So even if you hit a nonchord tone at a lessthanoptimal moment these notes will be relatively forgiving. 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 scale illustrated on the right is the most common basic box position. Figure 1a applies this concept to the g minor pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale guitar shapes and theory. What is the most common fingering for the pentatonic scale. Click here to gain instant access to pdf filled with pentatonic scales. Dismiss 4th and 7th notes from natural major scale, from any root.
The first major pentatonic scale shape starts with our g root note on the 3rd fret of the 6th string. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading pentatonic scale fluency. 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. How to play the major scale on guitar complete guide.
Minor pentatonic scales to introduce a novice guitar player to the world of rock music requires that he learn a series of scales, which we can call the tools of the trade. We can use it as a relative scale of the major pentatonic, for this, we must start from the 5th note of the major pentatonic. In this lesson you will be learning some ways to use the pentatonic scale in a solo. A beginner guitar lesson on how to use the d major pentatonic scale to build guitar exercises, basic scale runs and improvised melody. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Penta is 5, tonic is tones our soundsa scale with 5 tones or notes. Finger one is the key of the major pentatonic say g and the 3rd finger is em. G major e minor pentatonic scale guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard. This scale is used to solo over major family chords, especially tonic major chords, such as major, maj7, maj9, 6, and 69 chords. You start the am scale on the 5th fret of the 6th string. 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 or minor scale.
Major pentatonic guitar scale learn all five positions. Major and minor pentatonic scales on the guitar online. Keep in mind that when you play the scale over a piece of music in the key of c, then the scale is not really a minor, its c major. To play the same form in the major pentatonic scale. Several typical pentatonic blues licks will be used as a starting point to develop your knowledge of the pentatonic scale.
Welcome to lesson 3 of the pentatonic scale, pentatonic blues licks. Both the pentatonic major scale and minor scale have the same patterns. 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. But which one do you follow as there are too many of them. You, as the the lead guitarist, may want to keep that major sound going on by playing the a major pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale d major pentatonic box shape. Try playing minor pentatonic over minor chords and major pentatonic over major chords within the same jam track. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found all over the world.
Sep 15, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is highly popular due to its versatility and playability. Printable downloadable major pentatonic scale guitar chart. What this effectively means is that the major and minor pentatonic scales use the same shape, but start on different notes. The intervals in minor pentatonic are root or 1, b3rd, 4th, 5th, and b7th. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. Notice how both an e minor em chord and a g major chord fit. So major scales are bright happy cheerful sounding scales, and the major pentatonic is just that, happy and upbeat. Now were armed with the proper information to get the most out of this article. Mar 17, 2018 the major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar. Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject. When you are playing the a minor pentatonic form 1. The minor pentatonic scale is constructed from five notes of the natural minor scale. Scale pentatonic major 1,2,3,5,6 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning.
The major pentatonic scale next level guitar lessons. Major pentatonic scale the major pentatonic scale shares five notes with the major scale. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar alliance. 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. In order to form the pentatonic it is necessary to remove two notes from the major scale, these are the 4th and 7th of the scale.
For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. The following diagram illustrates the c major pentatonic scale over the entire fretboard. This pattern is again using the 2 notes per string aspect. There are three ways youll want to learn your major. The difference between diatonic and pentatonic scales.
If you are playing in a minor key, use that minor pentatonic. The pentatonic scales are a staple of modern rock, blues and pop music. 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. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. How to connect the pentatonic patterns on the guitar dummies. How to use the minor pentatonic on the bass is fundamental for any bass player. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams. It produces two types of tonalities major and minor and is one of the most commonly used scales in blues, pop and rock. Likewise, the same scale is a minor when played over music in the key of a minor. The pdf is for members only, so youll need to login to download it. Once learned, the player can immediately start improvising rock guitar. This pdf method for guitar contains 40 ii v i jazz guitar lines with tab, standard notation, analysis, scale charts and audio files. The big difference between the pentatonic and the major and minor scale is that the pentatonic contains no semitones.
If you have chosen a scale other than the one that is used in these exercises which is number three hundred twenty six3 in the pentatonic scale compendium, often referred to as the major 326 or minor 330 pentatonic scale4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. This scale will have its root note on the 5th or a string and you can start with your 3rd finger. But many flutes are more than capable of playing other sounds so called extended scales. If playing in c major use a minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic.
Be sure to change scales as the chords change and listen for the sound differences between the major and minor, get lost in the fun. C major and a minor pentatonic use the very same notes and form the very same patterns, so the answer to your question is yes. With each of the shapes we learn, there will be a chord. How do i use the minor pentatonic scale on the bass. Click here for instant access to the 17 page pentatonic scales chart. Chitarra scale pentatoniche pdf learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, their patterns, when to use them, and why theyre the scale shortcut. Jan 16, 2019 one of the first soloing concepts you encounter when learning how to play guitar is the major scale.
