The Blues Scale (Minor Pentatonic) and the Major Pentatonic Scales on the Guitar

[InfraRedNeck]

Can you give us a lesson on what the guitar is doing on the jam track?

[kdc7759]

OK, so if I am in the major scale (E), does the same fingering pattern work to go from 1st to 2nd position? (so starting on the 12th fret low E, then 14th and so on?)

[InfraRedNeck]

@kdc7759 Do a search on the Five Pentatonic Patterns. If I understand your question, if you move up two frets to 14 using the same pattern, you'll be in a different key. In order to stay in the same key, the pattern changes. There are five different patterns along the fret board played in different positions.

[123lordcheese]

Wait so what if you start off in major and move down 3 steps is it still major or minor. I know if ur in major and move up 3 you would be in minor but what if you moved down 3 would you be in minor or major from ur starting off with major ?

[activemelody]

@123lordcheese It doesn't work if you're in the major scale and move down 3 frets- at that point you'd be in the wrong key

[SHEEPSKINFILMS]

This is a great lesson, and It's helping me a lot! Thanks.

[lucky51762]

You could also tell people that all they have to do is move down the guitar neck one whole step

in any key, and they will be in major pentatonic. You just cannot play the root note at one step down.

[ixan303]

dude thats pretty cool tut. But what's the relationship between A minor and C major?

thanks anyway, i learned something new from all of your vid.

[generaldirection93]

okay the minor pentatonic and the blues scale ARE NOT the same thing. The blues scale is a minor pentatonic with a flat 5

[eargasm3]

@generaldirection93 You are absolutely correct, thanks for making that point - it was driving me crazy that no one was saying anything...

Although I appreciate this guy's efforts in sharing, he really should have his shit together if he's going to teach because that was a total rookie mistake.

[eargasm3]

@eargasm3 And for those that want to know the actual blues scale - just add the flat 5th. In the key of E, add A# to the minor pentatonic scale. So in the same box (12 fret) that he is playing in, add the 13th fret on the A string, and the 15th fret of the G string, to the same minor pentatonic scale, and it becomes the blues scale. The flat 5 IS the "blues note" and actually defines and distinguishes the blues sound. Say "they are the same thing" to a real blues man, and you might get shot...

[MarkWalker95]

That's brilliant mate, awesome stuff!! Sounds so much like Jimmy Page! Thanks heaps dude!!

[maximus4524]

hi brian,im so glad i stumbled across you here,.ive learnt so much from you in so little time;i am very grateful for your tuition,especially the minor and major scale stuff keep up the good teaching.k from london england

[glentruan]

Great lesson - very helpful, Thank you.

[thatguywhodidyourmom]

thankyou :)

[jkaneshirosan]

fuck you made this sooo much easier for me to understand!!!!!!THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[camfre4k]

thank you sir ! :)

[EmperorofCartoons]

I appreciate you giving us free lessons, but for what its worth, it would have been nice if you HAD shown us note for note what you did, at least once. I see so many pentatonic scale and soloing lessons on youtube and none of them ever seem to break it down note by note.

[toseeornot2see]

@EmperorofCartoons Look, just play around with the scales. It takes a bit of time to be able play the scale fast and smooth and in various different patterns. So I think you should just keep playing the notes in the same, simple sequence and try out different things till you get proficient.

It took me a while to get used to the scales, but once you are able to do so, you would have overcome a huge barrier.

[pasunaid]

Thanks man, great post

[Soboliew]

LoL man I can't belive that you made it to guitar teacher knowing only pentatonic scale :P

[mrXXrauf182XX]

dave grohl's guitar

[skakali]

hello awsome lesson !i knew this scales before but the problem for meis that i cant improvise much and whenever i try it it sounds awful!i am self-taught but this thing is so strugling thank you so much for the video i hope that you will reply :)

[activemelody]

@skakali Well maybe the problem is that you're not trying to copy the licks of other great players? My recommendation is to find any Albert King album and try to copy some of his licks. That's where I started and over time, it will start to all make sense to you. Then you'll understand what you need to do with the minor or major pentatonic scales.

[DavidAMcLaughlin]

Great video! Love it! For a beginner, this is gold-dust! :-)

[juna2509]

great and usefull lesson !

[nurvek2]

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT LESSON !!! Thanks Mate ! From Australia

[JWDalsager]

This seriously helped me. Thanks, man.

[loombaron]

but somebody explain me why if you go three steps down you got the major penta? whats the musical and interval explanation? I dont understand. I mean E minor is E - G - B which is correct he is playing that but E major is E - sharp G and B and in the major position he is playing sharp C - E . Dont get it why is three steps down, somebody explain it to me. THANX!.

[jord123gidget]

So would a E major scale also be a D minor scale?

[JWDalsager]

@jord123gidget Yup.

[FendersRule]

Great lesson. I wasn't even aware of the shifting down to turn everything into a major-pentatonic scale. This is going to greatly enhance my playing variation.

[Jimaagh]

Iiiiii like it!!

[ohioflyfisher]

That was great.

[Stiffmeister1973]

Wow!! Awesome guitarlessons!!! Just great!

[MrLukeEllen]

Very good lesson!

For anyone learning these scales for the first time, try to think of them as serparate scales and the Minor Pentatonic is more for classic rock and things like that and you don't always want to be hitting hitting those b5's!

[subsailor1]

Very good lesson, simple, easy to follow and well presented.

Thank You!

[redefyne]

I love this lesson!!! These licks are what i've always wanted to learn!

[PhilippineCreation]

Based on my observation, the scales you used are the same. You used a minor pentatonic scale and not a major pentatonic scale. You adjusted the key related to the jam track. I think its a family chord of the key you adjusted so therefore its correct, but the discussion isn't.

