This particular pentatonic pattern allows you to keep your left hand stationary; all the fingers can reach their respective fret easily without stretching or requiring left-hand movement. Guitarists use pentatonic scales when improvising lead solos. Then the idea is to use this scale to solo over m7, 7 and maj7 chords. Guitar skills: Scales don’t have to be hard to remember. The key of E minor is often described as the scale of E minor. Pentatonics over Major Chords: Wratcheting up Brightness. This is a major scale with the half steps omitted. © Copyright 2018 - Learn Jazz Standards, LLC, LJS 67: How to Use Pentatonic Scales Over Any Chord, 5 Jazz Chord Substitutions You Need to Know, LJS 223: 3 Jazz Theory Lessons from On the Sunny Side of the Street, LJS 219: How to Apply Scales to Jazz Standards, LJS 73: 4 Strategies For Improvising Over Major 2-5-1’s. For example, play A minor pentatonic over an A minor chord. 2) play a minor pentatonic from the root of a minor 7th chord. Hopefully, this will give you a useful way to organize and see the relationships between 7th chords and pentatonic scales. This is an Am barre chord – it’s more advanced than what we’ve looked at so far. A musical key is a group of scales and chords which work together. Just as with the C chord, Em is almost identical to a scale, this time the E minor pentatonic scale. He's also the host of the music entrepreneurship podcast "Passive Income Musician.". Take a listen: Since the song is in A minor I can use the A pentatonic minor scale to solo over it. C major pentatonic scale. He sat at the piano and began to play the chords; as he did so, he turned his head to look at me. 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Remember to try lower shapes for verse, and move them higher for chorus ideas. Most will never be trained in pentatonic intervals. Minor Pentatonic Scale and Power Chords. The white notes from C-C make a simple C major scale. Many people have been deceived that the minor pentatonic only works over a blues or a minor chord, but I want to take you through the applications of the minor pentatonic over a major chord. A minor pentatonic can be used as a lead scale over chord progressions in A minor, C major, and A blues (“blues” can imply a specific, six-note scale, as well as a chord progression). In that … The C major pentatonic, formed from the root note, is: R 2 3 5 6, i.e. To improvise over major chords, a very popular scale of choice is the major pentatonic. It is popular because it can be used to improvise over the blues and sounds great against minor and 7 th chords. This just gives us more guides. Let's take the A-minor pentatonic scale for example. How to Use the Pentatonic Scale in Jazz Progressions. Take it one shape at a time until you feel like you're really getting the hang of it. Let’s take a look at what makes up this scale and how it’s applied to the guitar fretboard. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. So for a song like this, you could play either the G major or G minor pentatonic scale … Not bad for a scale that’s two notes shy of a major scale. This lesson comes straight out of our flagship eBook Zero to Improv, which teaches you how to become a great jazz improviser from the ground up. No doubt about it, this five-note scale packs a punch! Unlike our previous backing tracks, the music doesn’t stick to one chord, so there’s a more sophisticated sound. All rights reserved. Em is another common chord that any beginner will know. It is one of the most commonly used scales in rock music, with a timeless bluesy sound that is favored in every genre from country to metal. This is a fantastic concept that is very practical, especially for guitar players, since we tend to know pentatonic scales very well as part of our musical development. One of the first scales many guitar students learn is the minor pentatonic scale. Create simple chord progressions and repeat a pentatonic melodic idea over each chord. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. Here are the roots to help you understand it. This track is basically just four measures of the G major chord, followed by four measures of the E minor chord. Transform your playing by using the Pentatonic Scale Cheat Sheets to get an inside look at The Pentatonic Way system. The two words are used almost interchangeably. There’s a classic rock vibe here – think AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and so on. The point here is that a lot of guitarists can usually find these chord shapes quickly in the common keys, probably up to the seventh fret, mostly because they get used a lot in many songs. Soloing with Relative Minor Pentatonic Scales Determine the chords of your song. Go through the … Also, the 5th relationship will work some of the time as will the 7th relationship. There are 3 major scale modes in the major scale. Also, don't miss the open minor pentatonic tutorial. Please refresh the page and try again. To work out the key of any song, simply look at the song’s first and last chords. In the majority of cases ‘pentatonic scale’ on guitar refers to the pentatonic minor scale. Unlike chords, scales are played one note at a time. When the chord changes to IV, we can still play the root scale (e.g. Using clear descriptions, infographics, and links to online content, this eBook will explain how pentatonic scales and chords … It also works pretty well over A major and C blues. Move up to D, and if you simply go from D-D without hitting a black note, you’ll be playing the Dorian mode. The following figure shows a neck diagram outlining a pentatonic scale … It is used for improvisation in almost all styles of music but it is most commonly played over rock chords and power chords. