scale diagrams can be found on my patreon page. I was able to learn how a minor pentatonic scale worked in like 2 weeks. For rock guitar, youll want to learn to play the pentatonic scale, which supplies you with better melodic fodder. To get this pattern in a different key just shift it along the fretboard. Simply move the minor pentatonic scale 3 frets down and youll. Learn to master both major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. A pentatonic minor scale box 3 tuned d g be glitarsik. Were in 5th position, and were playing the e minor pentatonic scale, which means were using the 3rd scale shape. The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online.
Pdf e book lead guitar licks lesson pentatonic scales rock. This book of written lessons is an excellent tool and reference manual to develop and enhance your guitar skills. Here are some free pdfs used to supplement my free video lessons. Pentatonic and blues scales is a minibook a fundessential that gives. That good section is chapter 11, symbols to understand. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale. However, for the purpose of this introductory lesson, i will simply leave you with the scale formula of the minor pentatonic. This book and video course will supercharge your creativity and strengthen your understanding of music. Learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, their patterns, when to use them. To turn a natural minor scale into a minor pentatonic scale, eliminate the 2nd and 6th scale degrees. Pentatonic and blues scales covers the essential guitar theory for the minor pentatonic scale, major pentatonic scale and the blues scale and highlights the characteristics of each scale with useful licks and exercises. Notice how both an e minor em chord and a g major chord fit into pentatonic pattern 1 in the open position. 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.
The tonalities are called relative major and relative minor. So far we have only been looking at how major chords are built from notes of the major scale. Simply move the minor pentatonic scale 3 frets down and youll be playing the notes from the major pentatonic scale in the same key. Contains guitar theory, pentatonic licks, exercises and sequences. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the. Pdf guitar scales major pentatonic download full pdf book.
Scale notes make patterns on the fretboard, which guitarists finger and pick position to position. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. Jul 19, 2018 as you can see from these diagrams, the minor pentatonic scale is contained within each of these 3 modes, all sharing the same scale root a a aeolian. For reasons that will be explained later on in this lesson, the first guitar scale you should learn is the a minor pentatonic. With a tonic note of a the notes of a pentatonic minor scale are. Well take a closer look at each of the new patterns below. We are going to learn the scale in the key of a, so, the a minor pentatonic scale. Strum a g minor chord, then play with the notes in the pattern. Pentatonic minor scale on guitar the pentatonic minor is probably the most commonlyused guitar scale. Check out my free video lessons on my free lessons page. Because this pattern has an e as the first note this is pattern 1 of the e minor pentatonic scale and all other minor pentatonic scales. My pentatonic lead guitar studies are 55 pages of must know musical information that really works built around the pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales are killer scales to play over blues and over iivv changes. 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.
Apr 16, 2016 the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 of the 7 notes of the full diatonic scale. Guitar scales handbook helps you get out of your rut and expand your playing throughout the guitar neck. My blues lead guitar series will teach you all about using the minor pentatonic, the blues scale, the major pentatonic, dorian and mixolydian modes. 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. Learn to play major and minor pentatonic scale patterns and licks all over the neck play guitar in 14 days. The best way to practice any guitar scale is to memorize. It is a clear and concise book explaining in clear and simple terms caged systems, among others.
How to play the pentatonic scale on guitar dummies. The pentatonic minor scale is a scale most guitarists encounter earlyon in their playing careers. Guitar pentatonic and blues scales fundamental changes music. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave such as the major scale and minor scale pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations. Premium learning minor pentatonic scales pdf ebook. Learning guitar theory, so music theory specific to the guitar, will free up your playing and take your performance level to previously unimagined heights. The minor pentatonic scale the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in just about all genres of music. The minor pentatonic scale has a minor 3rd or b3 while the major chord as a major third.
It frees you to enliven your solos and songwriting with bold, new ideas and techniques that will help create your personal style. Similar books to pentatonic and blues scales for guitar. In the diagram below the first pentatonic scale pattern is shown together with four more patterns. The major and minor scales may be musiceducation stalwarts, but they sound a bit academic when used over chord progressions. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. Use my search bar to find exactly what youre looking for. 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. All blues soloing for jazz guitar tab music bookcd scales licks concepts. Have a look at the previous 12 diagrams to see this pattern at 12 different places on.
