How to Play a Minor Pentatonic Scale
The pentatonic scale is a premier tool for guitarists looking to add colorful note progressions over chords. The pentatonic is actually a minor scale, but it doesn't contain all of the notes of a minor chromatic scale. The pentatonic has five notes in an octave. Guitar players play the pentatonic scale as a movable pattern on the fretboard. Here is how to explore the scale to understand how it works.
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Instructions
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Pick a key. Your key will determine where you start your pentatonic pattern. It's helpful to choose a key to illustrate how the pentatonic works. For instance, we'll choose the key of G.
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Start learning the basic "1" pattern. The pentatonic on the guitar fretboard is actually an interlocking series of patterns that mesh into each other. The "1" pattern is the backbone of the scale. In fact, lots of guitar players don't really use the other patterns that much because the 1 includes all of the notes near the root note on the fretboard.
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3
Find your "1" base. You'll notice that the pentatonic includes this rule: the 1 pattern will always include ALL of the notes on the fret where the key chord is on the low E string. For example, since we're dealing with the key of G, the pentatonic 1 pattern will include ALL notes on the third fret, in this case: G, C, F, A#, D, and G.
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Locate the "other half" of the 1 pattern. The 1 pattern will always have the notes we just mentioned, as well as the following notes: three frets up from your base on the low E string, two frets up on the A string, two frets up on the D string, two frets up on the G string, three frets up on the B string, and three frets up on the high E string.
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Play through your pentatonic 1 pattern to hear how the notes sound. You should recognize the easy structure of the pattern and the way the notes fit together.
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Add the "2" pattern. To add this pattern to your repertoire, you're just adding one more note on each string, playing from your second line of notes in the 1 pattern. For the 2 pattern, you'll go another two frets up on low E, another three frets up on A, another three frets up on D, another two frets up on G, another two frets up on B, and another two frets up on high E.
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Try other patterns as necessary, observing the way they fit together. You'll understand the flexible nature of the pentatonic scale.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're confused, check out fretboard diagrams on sites like Cyberfret. It's easier to show the pentatonic scale than it is to tell it. These charts can help you find your fingering for future play.
