Pentatonic Scale Basics
A popular scale cropping up all over the place, especially in rock music, is the minor pentatonic scale. Even if you haven’t heard of this before, you have probably already played it without knowing. It’s a very simple piece of musical knowledge, and is a great place to start out (if you’re perhaps a beginner) in learning your way around the fretboard.
There are in fact lots of different types of Pentatonic Scale – Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and even a Scottish Pentatonic scale!!
The basic shape and that which you have possibly already played is as follows:
The first thing to take note of is that the scale is only 5 notes long as opposed to 7 in the major scale for example. Penta means five as in a pentagon – a five sided object.
C min pentatonic C Eb F G Bb C
1 2 3 4 5 1
Within the scale we can see the notes that it comprises of:
C min pentatonic C Eb F G Bb C
1 b3 4 5 b7 1
It contains a root, a minor 3rd, a 4th, a 5th, and a dominant or flat 7th.
In each key, there are 5 pentatonic locations to learn. Here they all are with the root notes highlighted in red and tab that tells you how to play them:
E |-------------------------3--6--3-----------------------------------------|
B |-------------------4--6-----------6--4-----------------------------------|
G |-------------3--5-----------------------5--3-----------------------------|
D |-------3--6-----------------------------------5--3-----------------------|
A |-3--6-----------------------------------------------6--3-----------3--6--|
E |----------------------------------------------------------6--3--6--------|
E |----------------------------6--8--6--------------------------------------|
B |----------------------6--8-----------8--6--------------------------------|
G |----------------5--8-----------------------8--5--------------------------|
D |----------5--8-----------------------------------8--5--------------------|
A |----6--8-----------------------------------------------8--6-----------6--|
E |-8-----------------------------------------------------------8--6--8-----|
E |-------------------------------8--11-8-----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------8--11----------11-8-----------------------------|
G |-------------------8--10----------------------10-8-----------------------|
D |-------------8--10----------------------------------10-8-----------------|
A |-------8--10----------------------------------------------10--8----------|
E |-8--11----------------------------------------------------------11--8-11-|
E |-------------------11-13-11----------------------------------------------|
B |-------------11-13----------13-11----------------------------------------|
G |-------10-12----------------------12-10----------------------------------|
D |-10-13----------------------------------13-10----------------------10-13-|
A |----------------------------------------------13-10----------10-13-------|
E |----------------------------------------------------13-11-13-------------|
E |----------------------13-15-13-------------------------------------------|
B |----------------13-16----------16-13-------------------------------------|
G |----------12-15----------------------15-12-------------------------------|
D |----13-15----------------------------------15-13----------------------13-|
A |-15----------------------------------------------15-13----------13-15----|
E |-------------------------------------------------------15-13-15----------|
If we then continue and look at the major pentatonic shapes we can see a striking similarity!
The shapes are identical but the scales start at different points on the neck.
C maj C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
C maj pentatonic C D E G A C
1 2 3 5 6 1
The scale would resemble a major 6/9 chord (CEGAD)
Here are the 5 shapes for the C major pentatonic again with the root notes highlighted in red and tab that tells you how to play them:
E |-------------------------3--5--3-----------------------------------------|
B |-------------------3--5-----------5--3-----------------------------------|
G |-------------2--5-----------------------5--2-----------------------------|
D |-------2--5-----------------------------------5--2-----------------------|
A |-3--5-----------------------------------------------5--3-----------3--5--|
E |----------------------------------------------------------5--3--5--------|
E |----------------------------5--8--5--------------------------------------|
B |----------------------5--8-----------8--5--------------------------------|
G |----------------5--7-----------------------7--5--------------------------|
D |----------5--7-----------------------------------7--5--------------------|
A |----5--7-----------------------------------------------7--5-----------5--|
E |-8-----------------------------------------------------------8--5--8-----|
E |-------------------------------8--10-8-----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------8--10----------10-8-----------------------------|
G |-------------------7--9-----------------------9--7-----------------------|
D |-------------7--10----------------------------------10-7-----------------|
A |-------7--10----------------------------------------------10-7-----------|
E |-8--10----------------------------------------------------------10-8--10-|
E |-------------------10-12-10----------------------------------------------|
B |-------------10-13----------13-10----------------------------------------|
G |-------9--12----------------------12-9-----------------------------------|
D |-10-12----------------------------------12-10----------------------10-12-|
A |----------------------------------------------12-10----------10-12-------|
E |----------------------------------------------------12-10-12-------------|
E |----------------------12-15-12-------------------------------------------|
B |----------------13-15----------15-13-------------------------------------|
G |----------12-14----------------------14-12-------------------------------|
D |----12-14----------------------------------14-12----------------------12-|
A |-15----------------------------------------------15-12----------12-15----|
E |-------------------------------------------------------15-12-15----------|
Learn each of the five shapes by choosing a key, and then playing all of the shapes.
These are fun to start messing about with. The basic shapes will give you the basic knowledge. From then on, try adding bends and slides and play them over some simple chord changes. Check out the solo to Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd which is based around the G minor pentatonic scale:
G maj G A B C D E F# G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
G min G A A#/Bb C D D#/Eb F# G
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 1
G min pentatonic G A# C D F
1 b3 4 5 b7
Try playing Ad Lib with the solo around these two formations and see how the notes fit over the backing G A# C riff
Written by Alex on Sunday 21st May 2006 at 2:50pm and posted in Lessons, Music Theory
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