Easily master pentatonic scales in minutesquickly and easily learn to play pe. Introduction to the minor pentatonic scale zombie guitar. Guitar theory is an area of study that explains how you can play, improvise, and compose popular music on the guitar fretboard and why certain elements of music go together the way they do. Talking about making good licks, here are some for you to try out. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is most commonly applied to the relative minor pentatonic derived from the major pentatonic, using scale tones 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the natural minor scale. The difference between major and minor pentatonic scales. To understand how this works, look at this example. To play a full minor scale, add in 2nds and minor 6ths as shown in the second diagram. Guitarists usually learn scales in order to use them while improvising lead solos.
Having read the theory behind the pentatonic scales, you should already be familiar with the basic intervals and use of the major and minor pentatonic scale. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar. This scale is a mustknow melodic device for guitarists exploring the world of improvised music, be it in the jazz genre or otherwise. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. You can start with e minor pentatonic, but the same notes and patterns can also produce g major pentatonic. Starting with the first degree of the major scale, the chord qualities go as follows. Introducing pentatonic scales for jazz guitar explores the use of major and minor pentatonic scales. Pentatonic and blues scales covers the essential guitar theory for the minor. Introduction people that might find this book useful. The notes of the scale are g bb c d f which are the same notes in both g minor and bb major pentatonic. The last scale shape begins with your fourth finger on the 15th fret. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading pentatonic scale fluency. The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly learned, practiced and used scale by guitarists of all genres. How to learn and use guitar scales learn guitar malta.
In the following image of a minor lead patterns, pentatonic pattern 1 has been moved up three frets from the previous major examples. David taub here and i want to take a second to thank you for purchasing this instructional product. If youre in the early phases of learning the bass guitar these are the 5 scales i suggest you learn first. From the basic pentatonic scale guitar fretboard pattern to improvising using minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar neck. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read guitar scales major pentatonic. The answer is that the pentatonic scale is either major or minor depending on which note is functioning as the tonic, which means primary pitch called root when dealing with a chord. 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.
G bb c d f how to play the pentatonic scale if you can play major and natural minor scales, then you can also play major and minor. In this lead guitar lesson, well go over the five pentatonic scale shapes. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used in all styles of music. The pentatonic scale works really well over simple chord progressions, and because its one of the easiest scales to learn, its usually the first scale taught. Dec 08, 2019 since pentatonic scales contain 5 notes, we need to remove two from the minor scale in order to get the minor pentatonic. What this effectively means is that the major and minor pentatonic scales use the same shape, but start on different notes. This is also a minor scale, and so it will work best with minor chords although feel free to experiment. Ever since writing my book the complete guide to music theory for bass guitar players many students have asked me to create videos to. Feb 16, 2018 24 all possible a minor pentatonic scale positions covering the whole neck. What guitar scales to learn guitar music theory by desi serna.
The two notes removed are the 2nd and 6th intervals. This is definitely one of the best books i have read to reinforce what i already knew about soloing within the minor pentatonic scale on guitar. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. The 2nd note of any minor pentatonic scale is the root of the relative major pentatonic scale.
Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. In this lesson were going to take a look at the major 7th, minor 7th, and dominant 7th arpeggios. Learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale effortlessly anywhere on the fretboard kindle edition by nichols, lee. Each scale degree of the major scale produces a triad and major or minor chord. Guitarists wanting to learn how to play guitar solos and improvise along with songs. Since pentatonic scales contain 5 notes, we need to remove two from the minor scale in order to get the minor pentatonic.
These are not lessons, but supplements to my lessons. Can somebody recommend a good book on pentatonic scales for. It also shows the patterns up the neck for major pentatonic. As i mentioned earlier, the major and minor pentatonic scales are derived from the same set of intervals and therefor use the same shapes but with different root notes. Jun 19, 2019 pentatonic minor scale on guitar the pentatonic minor is probably the most commonlyused guitar scale. Sep 26, 2018 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. Once you know the five major pentatonic scale shapes, you automatically know the five minor pentatonic scale shapes. I have a dvd and download called master the major scale which goes into a detailed practical approach to learning to use that. They are still used all over the world, for example traditional music, country music, blues and metal.
