A different approach to the minor pentatonic scale blues. If you are stuck in the pentatonic box then this is the way. They are the same 5 notes as the major pentatonic scale, but the tonic of the scale is a different note. Now lets play the g minor pentatonic scale in the second position. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys.
Often times its thought of in a blues context, which of course the minor pentatonic scale lends itself to quite nicely. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar. How to play the minor pentatonic scale on bass guitar. When playing the a minor pentatonic scale, youll only ever need to use two fingers per string.
Minor pentatonic scale diagrams beginning on each of the 12 chromatic tones. This page contains guitar chord charts for, major chords, minor chords, power chords. And look again at one of the licks we did a while back to see how it fits in this pentatonic and blues scale mold example 40. The minor pentatonic scale consists of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th notes of the natural minor scale. This is because this scale is really the blues scale with one note missing. The solution below shows the d minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. Several of the requests mentioned the a minor pentatonic scale specifically.
Listen to mccoy tyner and john coltrane to get an understanding of the types of sounds created through improvising with. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. This article serves as a reference for navigating minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. Adding a note between the third and the fourth degrees yields the socalled blues scale. 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. A minor pentatonic it is important that if you are going to learn to improvise with this scale that you learn how it sounds. Mastering pentatonic scale theory welcome to the learning pentatonic scales page at gmc run by yours truly, the professor. Just rightclick on the link and choose save as to save it to your computer. The root note is used to name the particular key that this scale is played in. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found in musical cultures all over the world. The awesome part is that they contain the same note intervals with differing roots, so the patterns are the same.
Twooctave minor pentatonic scales are also available. I use this scale for soloing over minor and mayor blues progressions. The pentatonic scale is a great scale for improvising and soloing. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar.
Strum a g minor chord, then play the notes of the g minor pentatonic scale. Each of the five chapters focuses on 1 of the 5 patterns of the caged system. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. The scale is made up of five notes per octave, thats why it has the word penta, meaning 5 in greek. How to tell when you can use the e minor pentatonic scale in a way that musically works and. In the diagram below the first pentatonic scale pattern is shown together with four more patterns. However, i find that many musicians think about using this scale with a limited perspective. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale. Its arguably the most popular guitar scale, and no matter what type of music you play, this will add valuable skills for you as a lead guitarist. Show me chords that sound good with an e minor pentatonic scale. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. A minor pentatonic scale diagrams a minor pentatonic fretboard diagram.
Here are the 5 standard 2 notes per string positions for the a minor pentatonic scale. Master the minor pentatonic scale using the whole fretboard. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the. Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. The aeolian mode, or natural minor scale, is used in various styles of music and is a great way to introduce modal improvisation and tonality. If you are playing in a major key, then use the relative minor pentatonic scale. Now its time to use the mayor and minor pentatonic scale, but when i use a mayor pentatonic over a minor blues progression it does not sound right when i use minor pentatonic over mayor blues, it sounds good.
The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes. You just need to know the right notes for each key. Also, once you learn to play this scale, playing guitar modes in the key of c major or any other key, will be that much easier. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. This, and every, scale can be thought of in terms of a formula that shows how the scale can be derived from the notes of the major scale which is the. 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.
The seventh scale degree is a half step away from the tonic. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. 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. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. Learning how to play the minor pentatonic scale on bass guitar will add a lot of flavor to your playing because its one the most versatile scales. The interactive app below lets you generate fretboard charts of pentatonic scales in all keys with custom. Acoustic blues guitar unleashed playing on the porch style blues griff hamlin.
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. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. 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. The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly learned, practiced and used scale by guitarists of all genres. If the root note was on the 5th fret of the 6th string, which is an a note, the scale would be an a minor pentatonic scale. Note the root note of the scale as indicated above. All the fretboard diagrams below show c minor pentatonic, so the notes built on that root are c e. Well take a closer look at each of the new patterns below. The 5 minor pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons. However, the minor pentatonic scale has five different notes. The solution below shows the d minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef the lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes for a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale.