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Use your first finger to press down on all six strings. Don't feel like you need to do this with all five scale shapes at once. Third and fourth fingers are also used. Thanks for your help! Work on emphasizing the root notes of each chord with each shape. Playing Over Dominant Chords You can use both major and minor pentatonic scales, but once again, be cautious of the minor third when playing the minor pentatonic scale. Play the descending scale in the following figure, which is in C pentatonic major in eighth notes, beginning with your left-hand little finger on the 1st string, 8th fret. Whereas the term ‘pentatonic scale’ can be used to refer to any 5-note scale, in guitar playing it generally means either one of two scales: the pentatonic minor or the pentatonic major. 2) play a minor pentatonic from the root of a minor 7th chord. Step 1 – Apply the Basic “Pentatonic Box #1” to Each Chord. But if the interval of pentatonic are fixed, what does it mean to use this scale to solo over m7, 7 and maj7 chords? Welcome to episode 214 of the LJS Podcast where today I go over 16 scales that can be useful when it comes to conceptualizing... You have entered an incorrect email address! Without speaking, he placed sheet music on the music stands in front of us, revealing the chord changes and melody for the classic jazz standard "On Dolphin Street." Many simple chord progressions are taken exactly from the pentatonic scale, regardless of tonality. He is the head blogger and podcast host for learnjazzstandards.com which he owns and operates. They each have a major pentatonic associated with them. Let’s learn how to take major and minor pentatonics to the next level. Choose a key, and play through a couple of octaves of the pentatonic scale. This alone already gives you five different chords to work with. Major Pentatonic - IV Chord Tones. Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. For example, play Am pentatonic chords over an F major 7th chord. Creating chords in the Pentatonic scale. The beauty of the major and minor pentatonic scales, is that they stay the same no matter what key you are in! You hopefully already know the C chord Just press down on the strings with your first, second and third fingers where the dots show you, then strum the top five strings! One way to look at scales is to imagine a piano. You’d think that if the major pentatonic scale were good for one thing, it would be for playing over major chords. Listen to how the scale shapes sound different over each chord. The notes of the scale always sound good over an Em chord. BA1 1UA. You hopefully already know the C chord Just press down on the strings with your first, second and third fingers where the dots show you, then strum the top five strings! R + WT + WT + WT + HT For example, in the scale of C: CDEGA. Brent Vaartstra is a professional jazz guitarist and educator living in New York City. Pentatonic position #1 can either be major or minor. Today, we’re looking at the Pentatonic Scale (which we’ll get to in a moment) but there are hundreds more scales in existence. The "scale of thirds" also gives you some cool chord substitution concepts using chords built from the pentatonic scales mentioned above. Learn how your comment data is processed. © The beauty of the major and minor pentatonic scales, is that they stay the same no matter what key you are in! People often use the terms ‘key’ and ‘scale’ in the same way. Again, see if you can spot the chord shape ‘hidden’ within the notes of the scale. It’s chord progression is: Am, Dm, Am, Dm, F, C, Dm, F, C, Dm, Em, Am. This scale is the most popular of guitar scales used in rock music. This is your best way to learn the scale, and to get familiar with it on your instrument (or voice). So let’s take on the key question of which pentatonic scales to use over which chords. Here are some examples: C major 7 – Am pent (a 3rd below) – Em pent (a 3rd above) D minor 7 – F maj pent (a 3rd above) – Am pent (a 5th above) E minor 7 – G maj pent (a 3rd above) F major 7 – Dm pent (a 3rd below) – Am pent (a 3rd above) – Em pent (a 7th above) G dom 7 – Em pent (a 3rd below) – Dm pent (a 5th above) A minor 7 – C maj pent (a 3rd above) – Em pent (a 5th above) B minor 7b5 – Dm pent (a 3rd above). Scales don't have to be hard – and this lesson proves it! It shows how the six string minor chord and five string minor chord overlay box 1 and 4 of the minor pentatonic. Improvise melodies on that pentatonic scale. Use your second finger for all of the 2nd fret notes in this lick. The challenge with any scale-based lick is the quick note to note changes. Bath MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Just press down on the relevant strings with your second and third fingers, then strum all six strings. Thanks so much for any tips as I look forward to continue studying/practicing. Or you can flip that and turn a major pentatonic scale into a major scale mode by adding the appropriate 4th and 7th … This is quite simple: You can play the scale on one string for the B, G and D strings and then stack the notes to get the voicings shown in example 1: You can use these 3 note voicings as chords whenever you would normally apply the A minor pentatonic scale: Am7, Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Bbmaj7, Dm7, D7sus4. The difference in which scale you play is dependent on the piece of music. Here you find the guitar tabs and the fretboard diagrams for learning the Minor Pentatonic scale on guitar. The same is true for the minor pentatonic and modes, but I’ll cover them in the minor section below. Penatonic scales are familiar to many but are often not utilized to their full potential. The word “pentatonic” comes from the Greek word pente which means five and tonic which means tone. Use the minor pentatonic scale over minor chords. How To Use The Minor