Because of this, pentatonic scales are an economy version of the bigger major and minor scales. The explanation of a major and minor aspect of the pentatonic scale. A tab example has been provided for each of the new patterns. This is geared more towards the intermediate or advanced guitar players. In the example solo, im using various minor pentatonic scales. The minor pentatonic scale has the same interval structure as the major pentatonic scale but they are in a different order from the root note. As you can see from these diagrams, the minor pentatonic scale is contained within each of these 3 modes, all sharing the same scale root a a aeolian. Hal leonard guitar method book 3 blue mountain guitar. Guitar theory reveals that the major scale is stacked in thirds to make triads and chords. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. The minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. Although the pentatonic scale is not the only scale available for playing rock lead, it is.
On this page youll find a complete guide to learning and using pentatonic scales on guitar. There are the 5 positions of the minor pentatonic scale. Guitar pentatonic and blues scales fundamental changes. One version of the pentatonic scale, called the blues scale, adds a chromatic passing tone in between two of the scale steps. What guitar scales to learn guitar music theory by desi.
And i can play and understand how scales work including. In this episode of everything music we are learning patterns for soloing in the pentatonic scale. Just remember to line the root notes of your scale shape up with the root note of your chord or key. Blues players generally choose the dorian mode as the scale to combine with the minor pentatonic scale to get those extra color tones. A pentatonic scale is like any other scale notes separated by intervals, but it contains just 5 tones, as opposed to the major scale and its modes, which have 7 notes. The pentatonic scale can function as both major and minor on the guitar.
If you start at the g on the 3rd fret of the low e string youll get a g major pentatonic scale. I dont want to get too deep into the theory of exactly what all that means just yet, as that is all fully explained in other lessons. This means the formula for the minor pentatonic scale is made up of the 1st root, 3rd. The first scale you learn is the a minor pentatonic. If its confusing how i worked out which shape of the scale to use, just find the first shape, and then go through the sequence until you reach the position you need. The pentatonic scale is a five tone, or five note, scale. Pentatonic scale construction major and minor pentatonic analysis and modes how to study pentatonic scales.
In this bass lesson im going to show you the 5 easy scales for beginner bass guitar players. Every pentatonic key can have one of two possible tonalities. Difference between major and minor pentatonic guitar players often ask me what makes pentatonic scale patterns major or minor. Its easy to learn and falls naturally under the fingers. Master pentatonic scales for guitar in 14 days will teach you the five 5 box patterns and two 2 extended patterns of the major and minor pentatonic scales. The 5 pentatonic scale shapes guitar lesson youtube. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. As i dive further and further into lead guitar techniques and concepts in this book, keep in mind that these very. Heres a lesson that walks guitarists through learning to play the major and minor pentatonic scale in five positions, all over the guitar fretboard.
E minor pentatonic positions on the guitar online guitar books. The c major pentatonic scale has the following notes. In music, a scale is a series of notes played one at a time in ascending and descending fashion. The pentatonic scale uses just the most universal note choices. We still use the major scale as the foundation for all chord types whether they be minor, seventh or any other chord type. In pentatonic scale pattern one as i teach it in my fretboard theory guitar theory program the first note is always the relative.
How to use the pentatonic scale as major and minor on the. The 5 easy scales for beginner bass guitar players yt122. Master pentatonic scales for guitar in 14 days guitar books. 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 open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. Learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale effortlessly. For an in depth lesson on the theory behind the minor pentatonic scale, read the post on pentatonic scales. Break away from the minor pentatonic boxes with the dorian mode. It produces two types of tonalities, major and minor, with the sound dependent upon how you use it. In this position, the pattern starts directly on the note a. 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 pentatonic scale is to the rock guitarist what anesthesia, the printing press, and the cordless screwdriver are to modern civilization an indispensable entity without which life would be much more difficult. This book gives you a quick guide to playing basic riffs while teaching and explaining the pentatonic scales and more. Its for those guitarist who already have a basic understanding of the fretboard and i do mean basic, but are still not making music when they solo over a backing track or with a band.