How to Play the Pelog Scale on th Guitar

The Pelog scale is common in the music of Indonesia and used often by gamelan (musical ensembles.) It usually consists of a pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales consist of five notes. In this example, the scale will consist of the notes C, D flat, E flat, G and B flat. Try improvising with this scale to create some interesting textures in your music. Read on to learn more about how to play the Pelog scale on the guitar.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Guitar

1. Begin the scale by placing your ring finger on the third fret of the fifth string (A string.) This is the root note of the scale.

2. Using your pinkie, play the fourth fret of the fifth string. This is the note D flat, the second degree of the C Pelog scale.

3. Play the first fret of the fourth string (D string) with your forefinger. This is the note E flat, the third degree of the C Pelog scale.

4. Play the third string (G string) open. Open refers to the playing of a string without holding down any of the frets. This is the note G, the fourth degree of the C Pelog scale.

5. Using your ring finger, play the third fret of the third string. This is the note B flat, the fifth degree of the C Pelog scale.

6. Play the first fret of the second string (B string) with your forefinger. This is the final note of the scale. It is one octave higher than the root note you played in Step 1.

7. Play the scale in reverse. Play Steps 6 through 1 in reverse order to complete the scale. That’s it. You now know how to play the Pelog scale on the guitar.