The Pentatonic Scale - Five Notes To A Better Guitarist

As we have discussed in a previous post, learning scales is extremely important for anyone who wishes to play lead guitar. Of the many scales available to choose from, the major and minor pentatonic are among the most popular and most widely used scales.

The link provided below will take you to a great site for learning the pentatonic scale for guitar; as with the major scales, the pentatonic scales for guitar repeat the same pattern for both major and minor scales, they simply start on a different fret.

http://www.netplaces.com/guitar-scales/the-pentatonic-scales/the-major-pentatonic-scale-in-all-twelve-keys.htm

http://www.netplaces.com/guitar-scales/the-pentatonic-scales/the-minor-pentatonic-scale-in-all-twelve-keys.htm

They also start on a different fret to play the scale in different keys. In the C Minor pentatonic pictured, what I call the first position is actually shown on the 3^rd staff (note that the positions are numbered 1 – 5). The first position starts on the C note on the top string of the guitar (the root note for the C Scale).  I have found that this position also works extremely well for songs in the key of F; it can also be used for songs in the key of C by starting with the first position on the 3^rd fret instead of the 8^th. This gives the scale a slightly different tone, and works on major and minor key songs.

Unlike chord patterns, where all the indicated notes are played at once, scale patterns should be played one note at a time. In this diagram, the numbers inside the circle refer to the finger which should be used to play that particular note. 

Learn all 5 positions starting with the 1rst; the positions fit together like a jigsaw, so that the front of one position is the same as the back of the next. Once you learn all 5 positions, you will be able to play the pentatonic scale anywhere on the neck of the guitar. Keep in mind, all scales work this way, and the notes in the scale simply repeat throughout the different positions. The pentatonic scale has 5 notes, and the major and other scales have 8, except for some exotic scales that we will discuss in the future.

Once these positions are memorized, you will be able to play lead to nearly any song as long as you know the key that the song is in. For a song in the key of A, you would start the scale with the 1rst position in the fifth fret, or the 12^th. On the 5^th fret, the root note of A would be on the top string; on the 12^th fret the root note of A would be located on the second string of the guitar. All scales on the guitar work the same way, so you only have to learn a scale pattern one time; after you know the pattern, just move the starting position to a different fret to play in a different key.

To be a great player, or even a better one, learning scales is an essential step. Like always, though, practice is cumulative – don’t feel bad if you don’t practice ‘enough’. Practicing any is worthwhile, and it will sink in eventually. Keep playing, and start working on learning these scale patterns – they will make you a better player!

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