So you want to learn how to play pentatonic scales on the guitar…

Assuming you now know some chords, strumming patterns and can play some songs, you’ve decided your ready to start learning how to play pentatonic scales…

Here’s how I teach students who are learning pentatonic scales on guitar:

Let me just say surpassing we dig into this, I realize that there is a lot of information on how to play pentatonic scales on guitar. Here is my method, not the only method, or necessarily the weightier method, but it’s how I teach the pentatonic scale to my students most of the time!

What is a pentatonic scale?

Pentatonic ways a 5 note scale. Penta is a Greek prefix meaning 5, i.e. Pentagon – a 5 sided geometric shape; and tonic meaning tone or note.

Sources: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pentatonic, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatonic_scale, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/penta-.

Although, there is a lot of variegated types of pentatonic scales someone can use and create, in modern popular music i.e. Rock, Metal, Country, Bluegrass, etc. there are two primary types – Major and Minor Pentatonic.

There is moreover the Blues Scale which is a derivative of the Pentatonic scale. For our purposes, we’re just going to discuss the Major and the Minor Pentatonic scales.

How to Create a Pentatonic Scale:

FYI: The formula for the major pentatonic scale is 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 – for example, in C major that would be C, D, E, G, A.

The formula for the minor pentatonic scale is 1, b3, 4, 5, b7 – for example, in C minor that would be C, Eb, F, G, Bb.

C major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are referred to as parallel scales considering they both use C as their tonic.

However, if you compare two scales that are use the same notes just rearranged, they are tabbed relative scales.

In the key of C major, the relative minor pentatonic scale would be A minor pentatonic.

To largest understand this squint at the notes of the C major pentatonic scale: C D E G A.

Now let’s squint at the notes within A minor pentatonic: A C D E G. Do you see the same notes contained within both? They are the same notes, just rearranged.

For an example in flipside key: In the key of G major, the notes of the G major pentatonic would be G A B D E, and the E minor Pentatonic notes would be E G A B D. Again, the same notes just rearranged…

How to learn and practice the Pentatonic Scale:

Since there are 5 notes in the pentatonic scale, there are 5 positions or boxes of the pentatonic scale. I typically start with the C major Pentatonic Scale in the Open Position:

If you squint closely, you can see at least one chord shape or form within the scale form.

Here squint then at the scale fingering:

Did you notice anything else well-nigh it?! Yes, if your really paying attention, you’ll see that its the same scale but I moreover showed you the position of the root note for the C chord (the woebegone triangles, which in this specimen is the C note). And squint it how you can moreover start to see the C major chord within this diagram!

Here’s a C major chord to compare it to:

Therefore, It’s tabbed the C Form!

If you squint then at the same scale form (just scroll up if you have to, I showed it to you twice), you moreover notice flipside chord… maybe…

How well-nigh this chord? Look at the scale form again, and you see that I used the woebegone trianges for the C major chord root notes, and the woebegone dots for the A minor root notes. (The root is the same thing as the name of the chord usually. For exampe the C chord contains the C root notes twice in the chord form.)

What this means, in practical terms, is that when you are improvising over these chords you can use these scales, and it will sound great!

Next, let’s relate this same idea to the E minor/ G major Pentatonic scale:

Again, please note that I notated this scale by showing the E (as woebegone dots) as the root for E minor Pentatonic. However, you want to moreover squint at the woebegone triangles (those are the root notes for the G chord). Here let’s squint at the diagram:

This is tabbed the G form.

Again notice they are the same fingering, just with variegated roots, the G note. Also, notice that within both shapes you should moreover be worldly-wise to visualize both the E minor (7) and the G major chords within.

I want to moreover point out the difference between the C major pentatonic and the G major pentatonic… really it’s only one note… C major is C, D, E, G, A; and G major is G, A, B, D, E. Notice that in the C major scale you have a C note, and in the G major you have a B note, everything else is the same. Keep that in mind for later! It will makes increasingly sense… later on…

So surpassing we go on, lets squint at the C major scale using the G form.

The G form (revisited)

Ok, so now that we have that as a foundation, let’s protract exploring the rest of the pentatonic scale patterns/ fingerings.

Before we do, let’s explore flipside related foundational concept, the CAGED method…

The CAGED Method Explained

The Linking Patterns of the Pentatonic Scale

Below are what I consider to be the two linking patterns between the C chord form and the G chord form.

The A form. The D form.

Here then I designated the major root with a woebegone triangle, and the minor root with the woebegone circle! The A form and the D form of the pentatonic scale are based on the A form and the D form chord shapes. Also, notice that most of these examples are based on the C major scale, just illustrating variegated forms or positions of the same scale.

Here is are the A and the D chords to help largest illustrate those chord/ scale forms:

Last but not least is the E form!

The E Form

Here then I designated the major root with a woebegone triangle, and the minor root with the woebegone circle! This is the E scale form based on the E chord form. Here is an E chord to help you visualize how to uncurl the scale with the chord.