Nick kellie discusses how santana uses the minor pentatonic and harmonic minor scales over progressions in minor keys. Jun 19, 2019 the most common pentatonic scale is the pentatonic minor scale, the scale that weve been discussing throughout this page. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. If you are playing a rock or blues song that is in the key of a, then you could use this scale pattern to play lead in the song. The variety of the blues scale that andrew goes through here has 6. Taught by nick kellie in style of santana with nick kellie series length. This scale is a mustknow melodic device for guitarists exploring the world of improvised music, be it in the jazz genre or otherwise.
Adjust the start fret option to further highlight a finger pattern for playing the selected scale in a different position on the fretboard. However you cant just use the a minor pentatonic scale anywhere. A different approach to the minor pentatonic scale. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Pentatonics can also be used in a variety of ways from a one scale fits all approach to using a. From the basic pentatonic scale guitar fretboard pattern to improvising using minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar neck.
Hey, im troy roberts and today were going to talk about pentatonic scales. The minor pentatonic scale is a minor scale that contains 5 notes. Major pentatonic scales are especially common in traditional folk music, country and gospel. Jun 28, 2016 this is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note. Strum a g minor chord, then play the notes of the g minor pentatonic scale. Different pentatonic scales for guitar altered pentatonics. When you learn the minor pentatonic scale patterns you are also learning the major pentatonic scale patterns this is because of relative keys.
A minor pentatonic scale is a five note scale penta meaning five with a numeric formula of 1. You could play these licks over a iivv blues progression where a7 is the i. Once you are familiar with the intervallic characteristics of the scale, it should be very easy to play in any key. 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. The scale is made up of five notes per octave, thats why it has the word penta, meaning 5 in greek. In this case, thats e, so weve got the g major pentatonic being g, a, b, d, and e. 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. The solution below shows the b 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. The minor and major pentatonic scales use the same scale patterns. Get your guitar, turn on the radio and find the key of a song, try minor pentatonic scale, major pentatonic scale or blues scales over it. The pentatonic scale is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. The solution below shows the g 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. In these bass scales pdf we leave you the three most common fingering to play well. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found in musical cultures all over the world.
On this page youll find a complete guide to learning and using pentatonic scales on guitar. Examples of heptatonic scales are the major scale and the minor scale. Your starting and emphasis notes determine which scale will sound. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar. The minor pentatonic scale box patterns on guitar fretboard. The comprehensive scale catalog is an extensive set of scales that can serve to inspire melodies in your flute playing. The catalog is meant to be a tool for exploration of. Illustrated below is the basic box shape c major pentatonic and its relative minor, a minor pentatonic.
The solution below shows the b minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. Jguitars scale calculator will draw scale diagrams showing the fretboard with notes in the selected scale highlighted. C major pentatonic scales can also be viewed as a minor pentatonic scales. Both scales consist of the same notes c, d, e, g, and a. A minor pentatonic guitar scales guitar scales chart. Its its relative minor, so we can find this by starting on the 6th of the major scale degree or the last note of the major pentatonic scale.
A different approach to the minor pentatonic scale blues. They are still used all over the world, for example traditional music, country music, blues and metal. All you would have to do is start the pattern on the 5th fret of the 6th. Combining minor and major pentatonic scales guitarhabits. The pentatonic scales have 5 which gives them their name, most of the other scales used in 98% of western music, from classical to metal major, minor and their modes have 7. Download minor pentatonic scales 5 positions and application. Minor pentatonic scale in all keys the key to playin in key. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. Even better, the minor pentatonic works well over both major and minor chord progressions. Dont let the word pentatonic scare you off, it just means a five note scale. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively.
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. Come suonare semplici lick sulla pentatonica minore nello stile di david gilmour. 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 scales are used to create solos or melodies. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. The 5 minor pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. This article serves as a reference for navigating minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. And again please remember to practice all these minor pentatonic scale box patterns in all keys. The way a pentatonic scale is built or where it derives from is from the major scale. Its vital that you know where and when you can use it. F g b all the fretboard diagrams below show c minor pentatonic, so the notes built on that root are c e. The best known are the major and the minor pentatonic scales but. Pentatonic scales in positions it is also available as a pdf download.