[cupolove1]

GREAT LESSON!

[soheyman]

Dude, you provide a very great service, as do some other teachers on YT, please disregard the whiners and complainers. Thanks for these lessons and keep them coming.

[shahpranav17]

i didnt understand........ for demonstrating Eminor pentatonic scale why would you start with a g note on the fifteenth fret.. i guess you are shifting the scale to a different mode?? please respond

[zeron82411]

That was good.

[InnaSoulSounds]

Watched a few of your vids and I have to thank you - love your teaching style. I'll be putting my son onto a few of your lessons. Thanks and well done.

[SelasSolaris]

"I'll be honest with you, those are the only two scales I know how to play."

LOL Legend.

[nahs1988]

very nice jam my friend.

[artped2002]

sweet & simple!..thanks a lot!

[88ripitup]

this is the first thing i learned on a gitfiddle, you can play all around it and play cool things, love what ur doing , keep up the great lessons

[ShiviHendrix]

Lovely tone and lesson mate

[mpm111144]

He said you could "Just about" play anything. He didn't say everything! Jeez! Some people would bitch if they were given a hundred gold bricks if they had to haul 'em off themselves. Great lesson, mate! Where's all the Know-It-All's vids, showing the Perfect way to play guitar?? Oh...I know...they're still playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." AHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahaha!! :D)

[activemelody]

@mpm111144 Thanks for saying that. It never ceases to amaze me how some people can be on YouTube via their comments. Some times I'll have someone actually go to my website, create an account, log in, and then complain that they didn't like the jam track or that the tablature was too confusing. You want to say, ummm it's free...so stop complaining, but they would find offense in that as well. Oh well, fortunately there are always a lot more positive comments than negative.

[mpm111144]

@activemelody You're welcome bunches, Brian. Your lessons are some of the best on here. I did subscribe, and use your website just about daily to help me learn even more about playing the blues. I'm a Big Beatles fan, and that's what I started learning from the beginning about a year ago. I'm 67, and took up the guitar to help ward off the "oldtimers" diseases. Not to mention...I Love it. Great therapy for me in every way. You're the best, mate. Take care. :)

[activemelody]

@mpm111144 Nothing better to keep your mind fresh and young than picking on a guitar. I love hearing stories like that because I'll be that guy one day - never stop learning! God bless you sir.

[saya0208]

it really helps.. good explanation though



[ArticFan1]

Dude that sounds so nice 03:24

[1238sourabh]

awesome!



[yankee9]

Hey man, thanks alot. This is really going to take my playing to the next step.

[TREVORJB101]

how do i download this backing track from the website?

[diddymies]

Best video for major pentatonic.

[Bigheadet]

Perfection.

[dkaakd]

Nice lesson. Thanks.

[dudestube]

Those are the only 2 scales you've learned ???

Man, you're seriously missing out on some great sounds.

[CajunDudeInLA]

This is a very good teacher, why would anyone talk crap about this guy who not only is trying to help you but it's free.

I don't understand.

Thank you for this lesson, very helpful sir!

[1998jcglass]

dont know why but when you play one on the 12th F mine sounds the same but on the F below , so on the 1th

[funofsk8ing]

@1998jcglass is your guitar in standard E tuning?

[fiddlestick89]

THANK YOU.. that is all.

[yjmsrv]

the blues scale and the minor pentatonic are not the same scale. The blues scale has the flattened five added to it and is a six note, or hexatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is a five note (hence penta, which is Greek for five).

[Neuguy69]

Great job. You really make a newbie feel like he's a blues guitarist. Watch out!! Hooperdoopermazing is gonna teach u a lesson!! It's called. HOW TO BE ANGRY!!! Excuse him. One bad poop and two Rage Against songs and BAM!

[Hoopermazing]

The blues scale is NOT a minor pentatonic, you stupid whitebread idiot. Which part of six notes (i.e. hexatonic) are you failing to grasp?

[IronGaz]

@Hoopermazing Shut the fuck you tard. This was actually very helpfull. Were is your video? Oh wait you don't have one because your just a TROLL GTFO!!

[Ralyks321]

@crucifyme88 that was gives the bluesy sound to it

[matinee310]

Thank you mate- that just saved me 100s of pounds in lessons. Those who are disgrunted must be teachers. Cheers!!!

[skillzdatkillz900]

hi, im a beginner guitarist, and i mainly just want to play my favourite bands music like AC/DC etc which ill grasp over time. id also like to play some solos, but as long as they keep them pretty cool and simple in 1 scale i.e a minor pentatonic, do i really need to know the hundreds of things like arpeggios etc? thanks :)

[CRAIGARRR]

That is pretty cool how you switched into both of them at the end.. Nice lesson on this confusing concept of Relative Major and Relative minor.. If you think too hard about it, it can really mess ya up lol.. thanks for the lesson!

[CRAIGARRR]

Oh stop... I am sure you know how to play at least the Major scale for every root and I would bet the Minor scale as well .. Not just the major and minor pentatonic scale...

[bloozeman100]

excellent lesson, you explained everything very well.......

[jaqua524]

i dont quite understand the blendying part....like u "blend" the two scales at 7:48..i dont under stand how that is different from the minor scale..like it seems like u are plating the minor scale...i dont understand what makes it different

[gaws1234567890]

After learning all my minor pent in all postions to find that i have not got to learn my major pent just shift the down 3 frets is just brilliant, this video explains the theory perfectly.thanks

[Gonzoidzz]

learning the scale is easy kids, mastering it takes much more.

[vb8166]

nice lesson! thanks activemelody

[activemelody]

@coolboyzrock - no, this is definitely not everything you need to know regarding those 2 scales, BUT I think it gives you a good overview and a good starting point

[coolboyzrock]

do you think that that is all that a need to learn