The minor pentatonic scale is really good fun and relatively simple to learn. It is used in loads of riffs and lead patterns and also as the basis of writing many songs.
You can learn the first shape and start having fun with it straight away.
I often teach this scale first because there is so much fun to be had with relatively little requirement for practicing scales. And once you have learned the minor pentatonic, it is a very simple and easy jump to learn the major pentatonic. And once you know the major pentatonic, you are only a couple of notes short of learning the entire major scale.
And the major scale is ALL POWERFUL!!!
So let us begin upon this journey with the minor pentatonic:
E Minor Pentatonic Scale.
Why E minor?
- It seems like a sensible place to start, as the very lowest note on the guitar is an E
- The lower notes of the first shape make a straight line of open strings, making it really easy to jump straight in and get started
- E minor is relative to G major. Why is this important? Well, the next scale I would suggest learning would be the G major scale. G major is relative to E minor, meaning that they comprise all of the same notes (see the articles on modes). The pentatonic is simply a complete scale, but missing two notes. As there are 7 notes in a full scale (8 including the root twice), this leaves 5 notes (or tones between top and bottom), hence “pentatonic”. So once you have the E minor pentatonic, you only have to add two extra notes for it to become a full G major, or E minor scale.
The first block of numbers below shows each of the actual shapes. There are five shapes in total (coincidence, eh?), so the last shape is just to demonstrate that when you reach an octave up (12th fret for the E scale) you go back to the first shape again.
The scales that follow simply show you how to play the notes from the first two shapes in ascending order, to help clear up any possible confusion on what to do with the shapes.
A scale like this is the most basic pentatonic scale. What you want to do is to play them in different and changing combinations of runs up and down. You will also want to listen to other lead guitarists use the scales and what they do with them. Only by listening to other musicians use the scales and playing with them yourself will you develop your own lead breaks.
Good luck!
|-0-3-5-7-10-12-15-----------------------0-3---------------------3-5--|
|-0-3-5-8-10-12-15-------------------0-3---------------------3-5------|
|-0-2-4-7--9-12-14---------------0-2---------------------2-4----------|
|-0-2-5-7--9-12-14-----------0-2---------------------2-5--------------|
|-0-2-5-7-10-12-14-------0-2---------------------2-5------------------|
|-0-3-5-7-10-12-15---0-3---------------------3-5----------------------|
Once you have learned these shapes (there are only five in total), you can play the scale in different keys by simply moving your starting point up and down the fret board.
See how you get on.
Stages of Mastering the Guitar
Tags: minor, pentatonic, scale, tabs
0