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Pentatonic Scale | Free Online Guitar Lesson
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The minor pentatonic scale is the most commonly used scale among blues, jazz, rock, metal, and country guitarists. It finds its way into countless improvised solos in all these genres. For this reason, mastery of the scale is of the utmost importance.Playing the Scale
This scale is derived from the Natural Minor Scale. It consists of 5 notes, hence the name “pentatonic”. The prefix “penta” means five. Tonic means tones or notes. These five notes are the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th scale degrees derived from the Natural Minor Scale. In the key of A minor, these notes are A, C, D, E, and G. These notes are chosen because they are most consonant against a diatonic progression. B and F are notes that are generally used to create tension. As a result, they are omitted from the pentatonic scale.
By adding a blues note (the b5 or Eb) to the minor pentatonic scale, the minor blues scale is formed. As a result, the fingering of these two scales is very similar.
Note: Open the “Supplemental Content” tab for a fretboard diagram of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. This pattern spans two octaves of the scale.
Notice how Brad has labeled each note on the diagram. The root note of the scale, A, is denoted by a red circle. Each note in the scale is labeled by its scale degree. The scale degree describes how a note functions within the scale. For example, A is the root of the scale. The second note in the scale, C, is labeled as the b3. A b3 indicates that the scale is minor.
When Brad refers to this scale pattern as the “1st Position” scale, he means that this scale pattern is the most common pentatonic pattern. When played in the key of A minor, this scale pattern is played in fifth position on the fretboard. There are four other minor pentatonic patterns that are used with lower frequency.
The left hand fingering used for the pentatonic scale is quite similar to the fingering of the blues scale. The first finger frets all notes at the 5th fret. The third finger frets all 7th fret notes. The pinky frets the notes at the 8th fret.Applying the Pentatonic Scale
Brad gives a string-by-string breakdown of the scale fingering at 2:30.
This scale is a great source to generate blues licks from. The first lick Brad demonstrates is a review from a previous lesson. This lick is then combined with a similar, second lick. This lick features a finger roll with the pinky finger. This technique is applied to fret the 8th fret notes.
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Phase 2 of our teaching method focuses on genre specific techniques and skills. After you have mastered all of the lessons and topics covered in Phase 1, you then move onto your preferred genre of music. Our phase 2
lessons are taught with the overall idea that you are already equipped with a basic understanding of the guitar, how to play notes, read tablature, and position your finger correctly.
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