Major & minor pentatonic scales.

Written by Morten Gjermundsen (trollstjerne@yahoo.no)

In this lesson we will look at the pentatonic scale.The pentatonic scale is probable the most used scale.There are two types of pentatonic scales one major and one minor both consists of five tones.First we will take a look at the major pentatonic scale then we will take a look at the minor pentatonic scale.I will show a few variations of these scales and also show some pentatonic licks. All examples can be heard in midi.When you have gone through the pentatonic scales and their boxes (patterns) try playing them over some of the midi backing tracks i have created.

A major pentatonic scale

Listen to the A major pentatonic scale here.

|----------------------|----------------------|------------5----7----|
|----------------------|----------------------|--5----7--------------|
|----------------------|------------4----6----|----------------------|
|----------------------|--4----7--------------|----------------------|
|------------4----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
|--5----7--------------|----------------------|----------------------|
The A major pentatonic scale use the same notes as the F# (sharp) minor pentatonic.If you start playing the A major pentatonic written above with the F# (sharp) note like this:
|----------------------|------------5----7----|
|----------------------|--5----7--------------|
|------------4----6----|----------------------|
|--4----7--------------|----------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|
You have the F# (sharp) pentatonic scale. More about the minor pentatonic later..

Here are the five A major pentatonic boxes.

Listen to them here.

Box 1 (major pentatonic)
|----------------------|----------------------|------------5----7----|
|----------------------|----------------------|--5----7--------------|
|----------------------|------------4----6----|----------------------|
|----------------------|--4----7--------------|----------------------|
|------------4----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
|--5----7--------------|----------------------|----------------------|


Box 2
|----------------------|----------------------|-------------7----9----|
|----------------------|----------------------|--7----10--------------|
|----------------------|------------6----9----|-----------------------|
|----------------------|--7----9--------------|-----------------------|
|------------7----9----|----------------------|-----------------------|
|--7----9--------------|----------------------|-----------------------|


Box 3
|------------------------|------------------------|--------------9----12----|
|------------------------|------------------------|--10----12---------------|
|------------------------|-------------9----11----|-------------------------|
|------------------------|--9----11---------------|-------------------------|
|-------------9----12----|------------------------|-------------------------|
|--9----12---------------|------------------------|-------------------------|


Box 4
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------12----14----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--12----14----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------11----14----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--11----14----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------12----14----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--12----14----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|


Box 5 
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------14----17----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--14----17----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------14----16----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--14----16----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------14----16----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--14----17----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|


Box 1 (octave)
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------17----19----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--17----19----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------16----18----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--16----19----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------16----19----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--17----19----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Now lets look at some variations.

Listen.
 
|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|--4----7------------|
|------------4---------|--4----7----4----7----|--------------------|
|--5----7---------7----|----------------------|--------------------|

Here is another one.

Listen.
                                                                        
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|-------11----------9----|
|-------12----------9----|--9----------12---------|
|--9----------12---------|------------------------|


Now lets look at two major pentatonic licks.

Listen.
|---------------5--------|
|-----------5------7-----|
|-----4--6---------------|
|--7---------------------|
|------------------------|
|------------------------|

and here is the other one.

Listen.
|--5-------------7--5-----|--5-------------5--7--9--|
|-----7--5--7----------7--|-----7--5--7-------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|

Now lets go over to the minor pentatonic scale.

Minor pentatonic scale

Listen to the A minor pentatonic scale.
|----------------------|----------------------|------------5----8----|
|----------------------|----------------------|--5----8--------------|
|----------------------|------------5----7----|----------------------|
|----------------------|--5----7--------------|----------------------|
|------------5----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
|--5----8--------------|----------------------|----------------------|

When we looked at the A major pentatonic scale we found the F# (sharp) minor pentatonic scale.The minor pentatonic is the same as the major pentatonic with itīs root three frets higher.So if you play the A minor pentatonic scale starting on the C note you have the C major pentatonic scale.

|----------------------|----------------------|-------5----8--------|
|----------------------|-----------------5----|--8------------------|
|----------------------|-------5----7---------|---------------------|
|-----------------5----|--7-------------------|---------------------|
|-------5----7---------|----------------------|---------------------|
|--8-------------------|----------------------|---------------------|

Here are the A minor pentatonic boxes.

Listen.
Box 1 (A minor pentatonic)

|----------------------|----------------------|------------5----8----|
|----------------------|----------------------|--5----8--------------|
|----------------------|------------5----7----|----------------------|
|----------------------|--5----7--------------|----------------------|
|------------5----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
|--5----8--------------|----------------------|----------------------|

Box 2

|------------------------|-----------------------|-------------8----10----|
|------------------------|-----------------------|--8----10---------------|
|------------------------|-------------7----9----|------------------------|
|------------------------|--7----10--------------|------------------------|
|-------------7----10----|-----------------------|------------------------|
|--8----10---------------|-----------------------|------------------------|

Box 3
                                                                                                   
|--------------------------|-------------------------|--------------10----12----|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|--10----13----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------9----12----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--10----12---------------|--------------------------|
|--------------10----12----|-------------------------|--------------------------|
|--10----12----------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|

Box 4

|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------12----15----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--13----15----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------12----14----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--12----14----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------12----15----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--12----15----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Box 5

|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------15----17----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--15----17----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------14----17----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--14----17----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------15----17----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--15----17----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Box 1 (octave)

|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------17----20----|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--17----20----------------|
|--------------------------|--------------17----19----|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--17----19----------------|--------------------------|
|--------------17----19----|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--17----20----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Here are some variations.

Listen
|----------------------|----------------------|-------5----|
|----------------------|-----------------5----|--8---------|
|----------------------|-------5----7---------|------------|
|-----------------5----|--7-------------------|------------|
|------------7---------|----------------------|------------|
|--5----8--------------|----------------------|------------|
Here is another one.

Listen

|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------12----14----|--------------------|
|--------------------------|--12----14----------------|--------------------|
|--------------15----12----|--------------------------|--12----------------|
|--15----12----------------|--------------------------|--------------------|

Lets take a look at some licks in A monor pentatonic.

Listen

|--8--5-------------------|--5----------------|
|--------8--5----------8--|-------------------|
|----------------7--5-----|-------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------|

Here is the last one.

Listen

|--------------------5-----|--5--8--5-----5--8-------|
|-----------------5-----8b-|-----------8--------8b---|
|--------5--7--7b----------|-------------------------|
|--5--7--------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------|-------------------------|

When you are done practicing the A major and minor pentatonic scales practice them in differnt keys all over the fretboard.But before that try playing these scales over the midi backing tracks i have created.

Midi backing tracks.

Fast backing.
Bluse 1.

On my tablature page there is at least 2 songs you can use to practice these scales so check them out. Thatīs all for now.For more scale practicing check out some of my other pages.

Scales and modes Modes Chromatics Exotic scales

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