You learned the box. Now every solo you play sounds like the box.

The box isn’t the problem. Nobody showed you how the pentatonic scale connects to the chords underneath it. Below are all five patterns, how they link up across the neck, and the three ways I use them to write melodies and solos that sound like music.

The Pentatonic Scale In 30 Seconds

Pentatonic means five notes. The minor pentatonic is the root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th. In A that is A – C – D – E – G. The major pentatonic is the root, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th. In A that is A – B – C# – E – F#.

Leaving out two notes of the seven-note scale is what makes it hard to hit a bad one.

The 5 Minor Pentatonic Patterns

These are all five patterns in A minor. Yellow dots are the root, A. Each pattern ends where the next one begins, so together they cover the whole neck from fret 5 up.

To play in another key, slide the whole set until the yellow dot lands on your root. Root on the 3rd fret of the low E string? You are in G minor pentatonic.

Minor Vs Major: Same Shapes, Different Home

Major pentatonic uses the same five patterns. Start 3 frets below your root and use the minor shapes from there. A major pentatonic has the same notes as F# minor pentatonic. I break this down in The Difference Between Major And Minor Pentatonic Guitar Scales.

Three Ways To Make Music With It

1. Match the scale to the chord. Playing G major pentatonic (G – A – B – D – E) over a G chord is already playing the chord with some passing notes.

2. Change the scale when the chord changes. If every solo sounds the same, you are probably playing one scale over every chord. Swap to the pentatonic that fits the new chord. What Scales Work Over What Chords? shows how.

3. Sing it first. Hum a short phrase over the chords, find it on the neck using three notes of the pattern, then repeat it with one change. That is a melody.

Inside Every Key: 3 Major And 3 Minor Pentatonics

Here’s the truth about the pentatonic scale guitar playing and soloing…..

Breaking out of the box is not a great idea for most of you, and by doing so, you’re neglecting one of the most useful musical tools available. 

The pentatonic scale is not just the instant gateway to blues and rock music, but also to jazz, country, and even some classical like Debussy. 

Why is it used everywhere then? And why is everyone telling you to play harmonic minor and melodic minor instead? 

It’s because the guitar education market is OBSESSED with scales, and it’s easier to sell you on a brand new scale instead of just learning more about how scales work in music. 

So in this article, I’m going to reveal some enormous truths about using scales, as well as my greatest discovery about pentatonic scales yet…..

First, My Pentatonic Scale Guitar Secret

The secret: in every major or minor scale there are 3 major pentatonic scales and 3 minor pentatonic scales, and this insight will give you tons of new ways to use pentatonic scales. 

To show you this let’s break down a good ole G major scale: G – A – B – C – D – E – F# 

(I can’t give you a full breakdown of scales and keys here, so please check out my PIL Method if you need help with that) 

Now let’s break down a few pentatonic scales like the good ole E minor and A minor pentatonics: 

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

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

Compare this set of notes to the set of G major scale notes up above…..

They all fit together! 

If you know the relative major/minor concept, you’ve probably been stuck thinking you can only use E minor pentatonic as a sub for G major. As you can see though, this is very limiting. 

Now look at G major pentatonic and D major pentatonic: 

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

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

Compare these notes to G major as well….

I hope you see it!

Why is this so?…….

Pentatonics Are The Easiest Way To Sound A Chord 

The problem with a lot of guitar music theory courses and books is that they repeat the same things all the time.

No amount of marketing can make up for a mediocre teaching method, and that’s just what I see almost all the time. 

I say that because they never show you what I’ve already shown and what I’m about to show you….

The notes of the G chord are: G – B – D 

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

So playing this scale instantly conjures a G chord! 

Not knowing this could be the reason all your solos sound the same, and why you struggle to play over chord changes. 

You’re literally not changing your note choices with the new chord!

It all depends on the context of the song, but you have more than likely made this mistake. 

So playing E minor pentatonic, A minor pentatonic, or D major pentatonic is basically just playing a chord with some extra passing notes.

