If you started the scale pattern on the third fret of the sixth string, it would be the G minor pentatonic scale, since you started the pattern on the note G. If you started the scale on the third fret of the fifth string (the note "C"), you'd be playing the C minor pentatonic scale. Learning the major pentatonic scale is easy once you've learned the minor pentatonic scale - the two scales share all the same notes! Strum an A minor chord... it should sound like it "fits" the scale you just played. You've just played an A minor pentatonic scale, in second position. The pentatonic scale is a five note scale. The pentatonic scale is used both for soloing, and for basing song riffs around. Visualizing the Diatonic Scale with Just 3 Patterns; The 5 Pentatonic Positions . Then, slide up two frets, and play that note (you'll note that we're now at the end of the diagram above). Then, try using the A major pentatonic scale positions to solo over the same audio recording, and note the difference in sound. The pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales used in music. Shown below are 5 positions of the A Minor Pentatonic scale. By using LiveAbout, you accept our, Learning 7th Barre Chords and Chord Inversions on Guitar, Learning Major Scale Patterns and Sus4 Chords on Guitar, Learning Open Chords and Strumming for Guitar, Strum a Guitar, Develop Finger Technique, and Play Minor Chords. The second position shown is probably the most commonly used shape of this scale. So, to play the A major pentatonic scale, position your hands so that your fourth finger will play the note "A" on the sixth string (which means your first finger will be at the second fret of the sixth string). Find a few riffs you like in positions you're not used to playing in, and incorporate those into your guitar solos. Vocal M S. Rhythm Guitar M S. Solo Guitar M S. Drums M S. View all instruments. The note after that would be at the 22nd fret. Slide up three final frets, and play that note. This last note should be the octave of the first note you played. Try strumming an A minor chord, then playing the A minor pentatonic scale up the sixth string. Do you recognize the 5 pentatonic positions? Play this scale slowly and evenly, starting with your second finger, backward and forward, until you've memorized the pattern. You're comfortable with some scale memorization. If you counted correctly, you should be at the 17th fret of your guitar. Position #1. To play the minor pentatonic scale, start with your first finger on the fifth fret of the sixth string. … In order to play the fifth position of the minor pentatonic scale, count up to the fifth note of the scale on the sixth string. 1 is our root note, and wherever that note lies is the key of the scale. To use this pattern as a major pentatonic scale, the root of the scale is played by your second finger on the fifth string. The major pentatonic scale is mostly used in country, folk country rock, blues and jazz. Congratulations! The E minor Pentatonic scale is simply just 5 of the 7 notes from the E minor scale (aka. For practice, try using different A minor pentatonic scale positions to solo over this mp3 of the blues in A. Ver 1 * 12. The fewer number of notes in the pentatonic scale can be helpful to the beginner guitarist - the scale omits some of the "trouble" notes found in traditional major and minor scales that can end up sounding wrong if not used properly. The Major Pentatonic is a really cool sounding scale, used a lot in country and country blues, and also great for playing over regular chord progressions that would usually take the Major Scale. One of the beauties of the pentatonic scale on guitar is that the major and minor versions of the scale have the same shape, they're just played in different locations on the fretboard. Strum an A major chord - it should sound like it "fits" with the scale you just played. So, in this case, the next note of the scale would be up three frets, or all the way up to the 20th fret. We're going to learn how to play the pentatonic scale in the "second position" — which means the first note in the position is the second note in the scale. A pentatonic scale consists of just five notes. In order to learn the minor pentatonic scale patterns all over the guitar fretboard, we must first learn the scale on one string. Pentatonic Scale, as the name suggests, is a musical scale made of five notes per octave. Now, slide up three frets on the sixth string, to the second note of the scale (the eighth fret, in this case). Play this scale slowly and evenly, backward and forwards, until you've memorized the pattern. Play the first note of this pattern with your second finger. To use this pattern as a major pentatonic scale, the root of the scale is played by your second finger on the fourth string. To play an A minor pentatonic scale in the third position, start at "A" on the fifth fret, then up three frets to the second note of the scale, then up two frets to the 10th fret, where we'll begin to play the above pattern. Once you're comfortable with the fingering, try sliding back and forth between the A minor and A major versions of the scale using this mp3 of a 12-bar blues in A as your background rhythm track. … This can be tricky to understand at first, but will become clear with practice. While learning all five is highly recommended, start off by learning the adjacent positions (1 and 3) as this will offer you far more variety in your playing. Position #1. Place Finger 1 on the 8th fret and you will play the C Minor Pentatonic Scale (because the note at the 8th fret of the 6th string is the note C). This leaves us with the notes G A B D E. Keep doing this until you can play the scale pattern by memory. The first position of the pentatonic scale is one that may look familiar to some of you - it looks very similar to a blues scale. You're now playing an A major pentatonic scale. Once you've done this, try playing back down the fretboard, in reverse order, until you arrive back at the fifth fret. Here is why it was important to learn the pentatonic scale on one string. Begin the pattern with your second finger on the sixth string. Finally, move up two frets, and play that note. Play that note, then put your fourth (pinky) finger on the eighth fret of the sixth string, and play that. Remember, although we're … Dan Cross is a professional guitarist and former private instructor who has experience teaching and playing various styles of music. Experimentation and practice are the keys here. Welcome Offer: 80% OFF on annual membership of Ultimate Guitar Pro Try Now. Try doing this for all five positions of the scale. The E minor Pentatonic scale is simply just 5 of the 7 notes from the E minor scale (aka. ultimate guitar com. In order to play the third position of the minor pentatonic scale, count up to the third note of the scale on the sixth string. Once you've memorized the five positions of the pentatonic scale, you'll need to begin exploring how to use them in your music. Ver 2 * Pro Play This Tab. When you do this, you get 5 different positions of the A minor pentatonic scale, several of which repeat in different locations on … In this lesson, we are going to be in the key of G major. In order to play the fourth position of the minor pentatonic scale, count up to the fourth note of the scale on the sixth string. Strum a G minor chord, then play with the notes in the pattern until you find something you like.