Second Position - Online Guitar Lesson Video

lesson summary

Lesson 12 of 47 in our Rock Series: Second Position

It's time to move on and learn the second position of the blues and pentatonic scales! Learning the second position will increase the possibilities available to you while improvising.

Chapter 1: (0:35) Introduction In lesson 11, you learned the first box of the minor pentatonic scale. In lesson 12, Brad continues to discuss the minor pentatonic boxes. This lesson features the second most common pattern for both the A minor pentatonic scale and the A minor blues scale.

Watch any great guitarist play a solo. Chances are he/she doesn’t stay in one position throughout the solo. Most solos feature several different position shifts. By learning every box or pattern of the minor pentatonic scale, you will develop the ability to navigate any area of the neck during a solo. Also, you will be able to reach notes in the extreme high and low registers of the guitar.

Chapter 2: (7:08) Second Position Scales Many guitarists refer to the 2nd box of the blues scale as the “Albert King” box. Blues legend Albert King played most of his solo licks in this pattern of the blues scale.

Once again, Brad presents the minor pentatonic and minor blues scale in the key of A minor. A red circle marks the root note of each scale. A yellow circle marks the blues note, or b5 scale degree. An additional blues note is frequently added to this pentatonic box. The pinky finger frets the 11th fret of the high E string to add another blues note option.

Left Hand Fingering

When practicing the scale, adhere to the following rules:
1. Always start and end a scale on the root note. The root of both scales is found on the 7th fret of the D string. This gives the scale a logical beginning and conclusion. Play up to the highest note in the pattern on the high E string. Then descend the pattern to the lowest note on the low E string. From this point, you must ascend the scale back up to its root note on the D string.

2. There are no position or finger shifts within the scale. Notes at the 7th fret are fretted with the first finger. The second finger frets 8th fret notes. The third finger plays the 9th fret. The pinky covers all notes at the 10th fret.

3. When using this box to play a solo however, use whatever fingering is most conducive to playing the lick. For example, most guitarists fret the notes on the B and E strings with the first and third fingers, rather than the second and fourth fingers. Techniques such as string bending and rapid slurring are much easier to play with these two fingers.
Brad demonstrates how to play the blues scale first. To play the pentatonic pattern, simply remove the blues note on the 3rd string (8th fret).

Combining the Pentatonic Boxes

At 5:20, Brad demonstrates how to combine the first box of the pentatonic scale with the second box in the course of the solo. Notice how he adjusts some of his left hand fingerings to accommodate the licks he plays.

As you have noticed by now, several of the notes in the scale overlap into both patterns. For example, all notes at the 7th fret are contained within both patterns. Points in the scale that overlap both patterns serve as excellent “pivot points” within a lick. Use these points within a box, to shift to a higher or lower box. In Brad’s solo, he uses the 7th fret of the G string to slide into the second box. He accomplishes this by sliding his third finger up from the 7th fret to the 9th fret. Later, he transitions back into the first box using the 7th fret again. This time around, he slides his first finger back to the 5th fret from the 7th fret.

Before you begin to experiment with transitioning from box to box, spend a significant amount of time familiarizing yourself with improvising in the second pentatonic box. Then, begin to experiment with transitioning from one box to the other. Force yourself to begin a solo in one box, then shift to the other box.

IMPORTANT! Do not rely upon fingerings and patterns you have memorized to develop your licks. If you do, your licks will sound mechanical, and they will lack any sort of musicality. Rather, use your ears to navigate through a scale once you have memorized its fingering.

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Brad Henecke: Performing Classic Rock Guitarist

Brad Henecke was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 5th of 1963. He has been a fan of music for as long as he & his family can remember. You could always find him running around the farm wailing on his cardboard guitar, pretending to be a member of the rock band KISS. Additional inspiration came during his first concert when he got the chance to see Boston & Sammy Hagar in the early 1970’s. This opened up a whole new world of rock and roll music for him; his parents noticed his growing interest in music and enrolled him into guitar lessons when he was 13.

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He currently jams on his all-time favorite guitar: a Paul Reed Smith Custom 24. Beyond guitar, he plays also plays drums & bass guitar. He has also been known to thrash a banjo from time to time. He is still actively playing & passing his 31 years of playing experience on to others (you!).

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Second Position | Free Online Guitar Lesson