E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. Pentatonic and blues scales covers the essential guitar theory for the minor pentatonic scale, major pentatonic scale and the blues scale and highlights the characteristics of each scale with useful licks and exercises. By adding just one note, we transform e minor pentatonic into a funky, bluesy, distinct sound. Of the two main types of scale patterns that you need to learn, the pentatonic patterns are the simplest and easiest to finger and pick. But there are many different pentatonic scales you can learn to harmonise with more specific chord types. How to use the pentatonic scale as major and minor on the. Learn these legendary scales that have shaped rock music into what it is today. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Notice how both an e minor em chord and a g major chord fit into pentatonic pattern 1 in the open position. Well also go over a muting technique in this lesson, so you can play a clean sound with every note.
The pentatonic scale can function as both major and minor on the guitar. The difference between major and minor pentatonic scales. Minor pentatonic scales all minor scales contain the root 1, minor 3rd b3 and 5th 5, as these intervals make up the minor triad the foundation of all minor chords. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Guitarscales wikibooks, open books for an open world. In this lesson, we are going to discuss the theory behind pentatonic scales and look at how to play them up and down the neck. Notice how both an e minor em chord and a g major chord fit. There is both a major and a minor pentatonic scale which, as the name implies. Learn to master both major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. What guitar scales to learn guitar music theory by desi. The lessons on this page are geared towards helping you build a strong understanding of each of the various pentatonic scales, how they are built, how they are related and how they relate to chords and arpeggios when. This, and every, scale can be thought of in terms of a formula that shows how the scale can be derived from the notes of the major scale which is the. As the name suggests, a pentatonic scale is a 5note scale.
Understanding the major and the minor blues pentatonic. Text support is on the web site and also in a proper old skool paper book which can be ordered from. Sometimes its easier to think of a major pentatonic scale that starts and ends on degree 6. The c major and a minor pentatonic scales consist of the very same notes and patterns. The 5 major pentatonic scale shapes positions guitarhabits. Dominant chords have a major third and a minor seventh b7. In this lesson, we are going to look at another scale the minor. This book gives you a quick guide to playing basic riffs while teaching and explaining the pentatonic scales and more. Constructing major scales this is the starting point for understanding all music theory natural minor scales minor scale construction, and the relationship between major and minor. For example, playing a b minor pentatonic scale, by starting on the 2nd fret of the 5th string would look like this. Language sitemap guitar scale major pentatonic pattern 15 fingering major pentatonic scale pattern 15 fingering in a major root.
If you dont understand what the i, iv, v chord thing means, you might wanna check out practical music theory. Every pentatonic key can have one of two possible tonalities. Aug 27, 2018 the major pentatonic can be formed from any seven note major scale by simply leaving out the fourth and seventh note. Major and minor bass guitar scales bass books and music. You can start with e minor pentatonic, but the same notes and patterns can also produce g major pentatonic. The major and minor scales may be musiceducation stalwarts, but they sound a bit academic when used over chord progressions. When you seehear a guitarist playing chords, theyre playing rhythm guitar. The tonalities are called relative major and relative minor. They both use the same first degree, however it is the interval between the first degree and the third that defines a scales modality. In this tutorial instead of using note names ill refer to scale degree numbers 1 7 of the major and minor scales. The major and minor pentatonic scales are some of the most common scales in pop, rock and blues music. The a minor pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used guitar scales of all, particularly in the blues genre. Different pentatonic scales for guitar most guitarists quickly become familiar with the elementary major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales.
Various positions of the major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar with the fingering on the guitar neck. If you were to play a c major pentatonic scale you would play the notes c, d, e, g, a. You can use the interval structure to figure out the minor pentatonic scale in every key, just like with the major scale. Guitar scales handbook is the product of these efforts and is designed for beginner through advanced guitarists. The minor pentatonic scale has the same interval structure as the major pentatonic scale but they are in a different order from the root note. The name pentatonic indicates that there are only five notes in this scale penta means five, unlike most other scales which have six, seven or more notes. A resource for learning guitar theory and applying it to the guitar fretboard skip to content. The trick is to find interesting and effective exercises to make your fingers remember those scales one recommendation i can make here is william lea. Each page includes a fingerboard diagram, and a bass riff is presented to exemplify the sound and structure of each scale and mode. The minor pentatonic scale has a minor third, which may clash with the chords minor third. Although the pentatonic scale is not the only scale available for playing rock lead, it is. The major scale is a major triad extended with the second and the sixth step. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music. Aug 25, 2009 the justinguitar beginners guitar course, a series of over 100 lessons on guitar for beginners.
