This is a great starting point for learning how the. Various positions of the minor pentatonic scale pattern 15 with the interval on the guitar neck. Introduction to the minor pentatonic scale zombie guitar. The major and minor scales may be musiceducation stalwarts, but they sound a bit academic when used over chord progressions. But there are many different pentatonic scales you can learn to harmonise with more specific chord types. Each of the five chapters focuses on 1 of the 5 patterns of the caged system. Steve colemans strategies take precedence over such traditional, scale based. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale. Minor pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar interval. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. Thus the major pentatonic scale of a key is the minor pentatonic scale of the key three. You can also improvise solo on guitar by playing the pattern in the key of the music. They are the same 5 notes as the major pentatonic scale, but the tonic of the scale is a different note the tonic of theminor pentatonic scale is the note 3 semitones below the tonic of the major pentatonic scale.
How to construct major and minor pentatonic scales music. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system, scale degrees vs. Pentatonic scales contain five notes, which is how it gets its name penta5, tonic tones. Its build from either the major or natural minor scale. The open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. We will begin by improvising melodies using only the black notes of the piano. Bare numbers represent blowing into the hole of the same number, bracketed numbers represent drawing sucking on a hole of the same number. Everything in this book is presented in the key of a minor so that you can see how it all relates together and so that you can begin to string licks together into larger ideas. In this lesson you will learn how to build, play, practice and solo with the minor pentatonic scale in a jazz guitar setting. 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 minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. Pentatonic scales are great place to start for song writing and improvising. Mastering pentatonic scale theory welcome to the learning pentatonic scales page at gmc run by yours truly, the professor. For example, note the use of the term sum in the following diagram presented. Both the pentatonic major scale and minor scale have the same patterns. The pentatonic scales are a staple of modern rock, blues and pop music. 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. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar. They are usually the first scales beginner guitarists learn to play. This is the only pentatonic scale pattern that requires a position shift.
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. This scale will have its root note on the 5th or a string and you can start with your 3rd finger. Learn the minor pentatonic scale, and its 5 positions. Since this might give the impression that the pentatonic scale is almost exclusively useful if used as either major or minor pentatonic scale, i would like to add one important application of the pentatonic scale where it is used over a chord whose tonic is not even part of the scale. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. This book of written lessons is an excellent tool and reference manual to develop and enhance your guitar skills. This pdf method for guitar contains 40 ii v i jazz guitar lines with tab, standard notation, analysis, scale charts and audio files. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above.
What is the most common fingering for the pentatonic scale. 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. If you were to play this scale on the 8th fret it would. The lessons on this page are geared towards helping you build a strong understanding of each of the various pentatonic scales, how they are built, how they are related and how they relate to chords and arpeggios when. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees.
This grounds the scale very securely in the chord and leaves only so much room for getting lost. Major scales and key signatures s o, now you can use the letters a through g to name notes on the treble and bass staff and accidentals to create major and minor seconds, aka, whole and half steps if you cant do this yet, stop here, go back to the previous chapters, and practice until you can. As far as switching patterns just move your hand into the new pattern. The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly scales used in rock, blues, country and jazz music. How to construct major and minor pentatonic scales. The basic pentatonic minor scale pattern pattern 1 can be extended up and down the guitar fretboard using the additional scale patterns. Simply move the minor pentatonic scale 3 frets down and youll be playing the notes from the major pentatonic scale in the same key. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found in musical cultures all over the world. Pentatonic scale diagrams and fingerings guitar lessons. Pentatonic scales for guitar a pentatonic scale has just 5 notes. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave, in contrast to a heptatonic sevennote scale such as the major and minor scales. Click here for instant access to the 17 page pentatonic scales chart. 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.
There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. The blues scale minor pentatonic and the major pentatonic scales on the guitar duration. 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. Major minor major pentatonic in triple compound duple meter 3. From minor pentatonic scale to aeolian mode in our last lesson, we created a minor pentatonic tune through visualauditory associations. On the charts, the black dots indicate closed holes and the tapered end of the drawing indicates the mouthpiece.
The most used pentatonic scale is a subset of the major or its relative minor scale. Learning scale patterns will help you to advance in your guitar playing. I bill iv v bvii all notes m i oattern 2 pattern 3 notes pattern i m 2 oattern 3 oattern 4 m i system 2 g pentatonic minor scale i step pattern. To play the g minor pentatonic scale in the third position, begin with your middle finger on the sixth string, eighth fret and play through the pattern as noted. You will be able to play in any key in 5 different positions by learning these patterns. You can also download the chart as a pdf by entering your. Here are the 5 standard 2 notes per string positions for the a minor pentatonic scale. Learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, their patterns, when to use them, and why theyre the scale shortcut. These are the five forms of a c major pentatonic scale or an a minor pentatonic scale. If you dont have a keyboard in home, dont be desperate, we will explain in details how to create this scale. Show me chords that sound good with an a major pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale has the 5 notes of the major scale. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the scales in all keys. When you reach the second string, youll need to shift your hand up one fret.
There are several varieties but here were just looking at the two most common. The pentatonic scale of first degree, for example, in the previous base that we worked with, the first degree was g, so you will use the g minor pentatonic scale. Since there are five notes in a pentatonic scale, there are five different forms that we can use to play the scale if we start on each different note. This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a blues context but you can use what you learn in any style. Minor pentatonic scale in all keys the key to playin in key. Pentatonic minor scale key of g key of d key of c the following charts provide the basic. The aeolian mode natural minor is the 6th mode of the major scale. A minor pentatonic scale consists of 5 different notes. A minor pentatonic guitar scales guitar scales chart. A pentatonic scale is like any other scale notes separated by intervals, but it contains just 5 tones, hence the greek word pentatonic, which simply means five. Difference between minor and major pentatonic scale boxes. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively. The 5 minor pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons.
