Lesson #4: How To REALLY Use The Pentatonic Scale

When many start using the pentatonic scale, they start doing one of two things…

First, they noodle endlessly on the box pattern, as it’s very easy to do. 

Second, it’s the easiest way to create something that sounds musical. It’s an instant gateway to the blues and rock, and in some ways jazz and country. 

However there is a lot of nuance to this simple pattern that many never learn…

And it’s why I call this concept the “swiss army knife” for guitarists. 

In Lesson 3, I already gave you some tips on how to turn this scale into a minor scale or a major pentatonic. 

But that’s not everything to this scale….

Like we talked about in Lesson 3 too, a scale is a vessel for all the chord tones you’ll need as you play over a chord progression. 

So with all of this said…

Here’s the first secret to pentatonic scales….

e minor pent = em7 or just Em

That’s it. Use the pentatonic scale for an easy way to play all the chord tones built from the root note (E in this case) 

Em chord = E – G – B (D)

E minor pentatonic = E – G – A – B – D 

D natural in this case is the note needed to make an Em7 arpeggio. 

So look, this is what music is all about. You’re putting notes together to make harmonies and melodies. 

When you’re noodling, and not realizing what notes you’re playing…

You’re not going to make chords. You’re not going to make melodic lines that imply those chords. 

Here’s the second secret to using pentatonic scales…..

e minor pentatonic = a minor pentatonic = d major pentatonic = c major pentatonic = G major 

Three minor pentatonic scales and three major pentatonics can be made from the notes of the mother major scale. By mother, I mean the scale they descend from….

Look carefully at the construction of the next series of scales. 

This is something I haven’t discovered until recently….

G Major = G – A – B – C – D – E – F# 

E minor pentatonic = E – G – A – B – D 

C major pentatonic = C – D – E – G – A 

D major pentatonic = D – E – F# – A – B

B minor pentatonic = B – D – E – F# – A 

A minor pentatonic = A – C – D – E – G 

G major pentatonic = G – A – B – D – E 

If you use the first secret I just told you…..

And can understand how to go from minor pentatonic to major pentatonic…

AND can see chord shapes & tones at the same time….

Then you’ve got the bare essentials to soloing on the guitar right here. 

I hope you’re as blown away as I am as I NEVER knew that so many pentatonic scales descended from the major scale. 

It makes the job of learning patterns and understanding how and where to use them so much easier!