Every paragraph and page points to other books by author in an obvious. But as with major, there are pentatonic scales better suited to certain minor chord types, based on the intervals being used. Mastering pentatonic scale theory welcome to the learning pentatonic scales page at gmc run by yours truly, the professor. Those who use pentatonic scales because they are easy to get into and. Learn how the theory is applied to the neck of the guitar. My pentatonic lead guitar studies are 55 pages of must know musical information that really works built around the pentatonic scale. Learn to play major and minor pentatonic scale patterns and licks all over the neck play guitar in 14 days connecting pentatonic patterns the essential guide for all guitarists book audio the guitarists scale book. This makes it easy to transpose the scale into different keys and will help give you a broader view of the concepts.
In the following lesson, youll learn to play the major and minor pentatonic scale in five positions, all over the guitar fretboard. For these example exercises we will use the a minor pentatonic scale and a 12 bar blues form in a major. These scales are simultaneously the most used and sometimes most purposely avoided of all scales on the guitar. I have a dvd and download called master the major scale which goes into a detailed practical approach to learning to use that. In this lesson, well be learning the major pentatonic scale, which is very versatile and used in many music genres. 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 justinguitar beginners guitar course, a series of over 100 lessons on guitar for beginners.
A pentatonic scale is like any other scale notes separated by intervals, but it contains just 5 tones, hence the greek word pentatonic, which simply means five. 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. In the first diagram, you see where the c note and c chord tones are located in the pattern. Dan cross is a professional guitarist and former private instructor who has experience teaching and playing various styles of music. Guitar pentatonic and blues scales fundamental changes. Introduction to the major pentatonic scale zombie guitar. The following scales in 1, 2, and 3 octaves with fingerings and music theory are covered in the book. I am not the only guitarplaying quoran to owe a debt to this book. Notice that the major pentatonic took 5 notes from the major scale, as we said, and were 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 degrees. Learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale effortlessly anywhere.
The pattern for the major and minor scales are different. To understand how this works, look at this example. The minor part is extended with the fourth and the seventh step. These extensions are consonant as opposed to dissonant thus making the scale easy to work with. The pentatonic scales for guitar includes online access code. That gives me motivation and makes me want to play man i love that sound. For example, the relative minor of c is a minor, and the notes which form c major pentatonic and a minor pentatonic are the same. If you were playing the c minor pentatonic you would play the notes c, eb, f, g, bb. In all of my years of teaching guitar lessons, ive found there are typically 2 kinds of guitarists. There are the 5 moveable major pentatonic positions on the guitar fretboard. It produces two types of tonalities, major and minor, with the sound dependent upon how you use it. For rock guitar, youll want to learn to play the pentatonic scale, which supplies you with better melodic fodder. That is, a natural minor scale without degrees 2 and 6. The diagram below shows all the notes in the g minor pentatonic from frets 3 through 15.
How to construct major and minor pentatonic scales music. Pentatonic scales and the caged system lead guitar playing part. We focused on major scales, because they are in a sense, the master scale. Music theory for guitar major vs minor pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale is used both for soloing, and for basing song riffs around. There are a few reasons that the penatonic scales are the short cut for the scales. Understanding the major and the minor blues pentatonic scales leg024 i continue to try and break the code on guitar.
The difference between the a minor pentatonic and the a major pentatonic is their modality. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. In pentatonic scale pattern one as i teach it in my fretboard theory guitar theory program the first note is always the relative. 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. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Minor pentatonic scale stage 7 guitar lesson guitar for. Find or record a backing track that is in the key of c major, and play the above scale shape with your first finger located on the 5th fret and your pinky finger located on the 8th fret.
Those who avoid pentatonic scales because they believe they are overused or too simple. There are many different ways of playing an a major pentatonic scale on guitar. The trick is to find interesting and effective exercises to make your fingers remember those scales. The major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. Jun 28, 2016 it produces two types of tonalities major and minor and is one of the most commonly used scales in blues, pop and rock. The a minor pentatonic scale contains exactly the same notes as the c major pentatonic, were just starting from a different place. Online guitar books guitar lessons by genaaron diamente.