Practice each pattern and memorise the fingering required to play them. Jun 28, 2016 this is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal. The am pentatonic scale is a basic scale, but really the building block to playing and understanding other scales and playing lead guitar. A major pentatonic scale comes from a major scale by removing the 4th and 7th degrees. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. The tonic of theminor pentatonic scale is the note 3 semitones below the tonic of the major pentatonic scale. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system, scale degrees vs. So, let us deconstruct this scale and look at the intervals that make up a minor pentatonic scale. The aeolian mode starts on the sixth scale degree of the major scale, and is also known as the natural minor scale. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. Any note you hit in this scale, usually sounds right when soloing. Down top description of the minor pentatonic scale.
So a major pentatonic scale consists of only the 1 2 3. Understanding the major and the minor blues pentatonic. The open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. If you are playing in a minor key, use that minor pentatonic. Practice each playing through each position while paying close attention to the root note patterns for each position. The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. This is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note.
In this lesson, were going to switch it up from major scales and learn the minor pentatonic scale next. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Two notes per string the pentatonic is an ideal scale for the beginner and experienced pro alike because it only has two notes per string. A tab example has been provided for each of the new patterns. But as guitarists, we want to fly up and down the neck with ease. It tabs out the pentatonic scales in all 12 major and minor keys. You can also download the chart as a pdf by entering your. Click here for instant access to the 17 page pentatonic scales chart. Its a great way to make bass lines that are simple and sound good, or to take a bass solo. Minor pentatonic the 5 patterns all of the 5 pentatonic scale patterns overlap in the same way with some being easier shapes to play than others. After pattern 5 the sequence starts again with pattern 1 at the 12th fret for the e minor pentatonic scale. Once you are familiar with the intervallic characteristics of the scale, it should be very easy to play in any key.
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 a versatile and widely used scale. R 11 5 b7 b3 b3 1f 5 r 11 11 b7 b3 3f r 11 5 5 b7 5f b3 r 5 7f 11 b7 b7 b3 9f r r 11 5 b7 b3 r 11 5 12f b7 b3 b3 5 r 11 11 b7 b3 15f r 11 5 5 b7 17f b3 r 5 19f 11 b7. The 5 minor pentatonic scale patterns learning to play the. How to play the minor pentatonic scale on bass guitar dummies. The minor pentatonic scale is made up of these scale degrees. For some reason, we are attracted to that almost from the beginning and since a command of the entire fretboard doesnt usually come quickly enough, we get frustrated. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. Lets take a look at what makes the aeolian mode so unique. A minor pentatonic scale consists of 5 different notes.
You can use a minor pentatonic scale anytime you are playing in a minor key or over a minor chord. The structure of the minor pentatonic scale is very similar to the blues scale. I use the minor pentatonic scale for some time now. It is similar to the natural minor scale, the alteration is that you need to omit the second and the sixth notes from the minor scale.
Pentatonic scales with images pentatonic scale, guitar scales. The e minor pentatonic scale the e minor blues scale. Jun 10, 2016 the minor pentatonic scale is a fairly wellknown scale, and i imagine many of you have used it before. Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 5th pattern root note a guitar tuning. D minor pentatonic scale diagrams d minor pentatonic fretboard diagram. Below is a download link for the pentatonic scale pdf. Caged does a great job of associating major chords with pentatonic scale positions, but you. If playing in c major use a minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic. For example, in an a minor blues scale, the added note would be d sharp. The pdf is for members only, so youll need to login to download it. When we hear the seventh scale degree in the context of a piece of. For a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations.
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. The e minor pentatonic scale is a useful and fun guitar scale to know. The 5 minor pentatonic scale patterns learning to play. The aeolian mode starts on the sixth scale degree of the major scale, and is.
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. 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. 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. A pentatonic scale is a scale with 5 notes, while the blues scale is a scale with 6 notes, also known as a hexatonic scale. It can be used over minor chord progressions and major chord progressions, which is common in blues music. Pentatonic scales contain five notes, which is how it gets its name penta5, tonic tones. There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. 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. Learn the minor pentatonic scale in all 5 fingerboard positions. The root note of this scale is the lowest note on the 6th string. Learn the pentatonic scale guitar secrets, free online. The minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams.
For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics. Knowing this scale will make the blues, major pentatonic and minor scales easy to learn. The minor pentatonic scale uses the 1a, 3c, 4d, 5e, 7g notes of the scale. As the name would suggest, the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes. Welcome to video five in the lead guitar quickstart series. Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively. Chapter 6 major scales and key signatures 1 the seventh scale degree ti is a step below the tonic, so following the previous logic it should be called the subtonic. This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a blues context but.