But the important difference is the location of the root, which is of course different for major and minor pentatonic scales. Major pentatonic scale the major pentatonic scale shares five notes with the major scale. Pay attention to the layover from each of the neighboring shapes. If you are playing in a major key, then use the relative minor pentatonic scale. If you are playing in g major, use e minor pentatonic scale also know as g major pentatonic you have probably noticed that the pentatonic scale can be either a major. As the name would suggest, the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the. If you look closely, youll notice the pentatonic scale doesnt contain any semitones 12 steps.
This is not universal, but its the clearest scheme ive encountered. Youll find below the 5 different positions shapes of the c major pentatonic uke scale in standard tuning gcea, along with their ascending tab patterns. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale. Looking at it from the major scale, if you leave out the 4th and.
This is a common sound most associated with country, southern rock. The notes are the same, therefore, the pattern is the same. The only difference is which root notes you choose to target. One of my readers, tim, sent me an email right after that lesson went live and asked about the same concept using minor pentatonic scales so. Now youll want to get these 2 shapes under your fingers right away. The root notes in this case a, are shown by the black dots, the other notes in the scale are shown by the red dots. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. C major pentatonic uke scale w,w,wh,w,wh on the soprano. This week im going to revisit the pentatonic scale. Mar 15, 2014 the five caged scale shapes c shape, a shape, g shape, e shape and d shape surround the entire fretboard. Starts on 3rd of the pentatonic scale starts on 5th of the pentatonic scale starts on 6th of the pentatonic scale.
The major pentatonic is easy to learn if you already know the minor pentatonic scale. Major pentatonic guitar shapes lead guitar lessons. Minor pentatonic shapes guitar scale overlapping life. This is an important quality of the pentatonic scale and goes a long way toward explaining why the pentatonic scale is so versatile and can sound good over virtually any chord progression. This article serves as a reference for navigating minor pentatonic scales all over the guitar fretboard. Master the pentatonic scale for guitar with these 5 easy. How to connect the pentatonic patterns on the guitar dummies.
Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject. The 5 major scale caged shapes positions guitarhabits. With each of the shapes we learn, there will be a chord shape that will go along with it. 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. Finger one is the key of the major pentatonic say g and the 3rd finger is em. Youll find below the 5 different positionsshapes of the c major pentatonic uke scale in standard tuning gcea, along with their ascending tab patterns.
Apr 22, 2016 the point of all of this is that you get a 2for1 deal when learning the pentatonic shapes. The two extended scale forms shown far right use the 2string, 5note unit shown immediate right as a building block. For each pattern that you learn you are playing two scales. Or jump to 6 mins ish to watch and learn the 5 shapes. After the 5th position, the patterns just repeat, starting with the 1st position. The expanded i scale combines boxes 5, 1, and 2 while the expanded ii scale combines boxes 3, 4, and 5. The horizontal scale forms shown to the right are one way around this problem. Chord tone soloing series part 6 all 5 caged shapes. Similar to the major scale in the caged system, the pentatonic scale contains five patterns that are each connected to the pattern above and below it on the fretboard. The 5 pentatonic scale shapes the names refer to the chord shape made up of the red and green dots that is surrounded by the scale shape. The 5 box method cuts the scale up into 5 distinct patterns that you learn individually. To do so, simply connect pattern 5 to another pattern 1, as shown here. These expanded pentatonic scales double the fret span of the single box patterns.
The aeolian mode natural minor is the 6th mode of the major scale. Also, the pentatonic scale can be easily turned into the blues scale by adding the blues. So all five scale shapes see below are g major scale. Ive written them out in the key of a but they of course work in any key. This scale is transpositional and can be played in, and should be practiced in, all keys. Well, the correct name which can sometimes be a bit subjective will depend on which note the music is pulling towards i e which note appears more. The point of all of this is that you get a 2for1 deal when learning the pentatonic shapes. As opposed to the major scale which has 8 notes, the pentatonic scale only has 5, making it easier to remember. A pentatonic scale is a five note scale derived from the major scale. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. The minor pentatonic scale by paul tauterouff the minor pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly scales used in rock, blues, country and jazz music. The word pentatonic implies that there are five notes in these scales, and that is correct. Hi, please take the time to listen to the instructions for learning the accelerated way to learn and memorise the 5 pentatonic positions. Both the pentatonic major scale and minor scale have the same patterns.
As you can see below there are only 2 shapes you need to memorize in order to play every major and minor barre chord with the root on the 6th e string. Guitar lesson pentatonic scale shapes, history and use. In the following lesson, youll learn to play the major and minor pentatonic scale in five positions, all over the guitar fretboard. You can apply these scale shapes to all 12 keys by simply moving the shapes up or down the fretboard. The first major pentatonic scale shape starts with our g root note on the 3rd fret of the 6th string. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal scale forms although the scale forms above make it relatively easy to see how the scale relates to the underlying chord, they do not always o. These notes create a pentatonic 5note scale that is easy to see, and can be accompanied effectively by just one or two chords. 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 reference point for most things music theory related. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. In this post we use the g major scale as an example. Pdf guitar scales major pentatonic download full pdf.
