That is why they are sometimes named pentatonic blues scales. Language sitemap guitars scales major pentatonic pattern 15 fingerings. Printable downloadable major pentatonic scale guitar chart. It is a very useful scale for improvising over major chords because, of the. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard. If playing in c major use a minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic. 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 scale 4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the. Bass tablature for e pentatonic major scale by bass lessons. They are still used all over the world, for example traditional music, country music, blues and metal. There are a few reasons that the penatonic scales are the short cut for the scales. Just rightclick on the link and choose save as to save it to your computer. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. The minor pentatonic scale is constructed from five notes from the natural minor scale, also called the aeolian mode.
For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Various positions of the major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitars with fingerings on the guitar neck. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. The pentatonic scale pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. A minor pentatonic root note 5th am pentatonic c note am at d am at e am at g am root 17 am open am at the g a minor pentatonic scale. You will be learning two types of pentatonic scales, one is the minor pentatonic scale and the other will be the major pentatonic scale. You can play the major pentatonic scale over almost any major or dominant chord without clashing with the chord. Major 7th chords contain the 1st 3rd and 5th of the major scale like the major chord but with the 7th degree added. A minor pentatonic guitar scales guitar scales chart. Com the 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. This scale is transpositional and can be played in, and should be practiced in, all keys. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in. The blue note usually used as a passing note and if you hold this note too.
This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. By adding the b3 blue note to the major pentatonic scale, the music takes on that familiar bluesy sound. The most used pentatonic scale is a subset of the major or its relative minor scale. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. Your aim here is to be able to play a run from the bb major pentatonic for instance, into the c major pentatonic when the chord changes to c major. 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. Once learned, the player can immediately start improvising rock guitar. The major pentatonic scale d major pentatonic box shape. And it is not hard to discover the reason why everybody uses and abuses of this scale. The major pentatonic scale next level guitar lessons.
Well, sure, i wish i knew or was taught it 40 years ago when i started playing. Learn guitar pentatonic scale patterns to practice how to solo on guitar. Often you can use one pentatonic scale, play around with it, and successf ully do a complete solo using just that scale. The pentatonic scale is frequently used in lots of popular music styles. From minor pentatonic scale to aeolian mode in our last lesson, we created a minor pentatonic tune through visualauditory associations. 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. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. The process of fi nding the relative minor scale from the 6th degree of the major scale will hold true with any major scale.
Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject. So, lets examine two modes of the basic pentatonic scale. This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a blues context but. So essentially your bass runs are going to be across the chord and will be using more than one scale.
The images below covers all the major pentatonic scale patterns in all positions on guitar. As guitarists we all love our minor pentatonics but when it comes to using the majors many of us are on more uncertain ground. There is a lot of discussion about the glory of the caged system. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar. Learning scale patterns will help you to advance in your guitar playing.
Various techniques are used such as bends, slides and hammerons. Playing a jazz standard with pentatonic scales jens larsen. The fretboard is shown with the lowest pitch string at the bottom and the highest pitch string at the top unless youve tuned your instrument differently. Finger one is the key of the major pentatonic say g and the 3rd finger is em. You just need to know how the root note changes in the pattern. 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. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so. It tabs out the pentatonic scales in all 12 major and minor keys. The major pentatonic scale has the 5 notes of the major scale. The minor pentatonic scale is built from the five scale degrees of root, b3rd, 4th, 5th, and b7th. So even if you hit a nonchord tone at a lessthanoptimal moment these notes will be relatively forgiving. Major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitars fingerings.
For this lesson ive put together a classic rockstyle solo using just the major pentatonic scale. If you have any questions or comments then feel free to leave them here or on the video. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. Various positions of the major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar with the fingering on the guitar neck. The pentatonic scales are a staple of modern rock, blues and pop music. This grounds the scale very securely in the chord and leaves only so much room for getting lost. Ive started writing up all the notes i give to guitar students so rather than getting a photocopy of something i wrote in the back of an envelope when i was 19 and figuring all this stuff out myself i can just print off or hyperlink to resources when i need to give stuff out. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. Show me chords that sound good with an e major pentatonic scale. May 06, 2014 heres what the major pentatonic scale box pattern looks like on the guitar. If you dont have a keyboard in home, dont be desperate, we will explain in details how to create this scale. The word pentatonic implies that there are five notes in these scales, and that is correct. This lesson allows your students to explore their musical creativity through improvisation by developing ideas for melodic lines using the aeolian mode. You can also improvise solo on guitar by playing the pattern in the key of the music.