Although the pentatonic scale is not the only scale available for playing rock lead, it is. Caged does a great job of associating major chords with pentatonic scale positions, but you. The major pentatonic works great over a major chord or major sixth or 69 plus of course the major seventh chord even thought there is no seventh in the scale. In this context, the pentatonic has many altered tones, and sounds outside. Knowing this will make it easier for you to memorize the scales. The minor pentatonic scale is made up of these scale degrees. It is very common, however, add the note that falls between the 4th and 5th scale degrees, thus creating what some refer to as the blues scale. A brief lesson on how to extend the minor pentatonic scales to diversify your soloing technique.
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. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively minor and major pentatonic work great together in major keys and can say a lot more than if you were to just use one scale. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. This use of the pentatonic scale is pretty common in jazz. This is in a minor, but the scale pattern is moveable. For rock guitar, youll want to learn to play the pentatonic scale, which supplies you with better melodic fodder. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. This article serves as a reference for navigating minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Down top description of the minor pentatonic scale.
One of the things that makes this scale a great one for improvisation is that you can play in 3 octaves, using exactly the same fingering for each octave. The minor pentatonic expanded ii scale now that you are familiar with the minor pentatonic scale in the basic box position and in expanded i form, lets learn the minor pentatonic expanded ii scale. Show me chords that sound good with a d minor pentatonic scale. 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.
How to play the pentatonic scale on guitar dummies. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic 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. Language sitemap guitar scale minor pentatonic scale interval. 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. Minor pentatonic scale basic box the key signature is determined by which root note is played. Its a very hip application of the minor pentatonic scale. Jun 19, 2019 a tab example has been provided for each of the new patterns. 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. The minor pentatonic scale has 5 different shapes, or positions, that can be played on the guitar.
In this lesson i want to show you a simple pattern you can use to start combining the major and minor pentatonic scale. Lets check out which intervals make up these scales, and what that equates to in c. From the basic pentatonic scale guitar fretboard pattern to improvising using minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar neck. Its available on a pc or mac and there is a ipad, iphone and android app ready to go. A pentatonic scale, as the name implies, has only five notes. Home scales pentatonic scales different pentatonic scales for guitar most guitarists quickly become familiar with the elementary major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales. Adjust the start fret option to further highlight a finger pattern for playing the selected scale in a different position on the fretboard. Jguitars scale calculator will draw scale diagrams showing the fretboard with notes in the selected scale highlighted.
More than 44 exercises to develop speed and accuracy with pdf attachments. You might think of it as a major scale with the 4th and 7th removed. The minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. The minor pentatonic scale the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly utilized scales in just about all genres of music. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. The diamond shows the major root and the open circle shows the minor root. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. On this page youll find a complete guide to learning and using pentatonic scales on guitar. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. For example if you play this scale starting at the fifth fret on the low e string it is an a minor pentatonic scale consisting of the five notes a, c, d, e, and g.
This lesson allows your students to explore their musical creativity through improvisation by developing ideas for melodic lines using the aeolian mode. Lesson minor pentatonic scale all 5 positions youtube. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. All the fretboard diagrams below show c minor pentatonic, so the notes built on that root are c e. Here are pictures and notes of the minor pentatonic scales. It is thought that the pentatonic scale represents an early stage of musical development, because it is found, in different forms, in most of the worlds music.
The solution below shows the c minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. You will learn pentatonic scale, pentatonic blues scale and technical exercises to develop guitar licks and speed. Minor pentatonic can be seen as a stripped down version of natural minor, dorian and other minor scales. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic. This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a. Now take that previous base that we did and be happy using the g minor pentatonic in it. Different pentatonic scales for guitar altered pentatonics. What pentatonic scale can we use to improvise in blues. It is a very useful scale for improvising over major chords because, of the. Scale charts 6 minute read here is the definitive list of all the main scales that can be played in each of the first five positions. Cool and unusual applications of the minor pentatonic scale. Mixing major and minor scales like eric clapton youtube. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition pdf. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations.
For a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in. The minor pentatonic is a minor seventh arpeggio plus one note 4th so it works great over a minor chord. 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. As you will see from the first diagram below, if you were to place your finger on the. For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is most. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used in all styles of music. The widget that used to diplay them as a downloadable pdf kept crashing, so they are here as jpegs instead. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Pentatonic scale, also called fivenote scale or fivetone scale, musical scale containing five different tones. The tab shows how the pattern can be used to play either a 1 octave or a 2 octave c pentatonic scale. 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.
Often you can use one pentatonic scale, play around with it, and successf ully do a complete solo using just that scale. Mar 06, 2012 over the v7alt chord, use a minor pentatonic up a minor 3rd from the root of the v7alt chord g7alt, bb minor pentatonic. Recall that most scales in western music contain 7 notes e. The first thing to note is that to specify a key, you need both a root note and a formula. Draw a line to match the major pentatonic to its relative minor pentatonic. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so. Free pentatonic scales tutorial pentatonic guitar scales. A pentatonic scale is, as the name suggests, a five note scale. How to tell when you can use the e minor pentatonic scale in a way that musically works and actually sounds good.
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