Pentatonic Over Major Chords I've included a Jam Track that you can download at the top of the page. Welcome to episode 67 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about pentatonic scales and how you can use them to improvise over any kind of chord. So, in this case, the next note of the scale would be up three frets, or all the way up to the 20th fret. Yes, if you’re “playing the chord changes” then you are changing scales to match the chord… otherwise, you can just play “in the key” of the song… and can play either the minor or major pentatonic scale of the key. The notes of the C Minor Pentatonic Scale scale are C, Eb, F, G, and Bb Note, some of these examples are duplicates of more "obvious" choices: 1) play a major pentatonic from the root of a major 7th and dominant seventh chords. This scale is often referred to as a five-tone scale or a five-note scale. Below is a chart of the minor pentatonic scale. You can turn any major scale mode into a major pentatonic by removing the 4th and 7th scale/mode degrees. The only difference is where the scale root, or “tonal center” is located within the pattern: Minor Pentatonic Position #1: Major Pentatonic Position #1: If the song centers on a major chord (G), you play the G major pentatonic. Let's start off with the "scale of thirds" in the Key of C and the "naturally occurring" major and minor pentatonic scales in the Key of C. Scale of Thirds: C E G B D F A C E G B D F A C, The "diatonic" major and minor pentatonic scales: C major pentatonic (I) same as A minor pentatonic (vi) F major pentatonic (IV) same as D minor pentatonic (ii) G major pentatonic (V) same as E minor pentatonic (iii), The general concept is that the diatonic pentatonic scales that are in a relationship of a diatonic third up or down from the root of the chord will work for improvising. The versatility and playability of the scale makes it a popular choice for use in guitar soloing and melodies. Thankfully, the minor pentatonic comes stacked with the notes in music all people like. Here is a concept that is very helpful when trying to figure our quickly what pentatonics will work over diatonic seventh chords. The major pentatonic is the basic scale of the music of China and Mongolia. To further your insight into pentatonics, repeat the above exercise with the C Major pentatonic shapes below. Rather than playing "over" the chords… Minor Pentatonic Scale and Power Chords is part 11 in a 14 part series on Learn to Play Guitar Lessons. It’ll help you keep position shifts to a minimum. WT = Whole Tone, HT = Half Tone. You will receive a verification email shortly. Have fun applying these concepts in your playing. Listen in! There was a problem. The first scale you learn is the A minor pentatonic. If you get value from the LJS Podcast, help us out by leaving a rating and review on iTunes or your favorite podcast service. The note after that would be at the 22nd fret. Visit our corporate site. If the song is in a minor key (Em), then you play the Em pentatonic. Learn the Secrets of the Pentatonic Scale Right Now. It is believed to have been used way back in ancient times. 1. After that, try making up your own lick using notes taken from the scale. Note, some of these examples are duplicates of more "obvious" choices: 1) play a major pentatonic from the root of a major 7th and dominant seventh chords. Play through the chord and scale before attempting this Keith Richards-inspired C major pentatonic line. So, the bottom line here is to use chord tones to keep your scale phrases connected to the chord changes. The major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar. He actively performs around the New York metropolitan area and is the author of the Hal Leonard publication "Visual Improvisation for Jazz Guitar." Below in tab is the A pentatonic minor scale in it’s most popular pattern (the E minor scale pattern with it’s root on the 5th fret): This is awesome Mick! Thanks for sharing! Since the first and last notes of the pentatonic scale are the same note (an octave up), you can just begin repeating the pattern to play further up the string. As you probably already know, the scale above is the minor pentatonic and the scale below is the major pentatonic, only they share the same pattern. The pentatonic scales can function both as a minor and major. The first scale most guitar players learn is the minor pentatonic scale. These three easy shapes are almost identical to open chords you’ve probably already worked out. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Unlike chords, scales are played one note at a time. It’s because the chord and scale share so many notes they always sound good played together. Indeed, a C major pentatonic scale can be used over a C major chord. And they work in any combination, order, and placement. C major pentatonic over Fmaj), but the tones of the scale now have a new relationship, as the chord root has changed. And Mongolia and five string minor chord scales to use the a pentatonic minor scale to solo over,! 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The first scales many guitar students learn is the head blogger and podcast host for which! This browser for the minor pentatonic to how the scale always sound good over an F major chord... Over minor chords, repeat the above exercise with the notes of the page do... Organize and see the relationships between 7th chords and Power chords s learn how use. Finger for all of the time as will the 7th relationship R WT... Major scale modes in the scale, regardless of tonality before attempting this Keith Richards-inspired C pentatonic. Steps omitted take the A-minor pentatonic scale Cheat Sheets to get familiar with it on your instrument ( or )... At what makes up this scale to solo over m7, 7 and maj7 chords Seventh chords looked.