A major pentatonic guitar scales guitar scales chart. There are other pentatonic scales including the pentatonic major scale, but as weve found, when most guitarists talk about the pentatonic scale, they mean the pentatonic minor scale. Pdf minor pentatonic scales 5 positions and application. The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes. Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. 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. This is because this scale is really the blues scale with one note missing.
It is the act of committing patterns and shapes of chord patterns and lead scales to memory that will help you advance on the guitar quickly. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. This step shows the g minor pentatonic scale on the piano, treble clef and. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning. 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. But there are many different pentatonic scales you can learn to harmonise with more specific chord types. This fivenote scale is similar to the major scale, but with the 4th and 7th degrees removed. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system. For example, in an a minor blues scale, the added note would be d sharp.
Home scales pentatonic scales different pentatonic scales for guitar most guitarists quickly become familiar with the elementary major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. Most of the choices are using the standard minor pentatonic scale and i am also using a m6 pentatonic scale. You will be learning two types of pentatonic scales, one is the minor pentatonic scale and the other will be the major 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. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. 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. Applying the minor pentatonic scale to the fretboard. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. The minor pentatonic scale is made up of these scale degrees. These minor pentatonic scale exercises are especially useful for anyone studying for their rockschool or rgt grade 34 electric guitar exams. Here are three exercises showing how the minor pentatonic scale can be used in a major 2 5 1 progression.
Compare these scales c major pentatonic and a minor pentatonic with the c major and a minor scales, respectively. The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. Now lets play the g minor pentatonic scale in the second position. G major e minor pentatonic scale guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. Blues rock pentatonic licks gilmour style guitar lesson. The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly learned, practiced and used scale by guitarists of all genres. For a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. The notesintervals for the minor pentatonic scale can be found all over the fretboard. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. May 30, 2017 how to play 3 short pentatonic licks in the style of david gilmour.
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. 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 word pentatonic comes from the greek word pente which. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. Many players use them to get out of a rut and expand their music. This type of scale has five notes per octave unlike a heptatonic scale which has seven notes. This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a blues context but. Scale pentatonic minor 1,b3,4,5,b7 5th pattern root note a guitar tuning. Pentatonic scales for guitar a pentatonic scale has just 5 notes. All scales not normal were excluded from the results, please use the options below to see d minor pentatonic again with all the other scales compared to it options.
D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so. All the fretboard diagrams below show c minor pentatonic, so the notes built on that root are c e. Here is the equation of the minor pentatonic, have a look at how it relates to the natural minor scale. Learn how to play major minor pentatonic scales in this howcast video. 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 practical guide to using the minor pentatonic scale will be of true benefit to you once you are. And if you practice your pentatonic scales and box patterns until youre blue in the face, you will no doubt be pretty good at playing those box patterns. Major pentatonic scale the major pentatonic scale shares five notes with the major scale. When playing the a minor pentatonic scale, youll only ever need to use two fingers per string. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Learn the pentatonic scale guitar secrets, free online. Now lets combine the notes of the minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scale and create some soloing ideas. 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. Print and download in pdf or midi pentatonic scales.
This is also a great way of learning guitar concepts from a practical, real life, playing point of view, without having to spend years learning music theory. As they say in baseball, you play how you practice. The minor pentatonic scale in action ok, now we know how to play the minor pentatonic and the blues scale, lets talk about how we can put them into action. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. The minor pentatonic scale is one of the first scales you should learn as a guitar player, its simple and easy to learn. 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. To know when you can use this scale, you must understand how musical keys work. One of the things that the minor pentatonic scale does not do that well is.
It produces two types of tonalities major and minor and is one of the most commonly used scales in blues, pop and rock. The two licks below use notes of both minor and major pentatonic scales. Both the pentatonic and the blues scales are particularly suitable for playing rock and 12 bar blues with. Notice that the major pentatonic took 5 notes from the major scale, as we said, and were 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 degrees. The open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. The solution below shows the g minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. The minor pentatonic scale is a fivenote scale constructed from the scale degrees of root, b3 rd, 4 th, 5th, and b7th. In this lesson you will learn how to build, play, practice and solo with the minor pentatonic scale in a jazz guitar setting. The pentatonic scale pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. The diagram below shows all the notes in the g minor pentatonic from frets 3 through 15.
Whole and a half, whole, whole, whole and a half, whole. For example, the c major scale shares the same notes as. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. The minor pentatonic scale consists of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th notes of. The minor pentatonic scale on bass is fundamental for improvisation as it. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations.