Which means that youll need to start using the major pentatonic scale in a totally different way then youre used to using the minor pentatonic scale. However, i find that many musicians think about using this scale with a limited perspective. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. These guitar scale exercises will help you practice any scale you want. If you are playing a rock or blues song that is in the key of a, then you could use this scale pattern to play lead in the. Here is the second installment of my scales for jazz improvisation series. The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly learned, practiced and used scale by guitarists of all genres.
In the diagram below the first pentatonic scale pattern is shown together with four more patterns. They both share the same notes, but the root is a different note. Pentatonic patterns for improvisation sample preparatory exercises below is an example of what i call pentatonic exercise 1 in the key of c major. Pentatonic scale improvisation pentatonic scale soloing. Each of the five chapters focuses on 1 of the 5 patterns of the caged system. Minor pentatonic scales home page of guitarist andy drudy. If you wanted to play in e major, you would move this entire shape up 4 frets. In these bass scales pdf we leave you the three most common fingering to play well this pentatonic minor scale. Knowing the minor pentatonic in all five positions is not really knowing the scale. The root note is used to name the particular key that this scale is played in. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. The minor pentatonic penta five scale is a five note scale with no second or sixth degrees. This exercise is a simple scalar pattern based on the a minor pentatonic scale, but spanning 3 of the common box shapes. Minor pentatonic master pattern 4 graehme floyd 2018 and, there we go.
Pdf a biological rationale for musical scales researchgate. Most lead guitarists use the minor pentatonic scale during solos and lead sections. Sheet music arranged for pianovocalchords in e minor. The scales and arpeggios are split up into 3 main categories.
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave such as the major scale and minor scale pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations. As you will learn, these patterns can be transferred to all keys. To grab your copy of this great app, simply click on the image above. In e minor em, the root note is e, the minor 3rd is g, and the perfect 5th is b. The notesintervals for the minor pentatonic scale can be found all over the fretboard. Jun 28, 2016 this is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note. Beginner guitar 5 pentatonic scales the ultimate guide.
The seventh scale degree is a half step away from the tonic. The 2nd note of any minor pentatonic scale is the root of the relative major pentatonic scale. Finger one is the key of the major pentatonic say g and the 3rd finger is em. The e minor pentatonic scale can be divided into patterns. The minor pentatonic scale is made up of these scale degrees. The pentatonic scale chose 5 from these notes and created another scale, this is why it is called penta. To build the minor pentatonic scaled, youll first need to know how to build the natural minor scale. Learn the a minor pentatonic guitar scale with fender play instructor matt lake. The major pentatonic bass scale, as its name indicates, pentafive has 5 notes and is major. By combining pentatonics with fuller, seven note scale phrases, you instantly give your solos more variation and, because most pentatonic scale patterns use just two notes per string, you can inject quick runs that sound less linear and.
The guitar neck diagram shows you the big picture for the e minor pentatonic scale. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. The blues scale minor pentatonic and the major pentatonic scales. In this exercise we play our major pentatonic scale over the entire range of our instrument up and back down again. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. The 5 minor pentatonic scale patterns learning to play the. The minor pentatonic is probably the scale that a great part of all guitarists learn as a first scale.
The solution below shows the a minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. This video is all about the minor pentatonic scale on the mandolin. Be sure to visit to download the tablature and mp3 jam track. It is actually a major arpeggio with the 2nd and 6th added. Two notes per string the pentatonic is an ideal scale for the beginner and experienced pro alike because it only has two notes per string. By raising the 7th note of the scale in e natural minor we get a really neat. The aeolian mode natural minor is the 6th mode of the major scale. A minor pentatonic is a reasonable starting place with the minor pentatonic scale and has the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th fret respectively as the first fret on the different positions.
