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Pentatonic Scale on Guitar
4 part guitar pentatonics series
In this series we'll be learning and playing around with the pentatonic
scale on guitar. I want to emphasise the "playing around" bit though -
you should always be willing to experiment with your own ideas.
Don't just use the pentatonic scale as a musical cliche, or simply as
the easier option. To help, I'll provide free backing tracks
written specifically for the pentatonic scales we'll be looking at.
First, a small introduction to the world of pentatonics, then we'll get
started with part
1. Work through this series in your own time, at your own
pace. There is no exam
deadline!
What
is a pentatonic scale?
A pentatonic scale is like any other scale (notes separated by
intervals), but it contains just 5 tones,
hence the Greek pentatonic.
Most scales in western music contain 7 notes (e.g. the major
scale/Ionian), but there are others.
There are two types of pentatonic scale - major and minor. Both types
are used across many musical genres, not just rock, jazz and blues
where they may be used more religiously.
So, as the usual major and minor scales contain 7 notes, you could see
the pentatonic scales as cut down versions of those fuller scales.
You'll soon learn which notes are omitted to form pentatonics and how
that effects the overall "flavour" of the scale. The idea is to mix
pentatonics with the fuller scales freely in your soloing.
When is best to use a pentatonic scale in my guitar solos?Pentatonic
scales are more accessible and "neutral" than other scales (e.g. 7 note
scales) due to how they're formed. You certainly won't want to rely on
pentatonics for all your creative soloing. The more your lead playing
develops, and the more scales you learn over time, the more creative
options you'll build up.
See pentatonic scales as just another
creative option. You'll know if "that pentatonic sound" is right for a
particular part of your solo. Trust your ears!
Playing
pentatonics across the entire guitar fretboard
This is an important aspect of any scale - being able to play "out of
the box". See, the pentatonic scales have their own "boxed" patterns,
which allows you finger them without moving across the guitar neck.
However, eventually, you'll want to free yourself from those boxes in
order to use wider fingering patterns and lead techniques such as
slides.
In the 3rd part, I'll show you how to expand out of these boxes and
dominate the fretboard using pentatonics, in any key.
Note:
What I won't cover in these lessons is playing styles such as bends,
slides, hammer ons etc. All that stuff is on the main lead guitar page. It's just
not practical to cram everything into one lesson (like a lot of sites
attempt!).
One last thing before we start - use alternate picking when playing any
scale! If you don't know what alternate picking is, click here.
1)
Minor
pentatonic scale
2)
Major
pentatonic scale
3) Unboxing the Pentatonic Scales
4) More advanced pentatonics
Get a Head Start
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