This scale has its low root played with the first finger on the low e string. Master the pentatonic scale for guitar with these 5 easy. The basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. Below is a download link for the pentatonic scale pdf. Something that cannot be said of the two notes of the major scale that are not included in the major pentatonic scale the 4th and 7th.
To do so, simply connect pattern 5 to another pattern 1, as shown here. There are lots of guitar major scales chart, major scales guitar pdf, major and minor pentatonic scale guitar pdf, guitar scales tabs pdf or guitar scales chart pdf to download. The versatility and playability of the scale makes it a popular choice for use in guitar soloing and melodies. For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics. Your root of the scale is a which is played with your first finger. The minor pentatonic scale consists of the same 5 notes of the major pentatonic. The major pentatonic is confusing for some because visually the scale patterns looks the same as the minor pentatonic but the notes function in a very different way so youre best thinking of it as a completely different scale. Click here to grab your pentatonic scale chart plus more free. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. You hear this sound all the time in just about every style of music rock, blues, country, jazz, you name it heres a video taking you through some major pentatonic essentials, and i develop these ideas in a.
The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. The pentatonic scale pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. For example lets take the first position of the a major pentatonic scale. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. The word pentatonic implies that there are five notes in these scales, and that is correct. In the case of the a major pentatonic scale, its the note on the 3rd fret of the 5th string.
The aeolian mode natural minor is the 6th mode of the major scale. So basically, as with major scales, the minor pentatonic scale is the relative 6th minor of the major pentatonic scale. The difference between major and minor pentatonic scales. Learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale effortlessly anywhere on the fretboard kindle edition by nichols, lee. The pentatonic scale can function as both major and minor on the guitar. Bonus pdf chart youtube 3 must know pentatonic tricks major scale secret revealed duration. The scale includes five notes only within an octave unlike the major and minor scales that have seven notes within an octave.
Minor pentatonic is a wonderful scale, very simple to play, and very melodic, i use it all the time. To understand how this works, look at this example. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. Ukulele scales and modes by 7 mustknow ukulele scales in standard tuning gcea. It tabs out the pentatonic scales in all 12 major and minor keys. Learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale effortlessly anywhere on the. Most people use their native american flute to play music in minor pentatonic scale the very basic, and very simple scale.
A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The scale is played descending and the direction of the 3rds are changing so first up the down etc. The musical styles that use the major pentatonic are country, blues, fusion, jazz and rock. Com the 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. Though its called the major scale, its also referred to as the ionian mode, so knowing both names prevents. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the scales in all keys. Pentatonic scales pentatonic scales are directly derived from natural major and minor scales. Retain the shape of the gesture, but replace the notes with notes from other pentatonic, diatonic, diminished, augmented, or other scales interval sets. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. This scale is perhaps less familiar to most guitarists than the minor pentatonic, but it is equally useful. In this lesson, were going to break down the minor pentatonic. Pentatonic guitar magic how to use the simple pentatonic scale to solo over chords from blues to rock tojazz. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order.
Click here for a free printable pdf file of this scale. I didnt get on with the major pentatonic until quite late and many find it considerably harder to use than its minor. D major pentatonic scale guitar exercises and beginner lesson. Just remember that in music the term diatonic refers to the parent scale of a key, and parent scales are the kind that feature the two diatonic steps, half and whole. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. Lets take a look at what makes up this scale and how its applied to the guitar fretboard. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above.
They are usually the first scales beginner guitarists learn to play. Box scale pentatoniche pdf learn how to escape the tight, often limiting confines of box scale patterns. When the player wants to lighten things up, the major pentatonic is the scale of choice. No doubt about it, this fivenote scale packs a punch. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the. If you are playing in a major key, then use the relative minor pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. The major pentatonic is formed with 5 notes and its origin would come from the major scale which has seven notes.
Beginner guitar 5 pentatonic scales the ultimate guide. Illustration courtesy of desi serna this new pattern 1 is identical to. You can start with e minor pentatonic, but the same notes and patterns can also produce g major pentatonic. To derive the melodic minor scale from the natural minor, raise 6th and 7th notes. A staple in blues music, this scale brings moodiness and tension that creates that familiar blues sound, particularly when played over majordominant chords. Alternatively, ff the rhythm section was playing a 1 4 5 progression in a, and the bassist and keyboardist were emphasizing the. How to use the pentatonic scale as major and minor on the. The c major pentatonic scale does not feature halfstep intervals, but its notes are contained within the diatonic c major scale. The minor pentatonic expanded scale 2written by david taub now that you are familiar with the minor pentatonic scale in the box position and in an expanded 1 scale, lets learn the minor pentatonic expanded 2 scale. The pentatonic scale is use primarily used for soloing. This pattern goes through a pattern in the pentatonic scale that is equal to playing a major scale in 3rds.