Ab e major degreeyl v vi c a major pentatonic scale i step pattern. This entry was posted in resource and tagged 3 notes per string, arpeggio, chord, download, fingering, maj7, major 7th, minor pentatonic, pdf, pentatonic scale, positions, scale on october 12, 2014 by jens. Dont let the word pentatonic scare you off, it just means a five note scale. The sample scale is given in g and all the red notes refers to root note. Below is a download link for the pentatonic scale pdf. 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. 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. E d g b e a pentaton c minor scale box 1 glitarsik. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. Though it is helpful to learn how to build any major scale and the major pentatonic scale from it, the major pentatonic box pattern can be moved up and down the guitar neck to switch to different keys. This scale is perhaps less familiar to most guitarists than the minor pentatonic, but it is equally useful. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively. Some people seem to be able to memorize the bluesjazz patterns by flatting this and sharping that, etc.
The pdf is for members only, so youll need to login to download it. The earliest set of such notes was called the pentatonic scale. Some decades before, some musicians use to earn millions just playing this scale. Lesson 3 the pentatonic scale the fivenote system that can do no wrong a lot of music theory is about limiting which notes to use in your song to a small set that sound good together. Major pentatonic scale the major pentatonic scale shares five notes with the major scale. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar alliance. Heres what the major pentatonic scale box pattern looks like on the guitar.
The pentatonic scale is use primarily used for soloing. Try playing minor pentatonic over minor chords and major pentatonic over major chords within the same jam track. So a major pentatonic scale consists of only the 1 2 3. For your convenience, i have included a pdf of all the pentatonics. This fivenote scale is similar to the major scale, but with the 4th and 7th degrees removed. Recall that most scales in western music contain 7 notes e.
This lesson will help you build licks that move smoothly between the two scales, in a blues context but you can use what you learn in any style. This article and interactive web app help you learn all of the pentatonic scale diagrams. The major blues scale is a variation of the major pentatonic scale just like that the minor blues scale is a variation of the minor pentatonic scale. So this solo is designed to get the major pentatonic sound into your ears, and. A pentatonic scale is like any other scale notes separated by intervals, but it contains just 5 tones, hence the greek word pentatonic, which simply means five. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. Learn guitar pentatonic scale patterns to practice how. 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. C m7 2 3 4 1 r 5 7 3 5 1 1 1 1 x to form a minor 7th chord take the same four notes of the major 7th chord but. The major blues scale spoonman myguitarworkshop guitar. For a quick summary of this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. Diagonal pentatonic scale patterns by paul tauterouff. 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 major pentatonic scale box patterns on guitar fretboard.
As a teacher i find that many of the intermediate or advanced level students who come to study with me may already know the 5 pentatonic patterns or boxes, but tend to have difficulty shifting between the patterns or positions when soloing. There are three ways youll want to learn your major. Pentatonic guitar magic how to use the simple pentatonic scale to solo over chords from blues to rock tojazz. Be aware that the key signature of both scales will always be the same. Major pentatonic scale diagrams beginning on each of the 12 chromatic tones. The minor pentatonic scale consists of the same 5 notes of the major pentatonic.
Once youve got a handle on this material dont hesitate to contact anvil guitar instruction to learn how to augment and adapt these licks with notes from the full major and minor scales and with notes from arpeggios as well. So basically, as with major scales, the minor pentatonic scale is the relative 6th minor of the major pentatonic scale. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th major scale notes. The solution below shows the a major pentatonic scale on the piano, treble clef and bass clef the lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th major scale notes for a quick summary of this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. They are usually the first scales beginner guitarists learn to play.
You will be able to play in any key in 5 different positions by learning these patterns. 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. Major pentatonic scales are especially common in traditional folk music, country and gospel. 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. Major pentatonic scale pattern 15 for guitar fingering. Here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic scales. A lot of music theory is about limiting which notes to use in your song to a small set that sound good together. Above is the a major pentatonic scale shown in 5 positions. Here is how these chords are created from a c major scale. A major pentatonic scale comes from a major scale by removing the 4th and 7th degrees. The pentatonic scale the fivenote system that can do no wrong. Using minor and major pentatonic together effectively minor and major pentatonic work great together in major keys and can say a lot more than if you were to just use one scale.