Pentatonic scales provide an easy starting point for guitarists of any experience level, as they’re easy to pick up and can fit seamlessly with most chord progressions. Furthermore, their shapes can be moved around to help with memory retention.
Below are patterns representing major and minor pentatonic scales for guitar. It is crucial to learn these scales for lead guitar playing and improvisation purposes.
Major Pentatonic
Even though most guitarists will include minor pentatonic scales in their repertoire, some guitarists prefer major pentatonic for its “happier” feel and its use on melodies and solos. Derived from regular major scale by dropping its 4th and 7th scale degrees respectively; thus creating five notes in total within this scale; playing it an octave higher (C-C) will yield eight notes as it’s still based on regular major scale which contains seven.
A major pentatonic scale does not contain any dissonant semitones (or half steps), as these would create tension within music that must sound harmonious. For this reason, major pentatonic scales are so adaptable – they work over almost any chord progression with ease.
Each major pentatonic scale shape consists of an interval-based pattern running the length of the fretboard. For instance, one such major pentatonic shape based on an E major chord contains D, F, A and C notes; this pattern repeats five times across the fretboard to complete five unique forms.
As you learn these shapes, it is wise to start and end each position with its root note – this will enable a clear connection between fingerboard positions and allows for quicker memorization of scale shapes. Furthermore, it is useful to practice them in key so that later in your playing you may use them musically.
As soon as you’ve learned the five major pentatonic scale shapes, it is time to put them into use musically. Start by trying them on some basic chord progressions or blues songs to see how they sound; this will help give you an understanding of how the scale operates and may spark some original musical ideas of your own!
Minor Pentatonic
The minor pentatonic scale is an integral component of blues guitar playing and should be known by every guitarist. It can also be applied over chord progressions to create soloing melodies for soloing soloing melodies if jazz or more melodic styles of music is your goal.
To play the minor pentatonic scale, start by becoming comfortable with its first box shape and practicing it regularly. When this step is accomplished, move up and down the fretboard to explore various patterns on each string – make sure that your practice at a steady tempo until you can play backwards as this will familiarize yourself with each shape more easily so it becomes easier to memorize them all!
If you’re having difficulty starting, give this a try: Place your index finger on the sixth string at fifth fret and play Pattern #1; this is a standard minor pentatonic scale shape most players start out with. Move up when reaching second string; down when reaching fifth string; until this pattern is mastered. After which move on to Pattern #2!
Once you’ve memorised both patterns, it’s time to put them into action and truly grasp how the scale works and its application to guitar playing. Begin using them over backing tracks while improvising over them; doing this will allow you to become more comfortable using techniques such as string bending and legato more effectively.
As part of your own song writing practice, it can also be beneficial to incorporate both of these scales in your song writing. Doing this will enable you to gain an understanding of their working relationship as well as locate where their intervals lie – great practice for building up an ear! Be especially wary when using sharp and flat-6 intervals – these could clash with chord tones and alter improvisation when performing over minor chord progressions.
Blues Pentatonic
As its name suggests, blues music requires using blues scales. Combining them with the major pentatonic scale can expand your options for creating interesting blues licks; this combination creates many notes suitable for chromatic runs – something which makes your solos more sophisticated and jazzy.
The Blues Pentatonic Scale contains six notes, and is similar to its minor pentatonic cousin in shape. However, it features an essential flat fifth note integral to blues sound and more chromatic notes than both major and minor pentatonic scales – you should practice playing these notes both ascending and descending order to master this scale.
To learn this scale, follow a similar fingering pattern as when learning minor pentatonic. Begin with learning the first position before proceeding through each of the other positions – you may experience some awkward finger stretches at first, but these should become less of an issue as you continue practicing.
Another great advantage of the blues pentatonic scale is that it can be played over any chord progression in A, making it ideal for all forms of blues songs. While major chords may work more successfully with certain song formats, great blues players often alternate between minor and major pentatonic scales depending on which chord progressions they are covering.
This next lick provides a perfect example of how to play this scale over a major chord. It starts off with a short pentatonic blues box riff before using more of the fretboard for slides. Practice sliding these notes up and down as well as hammering on them for maximum results; additionally it would be beneficial to expand your scale to include surrounding notes for a fuller sound.
Scale Exercises
One of the best ways to develop an understanding of the pentatonic scale is through performing some scale exercises. Not only will these help you memorize its notes, but they’ll also make it easier for you to improvise on its melodies when playing solos or with others. Unfortunately, most guitar scale exercises only focus on specific sequences of notes; though valuable, these exercises limit your freedom on the fretboard.
One great exercise for developing independence when improvising is playing the first three notes of any pentatonic scale, then moving back a note and playing its subsequent notes. This will force you to think carefully about where each note sits on your fretboard while honing in on independence as an improviser.
Exercise by switching strings. For instance, when practicing C minor pentatonic scale notes from fret 3 to fret 12 on one string can help build a solid foundation of scale and expand your fretboard freedom. To do this effectively. begin on fret 3 of fifth string by playing notes from fret 3-12; move onto second string by playing frets 5-12 before finally shifting back over to third string for frets 3 to 12. Doing this exercise regularly will allow you to create a fluid playing experience and ultimately increase freedom on fretboard.
One great way to practice scales is with a backing track. Choose a track in the key of the scale you are practicing, then play up and down the scale in time with it using techniques like slides or hammer-ons between notes within it – this will allow for deeper understanding and musicality!
Doing this exercise with different scales to see how it goes may also prove helpful. Just keep practicing scales and always push yourself – otherwise, your fretboard skills may remain restricted and unable to improvise freely.