The eminor pentatonic scale in the open position or position 1. The five pentatonic scales are modes of the same set of notes, the only difference. Knowing the five positions is certainly something you should have at your disposal but nows the time to start thinking about using the scale. 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 basics of the minor pentatonic scale for guitar soundfly. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. The key to understanding the minor pentatonic scale guitar. These are the root notes, pentatonic scale notes, majorminor scale notes, and the blue notes. Apr, 2018 the minor pentatonic scale is quite possibly the most used and, suffice it to say, overused scale on the guitar. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is most commonly applied to the relative minor pentatonic derived from the major pentatonic, using scale tones 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the natural minor scale. Im currently working on creating a set of scale charts in pdf. That makes the scale an g minor pentatonic scale with the notes g, bb, c, d, and f.
The solution below shows the b minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef. Pattern 2 overlaps with pattern 1 so that the bottom notes of pattern 2 are the same as the top notes of pattern 1. Each having 5 forms, so technically there is the minor pentatonic scale, and the major pentatonic scale. For a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. All of the root notes are e because this is the e minor pentatonic scale. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. So, let us deconstruct this scale and look at the intervals that make up a minor pentatonic scale. Even better, the minor pentatonic works well over both major and minor chord progressions. Some of the information youll need to know for the quiz includes the two main. Be sure to visit pentatonicscales to download the tablature and mp3 jam track.
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. The open strings themselves even make up the notes of the e minor pentatonic scale. Often times its thought of in a blues context, which of course the minor pentatonic scale lends itself to quite nicely. E minor pentatonic is an often used scale by guitarists as it includes all the open strings making it easy to play.
This is under construction but will be done in the coming weeks. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic. The solution below shows the a minor pentatonic scale, on the piano, bass and treble clef the lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes for a quick summary to this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. Link to guitar pro tab file of the minor pentatonic scale. The root notes a in these examples are circled so that you can learn their locations. Similar to the pentagon, which has 5 sides, the pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale which can be used in any key for improvisation. How to play a minor pentatonic scale on the mandolin youtube. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. How to play the a minor pentatonic guitar scales fender play.
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave, in contrast to a heptatonic sevennote scale such as the major and minor scales. So basically, as with major scales, the minor pentatonic scale is the relative 6th minor of the major pentatonic scale. As with all other guides in these series, we will focus in playing the scales on saxophone, specifically, how to finger the major pentatonic scale on the saxophone. If you were looking for minor pentatonics, here is the saxophone minor pentatonic scales guide. 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. Learn the pentatonic blues scale on guitar, and learn to. A major pentatonic scale comes from a major scale by removing the 4th and 7th degrees. That will keep your root note of the minor pentatonic scale the same as the major pentatonic scale but theres a simpler way start with a major pentatonic scale notes. A minor pentatonicblues scale weeping willow guitar. The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. It is very common, however, add the note that falls between the 4th and 5th scale degrees, thus creating what some refer to as the blues scale. The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th minor scale notes. If the root note was on the 5th fret of the 6th string, which is an a note, the scale would be an a minor pentatonic scale.
Since most players are far more familiar with the minor pentatonic scale shapes, this is an easy cheat for getting the major pentatonic notes under your fingers. They are still used all over the world, for example traditional music, country music, blues and metal. Chapter 6 major scales and key signatures 1 the seventh scale degree ti is a step below the tonic, so following the previous logic it should be called the subtonic. The e minor pentatonic scale is a useful and fun guitar scale to know. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. Pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is just the. The minor pentatonic scale consists of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th notes of the natural minor scale.
Technically, a pentatonic scale could be any 5 tone scale, but in practice when guitarists refer to the pentatonic scale, 99% of the time they are referring to the minor and major pentatonic scale. Click on the image below and click full screen button to expand to high quality minor pentatonic scale tab and notation. This is a riff in e minor that uses notes from patterns 2 and 3. Different pentatonic scales for guitar altered pentatonics. Strum a g minor chord, then play the notes of the g minor pentatonic scale. I have already done several lessons on how to apply the minor pentatonic scale in jazz. Here is an overview of all the charts and other resources that are available on this site to view and also to download. It demonstrates two different fingering styles for playing closed position scales. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition pdf. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale. This scale is a mustknow melodic device for guitarists exploring the world of improvised music, be it in the jazz genre or otherwise.