Different pentatonic scales for guitar altered pentatonics. Contains guitar theory, pentatonic licks, exercises and sequences. Learn to play major and minor pentatonic scale patterns and licks all over the neck play guitar in 14 days. Welcome to video four of the lead guitar quickstart series. Which ever root note you start on will be the key that the scale is in. Browse a new selection of discounted kindle books each month. Sep 15, 2018 even better, the minor pentatonic works well over both major and minor chord progressions. Text support is on the web site and also in a proper old skool paper book which can be. Damon ferrante, guitar instructor and music professor, guides you through 100 stepbystep lessons and 18 streaming videos that are designed to improve your guitar technique, musicality, and give your playing and songwriting more power, color and expressiveness. The central idea is to use the pentatonic box as a visual reference while targeting chord tones. This interactive book and video course is all that you will ever need for learning guitar scales. You see the same pentatonic notes and pattern in these diagrams. My blues lead guitar series will teach you all about using the minor pentatonic, the blues scale, the major pentatonic, dorian and mixolydian modes.
If you like the sound of these two scales, check out my indepth free guitar lesson on pentatonic scales. Compare these scales c major pentatonic and a minor pentatonic with the c major and a minor scales, respectively. Can somebody recommend a good book on pentatonic scales for. If you look to the pictures on the right, you will see 4 of the most commonly used minor scales in modern music hexatonic minor being far less important than the other 4. How to use the pentatonic scale as major and minor on the guitar. The minor pentatonic scale is 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 of the natural minor scale. The two most common pentatonic scales are the major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales. The answer is that the pentatonic scale is either major or minor depending on which note is functioning as the tonic, which means primary pitch called root when dealing with a chord. Applying the minor pentatonic scale to the fretboard. For long i have though of the pentatonic scale mostly minor as a scale you play in blues situations. Using the major scale to produce the minor pentatonic. Guitarists with an interest in learning to play lead guitar must learn their pentatonic scales. In this lesson well take a deep dive into the scale and explore some examples of its many uses. Guitar pentatonic and blues scales fundamental changes music.
In the previous lesson we discussed what scales are, why theyre important, and the many benefits of learning them well. Minor pentatonic scale stage 7 guitar lesson guitar. The pentatonic minor is the 5 common notes of minor scales with a b7 the pentatonic minor is the skeleton or framework of a minor scale with a flat seven. There are major and minor pentatonic scales that share the same notes. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read guitar scales major pentatonic.
It produces two types of tonalities major and minor and is one of the most commonly used scales in blues, pop and rock. There are major and minor pentatonic scales that share the. The only difference is that the tonic first note of the scale of the minor pentatonic is 3 semitones half steps below the tonic of. How to play the pentatonic scale on guitar dummies. Mastering pentatonic scale theory 3831 guitar lessons.
In this lesson we learn about minor pentatonic scales and the caged system. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Apr 16, 2016 introduction to the major pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. The most common pentatonic choice for minor chords is. Pdf e book lead guitar licks lesson pentatonic scales rock. Sep 26, 2018 the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music. As its title implies, this comprehensive book presents major, minor, pentatonic and blues scales, in all keys, plus mixolydian, dorian, lydian, phrygian and locrian modes. The difference is which note is functioning as the tonic primary pitch. Christopher will show you how to spice up your blues licks by adding major scales notes to the minor pentatonic box blues shapes. Major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar fingering. Difference between major and minor pentatonic guitar players often ask me what makes pentatonic scale patterns major or minor.
The minor pentatonic scale consists of the same 5 notes of the major pentatonic. Guitar lesson pentatonic scale shapes, history and use. What guitar scales to learn guitar music theory by desi serna. The notesintervals for the minor pentatonic scale can be found all over the fretboard. The shapes of the major pentatonic scale are exactly the same as those of the minor pentatonic scale, except the root note is located else where looking at it from the major scale, if you leave out the 4th and the 7th note of the major scale youll also end. As the name would suggest, the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes. Recall that most scales in western music contain 7 notes e. The pentatonic scale is a five tone, or five note, scale. There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. Pentatonic and blues scales covers the essential guitar theory for the minor pentatonic scale, major pentatonic scale and the blues scale and highlights the. 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. Learn about the similarities and differences between the major and minor pentatonic scales be sure to subscribe to our channel because well be adding at least one new free guitar.
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