Pentatonic Scales Can Easily Change Into Another Scale 

Now think of this in the context of chords….

Lots of people at this point will start talking about modes and major scales, and how you can just mutate a 5 note scale into a 7 note scale. 

But that doesn’t give you the simplicity that’s now available when you look at pentatonics in the light I’ve just put them in. 

Take the G major pentatonic scale: G – A – B – D – E 

How would you use this scale to play over a Cmaj7, or a C7? 

To do this you need to be able to instantly think of the chord tones, and then see them on the fretboard. 

For Cmaj7, I could easily just throw in a C note on this scale. 

For C7, I’d have to use Bb as well as C, which would make this more like a G minor pentatonic scale. 

So why am I going on this tangent? There’s nothing particularly special about this move….

It’s just to reiterate that knowing your chord tones is just as important, if not more, as knowing the five pentatonic scale patterns and how modes work. 

It Can Be Used In Every Genre, Seriously 

Nearly every genre of music uses basic chords like G, D, and C. You can’t really reduce a genre down to whether it uses basic chords or advanced chords like slash chords and augmented 7th chords. 

Sometimes, you’ll be improvising over a one chord or two chord vamp. There will be plenty of scales available to highlight those chord tones, and plenty of time to think of new ways to color the chord. 

This is what will happen in rock and country music a good bit. 

But blues can throw you off as the 12 bar blues progression doesn’t necessarily stay in a single key. The G7, C7, and D7, for instance, doesn’t belong solely to G major as not all the chord tones are in that scale. 

But, you can play a G major pentatonic, then a C major pentatonic, and then a D major pentatonic. 

Jazz and classical have these long long progressions that make soloing much more difficult though. 

In John Coltrane’s song “Moment’s Notice” or “Giant Steps” he is rapidly changing keys and thus what chord tones you’ll need from moment to moment. 

That’s why the pentatonic scale is even more necessary as it’ll reduce the amount of thinking! 

To sum up the “pentatonic scale guitar secret” I just revealed, it’s this……

In every major or minor key, there is 3 major pentatonic scales and 3 minor pentatonic scales that are diatonic to the key, and correspond to the scale degree they’re created from. 

G major scale = G – A – B – C – D – E – F# 

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

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

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

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

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

F# locrian pentatonic = F# – A – B – C – E

Don’t quote me on the name of the last one……

So to use this on your own…..

Find some songs you’re comfortable jamming over. Make sure you know the key fairly well.

And try playing some of the other now available scales over the chords in this song. 

Play B minor pentatonic over a G major chord, for instance. Play E minor pentatonic over an Am chord. Play D major pentatonic over C major. And on and on. 

If any of this article was a struggle, then I hope you’ll check out my PIL Method course. 

It has a module on music theory that’s super simple and takes only an hour to go through, as well as a module on lead guitar that breaks down the process of playing over chord changes in the most lightning fast way possible. 

Three Mistakes That Keep You In The Box

Living in pattern 1. Learn at least two patterns and the notes that connect them.

Using one scale over every chord.

Playing notes with no rhythm. Pick a rhythm first, then fill it with notes.

Keep Going

Stuck in the pentatonic box? Pentatonic Prison Break shows how the greats got out. Want the theory behind why it all fits? Start with guitar music theory in plain English, and see how guitar scales turn into real solos.

Pentatonic Scale Questions

What is the pentatonic scale on guitar? A five-note scale. The minor version (1, b3, 4, 5, b7) and the major version (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) are the two most used scales in blues, rock, country and pop.

How many pentatonic patterns are there? Five. They connect end to end and cover the whole neck in any key.

What is the difference between major and minor pentatonic? They use the same five patterns. A major pentatonic has the same notes as the minor pentatonic that starts 3 frets lower.

Can I use the pentatonic scale over any chord? Pick the pentatonic that contains the chord’s notes, and change it when the chord changes.