Pentatonic scales are very common and are found in musical cultures all over the world. Once you are familiar with the intervallic characteristics of the scale, it should be very easy to play in any key. Link to pdf file of all 5 positions of the minor pentatonic scale. One of the things that the minor pentatonic scale does not do that well is minor 6 th, half diminished and dominant chords.
Several typical pentatonic blues licks will be used as a starting point to develop your knowledge of the pentatonic scale. However, since most rock and metal revolves around the minor pentatonic box 1, rb345b7, well focus on that when we start running sequences and patterns. Despite the age and history of the pentatonic scale, it is used extensively in modern jazz improvisation. There is the major pentatonic scale and the minor pentatonic scale. Major pentatonic scales in open position closed mobile major pentatonic scales forms horizontal. Minor pentatonic can be seen as a stripped down version of natural minor, dorian and other minor scales. Aug 27, 2014 coincidentally, when i first started learning to improvise between different positions it was focused on a minor pentatonic as well. How to tell when you can use the e minor pentatonic scale in a way that musically works and. Applying the minor pentatonic scale to the fretboard.
A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic. R 11 5 b7 b3 b3 1f 5 r 11 11 b7 b3 3f r 11 5 5 b7 5f b3 r 5 7f 11 b7 b7 b3 9f r r 11 5 b7 b3 r 11 5 12f b7 b3 b3 5 r 11 11 b7 b3 15f r 11 5 5 b7 17f b3 r 5 19f 11 b7. Here is a video that shows how to play the pentatonic scale in its 1st position across the guitar neck and how to use it. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is most commonly applied to the relative minor. This printable pdf ebook available for free download contains 6 easy jazz guitar licks with tabsnotation, youtube video link and. The red dots indicate a root note and the black dots indicate a note in the scale.
What we are going to do in this lesson is break it down, rip it apart and put it all back together again. Why learning more than one scale pattern is a good idea. Heres a quick rundown on the pentatonic boxes, and how they relate to the caged system. Simply move the minor pentatonic scale 3 frets down and youll. The minor pentatonic scale uses the 1a, 3c, 4d, 5e, 7g notes of the scale. Welcome to lesson 3 of the pentatonic scale, pentatonic blues licks. The diagram below shows all the notes in the g minor pentatonic from frets 3 through 15. Here is the equation of the minor pentatonic, have a look at how it relates to the natural minor scale.
The scale is made up of five notes per octave, thats why it has the word penta, meaning 5 in greek. 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. How to play the pentatonic scale beginner guitar hq. In this lesson you will be learning some ways to use the pentatonic scale in a solo. Now lets play the g minor pentatonic scale in the second position. Everything in this book is presented in the key of a minor so that you can see how it all relates together and so that you can begin to string licks together into larger ideas. A tab example has been provided for each of the new patterns.
Well take a closer look at each of the new patterns below. 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. Fingering of the major pentatonic scale for electric bass. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. When we hear the seventh scale degree in the context of a piece of. The most widely employed scales also called modes in western music over the last few centuries have been the major and minor pentatonic. Scales for jazz improvisation minor pentatonics youtube. Pentatonic scales are the oldest musical scales in the word. For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Still, this scales importance cannot be underestimated, as it is used in so many genres of music, from rock and blues to country and bluegrass. This is a g minor pentatonic scale because the first note we play sixth string, third fret is a g note.
The minor pentatonic scale consists of the same 5 notes of the major pentatonic. So a major pentatonic scale consists of only the 1 2 3. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. Guitar pentatonic scales the 3 types of pentatonic. To know how to play the major pentatonic we leave the three most common fingerings for this scale in the bass. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. This is in a minor, but the scale pattern is moveable. The pentatonic scale is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. It is similar to the natural minor scale, the alteration is that you need to omit the second and the sixth notes from the minor scale. The jam track is in e minor and the chords appear on the screen as youre playing. The minor pentatonic scale is the scale youll hear most often when you hear a guitar solo.
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