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

Be sure to visit http://www.activemelody.com to download the tablature and MP3 Jam track for this lesson for free.

This lesson gives a brief overview of the major and minor pentatonic scales on the guitar, which are (in my opinion) the only 2 scales you really need to know well. You can play just about anything with these 2 scales (in fact, they're the only scales I know!). I give some examples using each scale and explain how the major pentatonic scale is the happier sounding scale, versus the minor pentatonic scale which is more sad (also referred to as the blues scale). Be sure to download the tablature and MP3 jam track for this lesson to practice these!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• guitar
• blues
• scale
• minor
• pentatonic
• major
• riff
• lick
• learn
• play
• lesson

[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

[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.

[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!

[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.

[Kevin81555539]

When I learned how to play highway to hell by ACDC, the solo starts out in A minor pentatonic and then goes down 3 frets into a A major pentatonic shape (played from the F# on the low E string), this also blew my mind. I believe you just playing the minor pentatonic scale from the 6th degree. Which if that's true the scale should also be F# minor.. if I'm not mistaken then it is relative to A major. Thus being the reason why this works :) I'm not entirely sure, I'm quite new to theory.

[InfraRedNeck]

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

[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.

[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?)

[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.

[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...