The minor pentatonic scale uses the 1a, 3c, 4d, 5e, 7g notes of the scale. Major pentatonic scale the major pentatonic scale shares five notes. Illustration courtesy of desi serna this new pattern 1 is identical to. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. Heres a lesson that walks guitarists through learning to play the major and minor pentatonic scale in five positions, all over the guitar fretboard. The five caged scale shapes c shape, a shape, g shape, e shape and d shape surround the entire fretboard. In case you missed it, last week i did a lesson on guitar modal scales and how they overlap. Particularly the minor pentatonic scale and how it overlaps notes in its parent major key. Ill admit, this is a lot of information and it can be tough to digest all at once, but remember you only need to focus on one scale at a time. The intervals of the major scale that create half steps 4th7th are removed from the scale. By eliminating a few notes we end up with the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. This is the modern formula recognized as a major pentatonic scale.
We will begin by improvising melodies using only the black notes of the piano. We can add the flat 5, b5, or blue note to the pentatonic scale, making it a sixnote scale called the blues scale. Sep 26, 2018 the pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used in all styles of music. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard. If you were to play the pentatonic scale 20 times a day, 5 days a week for one. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Pentatonic scales for guitar a pentatonic scale has just 5 notes. It uses the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth steps of the major scale. The 5 minor pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons.
The easy way to learn the pentatonic scales is with the 5 box pattern method. When the player wants to lighten things up, the major pentatonic is the scale of choice. The musical styles that use the major pentatonic are country, blues, fusion, jazz and rock. As its name implies the major pentatonic scale is made up of five notes, penta means five and. The shapes are sometimes also referred to as positions. Once learned, the player can immediately start improvising rock guitar. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music.
Scale compendium, often referred to as the major 326 or minor 330 pentatonic scale 4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the written notes with the notes of. Intro to the minor pentatonic scale, the caged system, scale degrees vs. When you feel comfortable playing through all five pentatonic scale patterns on the guitar, the next step is to connect them to cover the rest of the fretboard. The pentatonic scale can broken up in to five small patterns, or scale shapes, that connect up and down the fretboard. As you can see below there are only 2 shapes you need to memorize in order to play every major and minor barre chord. When the roots fall on strings 2 and 5, i call it the 25 position, and so on. Although it may be difficult at first, you will need to lay your index finger across the entire fretboard in order to play a barre chord. So basically, as with major scales, the minor pentatonic scale is the relative 6th minor of the major pentatonic scale. Try playing both scales slowly over a c major chord.
The 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal scale forms although the scale forms above make it relatively easy to see how the scale relates to the underlying chord, they do. The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly scales used in rock, blues. Dan cross is a professional guitarist and former private instructor who has experience teaching and playing various styles of music. Com the 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. You can apply these scale shapes to all 12 keys by simply. Scale compendium, often referred to as the major 326 or minor 330 pentatonic scale 4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the written notes with the notes of your chos en scale. To derive the minor pentatonic scale from the natural minor scale, use the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th notes of the minor scale. If you are playing in a minor key, use that minor pentatonic. Within each of the 5 fingering patterns, there are five twostring shapes.
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. The 5 major pentatonic positions deft digits guitar lessons. Heres the pentatonic scale in guitar tablature example 1 your goal for this lesson on the pentatonic scale is simply to memorize the pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. May 09, 2014 the major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. Pentatonic scales to derive the major pentatonic scale from the major scale, use the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of the major scale. How to solo across the entire fretboard in any key with 2. Play this scale the way you would have as a minor pentatonic shape, but starting with the g root note instead and youll have this g major pentatonic, sixth string root scale down. If you move the five shapes up a whole step 2 frets then all the shapes are in the key of a, so you have five a major scale shapes. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. Practice these expanded scales in different keys and add them to your playing. Master pentatonic scales for guitar in 14 days will teach you the five 5 box patterns and two 2 extended patterns of the major and minor pentatonic scales, as well as their relative blues scales. Mar 19, 2015 hi, please take the time to listen to the instructions for learning the accelerated way to learn and memorise the 5 pentatonic positions. If playing in c major use a minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic.
Click here for a free printable pdf file of this scale. Each position of the scale overlaps with the position above and below it on the fretboard. We can add the flat 5, b5, or blue note to the pentatonic scale, making it. For example, if you move the entire scale shape up a whole step 2 frets you are playing in the key of a, so now youre playing a major pentatonic. That 6thstring, 5thfret a minor pentatonic scale is also a c major pentatonic scale. Major pentatonic drills fundamental changes music book. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. The 5 major pentatonic scale shapes positions guitarhabits. Fastest way to nail the pentatonic scale shapes 1 to 5. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations. With each of the shapes we learn, there will be a chord. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. Then apply the 5 patterns to all the other keys listed above. Learn exercises that will enable you to play the scales more musically, how to connect the patterns across the entire fretboard, and how the.
How to learn the pentatonic scales with 5 box patterns. Use a metronome when you practice and get plenty of repetitions. Click here for instant access to the 17 page pentatonic scales chart. Major pentatonic guitar scale learn all five positions. The 5 shapes shown below are all the same scale g major pentatonic scale just played in different positions, so you can learn the scale all. Master the pentatonic scale for guitar with these 5 easy shapes. The major pentatonic scale guitar shapes and theory.