AC/DC - Minor Pentatonic Scale Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (08:13) Minor Pentatonic Scale Intro to the Minor Pentatonic Scale

The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most important tool when building a blues solo or a blues riff. It is also widely used in all genres of music for solos, melodies, riffs, etc.

Music Theory

The minor pentatonic scale receives its name because it contains five notes. The prefix "penta" means five. "Tonic" means tone or note. These five notes are derived from the natural minor scale. The second and sixth scale degrees are omitted from the natural minor scale to form the minor pentatonic scale. For example, the A natural minor scale contains the following notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. If the second and sixth notes are taken away, the notes left are A, C, D, E, G, and A. These notes comprise the A minor pentatonic scale.

Note: For more music theory information pertaining to the minor and major pentatonic scales, please visit the JamPlay scale library. This feature can be accessed from the "Teaching Tools" section on the left side of the homepage.

Pentatonic Patterns

There are five patterns for the minor pentatonic scale. Occasionally, you may hear other guitarists refer to the five pentatonic patterns as the "pentatonic boxes." DJ teaches the most frequently used pentatonic pattern in this lesson. Each of the five patterns span two octaves. Also, all five patterns feature two notes on each string. This feature makes the pentatonic scale patterns easier to memorize than their seven note diatonic counterparts.

A Minor Pentatonic

DJ teaches the first pentatonic scale pattern in the key of A minor. Throughout this series, all of the musical examples have been presented in the key of A major. Although the minor pentatonic is minor rather than major in quality, it can be applied to melodies and solos within the context of the major 12 bar blues progression. In other words, you can play a blues solo in the key of A major using the minor pentatonic scale. The minor third interval within the scale creates a rich, blues-y sonority when played against the major third of the tonic chord.

Fingering the Pattern

When practicing through this pattern, adhere strictly to the left-hand fingerings that DJ demonstrates in the lesson video. These fingerings will allow you to play the scale with maximum control and speed. The first finger is used to play all of the notes at the fifth fret. The third finger plays all notes at the seventh fret. Finally, the pinkie is used for notes played at the eighth fret.

Alternate Picking

Use strict alternate picking when practicing through any scale pattern. Alternate picking allows you to play scalar lines at high tempos that cannot be played with downstrokes or upstrokes alone. Make sure that your downstrokes and upstrokes are identical in tone and volume.

Ascending and Descending the Pattern

Always ascend and descend when practicing a scale pattern. Ascend the pattern up to the highest note, which is the note C, played at the 8th fret of the high E string. Then, descend the pattern starting with the note A.

Practice Time!

When you begin to practice the scale, play as slow as you need to. Strive for rhythmic and tonal clarity. Practice all of your scales like you are playing a piece of music.

Once you have memorized this pattern and can play it in time with the metronome, practice the scale along with DJ at 04:12 in the lesson video. He plays through the scale again at a slightly quicker tempo at 05:03. At 05:35, DJ plays through the scale a final time at an even faster tempo.

Transposition

Similar to chords, all scale patterns that do not contain open strings can easily be transposed anywhere on the fretboard. To enhance your knowledge of the fretboard, you will eventually want to play all five of the pentatonic patterns in all 12 keys. Pay close attention to where the root notes occur within this pattern. These notes are used as a guide when transposing the scale to other keys.

To provide an example of the transposition process, DJ demonstrates how to play the pentatonic scale in the key of G minor. The key of G is one of the most commonly used keys in the blues genre. When transposing this pattern from A minor to G minor, simply slide the entire pattern back two frets. Now you are beginning this pattern at the 3rd fret with your first finger playing the tonic note, G. In this key, the pentatonic scale is comprised of the following notes: G, Bb, C, D, F, G.

Learning all of the note names across the low sixth string will enable you to transpose the pattern anywhere on the fretboard. Simply begin the pattern on the appropriate root note. For example, DJ demonstrates how the scale can be transposed to the keys of D minor and C minor. These root notes are located at the 10th fret and the 8th fret respectively.

Preview of the Next Lesson

In Lesson 6, DJ provides some exercises that will begin to apply the minor pentatonic scale to a practical musical context. These exercises are an excellent stepping stone towards improvising your own blues melodies and solos.

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