the B minor pentatonic scale will give your solos and riffs a bluesy sound when used over common chord progressions such as Em7 or F#m7 chords. This approach works especially well when performing over these chords.
Use this AM track to train your B minor pentatonic scale fingerings, targeting various tones within it as it moves from B minor to F major chords.
Root note
The B minor pentatonic scale is an easy and popular choice for blues and rock guitar. Comprised of five notes, its interval formula is (3 – 2 – 3 )- (2 – 1 – 4) This scale works well over major chords and provides another great element to add to the CAGED Method which may have been discussed elsewhere on guitar websites.
To successfully learn this scale, it’s essential that you comprehend the relationship between a root note and major and minor scales. A “step” refers to the distance between two notes while differences in pitch between these steps make up root notes – these notes begin their journey at the nut, traveling up fretboard as an octave; as you move higher up scale each position is one octave higher than before.
Practice fingerings of this scale often to hone your technique and train your ear. Over time, this will enable you to effortlessly move fingerings up and down the fretboard without even thinking about them; an essential ability for any guitarist.
The minor pentatonic scale is an eleven-note scale consisting of five notes per octave that can be applied to virtually all musical styles, and was most famously utilized by Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page; today it remains popular with jazz guitarists.
The B minor pentatonic scale is highly adaptable, making it suitable for playing over any minor chord containing flattened third or seventh notes (common in blues music), or over major chords such as Fmaj7.
Major third
Remembering the eighth note interval can help you build and understand minor pentatonic scale shapes, as well as where other notes in the scale lie. Knowing where they all reside enables you to target chord tones effectively when creating effective licks over chord progressions. Furthermore, this provides a foundation for later learning the blues scale which adds numerous additional notes onto minor pentatonic.
Consider the major third as being similar to its minor third counterpart: an augmented second note found across many scales and commonly known by its shorthand name’major third / major seventh’ due to being flat against major scales (as opposed to its sharp equivalent referred to as major seventh). It can often be found as part of chord progressions as its name indicates it as being part of its chord structure (albeit different versions exist such as major seventh).
Blues music relies heavily on the major third of a minor pentatonic scale for its distinctive soulful sound, supported by dissonance between this note and the root or tonic chord of each chord in its sequence. This clash of tones makes minor pentatonic so beneficial in creating memorable blues licks.
To begin learning the major third, start by practicing minor pentatonic scale shapes in multiple keys with a metronome keeping time, practicing each shape for two beats each time until you can consistently hit that mark with every stroke – this will strengthen connections among each shape as you rapidly ascend or descend the scale.
Minor third
Anhemitonic minor pentatonic scales offer guitarists an excellent sound that works well with most chords and can even serve as passing tones over dominant seventh chords. It differs from major pentatonic scales by leaving out fourth and seventh notes; to get familiar with its construction think of how major scales go up: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol La Ti; then just leave off those notes to create an anhemitonic minor pentatonic minor pentatonic scale instead.
The B minor pentatonic add2 scale is one of the most frequently employed blues guitar scales. Easy to learn, its wide array of uses in blues and rock music provides an excellent basis for improvisation; especially useful when used to accompany chord progressions that utilize relative minor keys like B (D).
Playing minor pentonic scale over Am7 chords will create a distinctive sound, and help set yourself apart as a guitarist. Four out of the five chord tones in minor pentonic are present within this chord’s structure.
One effective use of the minor pentatonic scale is playing it over a G major chord, creating tension and making your solo more melodic.
The minor pentatonic scale is an indispensable skill to learn for blues guitar. It’s easily played, can be performed in any key on the fretboard, and provides an ideal foundation for improvisation thanks to its set of intervals which can create various licks.
Major sixth
If you are playing over minor chords, using the major sixth note of the B minor pentatonic scale as an excellent tension note is a must for making your harmony complete and will add bluesy flavor. Furthermore, playing dominant chords will help prevent you from clashing with its tonic chord.
The major sixth note can be achieved by subtracting out two degrees of scale degrees from a minor pentatonic scale, as depicted below in red (pentatonic) and black (major) notation to indicate which notes belong in either category – it isn’t determined by actual tone but by interval.
As illustrated by the above diagram, the major sixth is located at the seventh fret of E string. To play it, move your index finger up one fret from fifth – this may prove challenging at first; but with regular practice it will help your fingers gain strength and dexterity over time. Commit this scale pattern into muscle memory for optimal results!
Another excellent way to learn this scale is to listen to blues musicians who use it. The B minor pentatonic scale can be found in many blues songs and gives their music its distinct, classic sound. You should try listening to some of these artists and mimicking some of their licks to gain a deeper understanding of this scale and its application in your playing.
Minor seventh
The minor seventh note is an essential component of the b pentatonic minor scale. It can be found one perfect fifth (V) above just natural minor third interval (iii), known as an “augmented second.” Unlike major sevenths which clash with chord tones, an augmented second blends minor and major tones to create a tension-filled sound often associated with blues music.
The B Minor Pentatonic Scale is an effective choice when playing blues guitar solos and riffs, adding tension to both your solos and riffs while being straightforwardly applicable across a range of chord progressions such as 12 Bar Blues. B.B King famously employed this scale while performing blues songs such as Thrill Is Gone which use this scale extensively.
Once you have mastered the first five shapes of the B minor pentatonic scale, it is time to move on to shape number 6. This challenge involves shifting your hand slightly on the B string – but once learned it will allow for creating various blues and rock licks.
Like shape 2, this shape may be hard to remember at first. To aid this memory-building exercise, referring to minor pentatonic scale diagrams and looking at fretboard maps will be helpful; once you know where these shapes appear on the neck they will become easier for you to play and memorise – helping develop finger dexterity, speed, as well as expanding fretboard knowledge.