Major And Minor Pentatonics

One thing that confuses a lot of guitarists is the use of the minor and major pentatonic scales.

The the minor scales that are outlined below, in the key of "A", are simply patterns that can be moved up and down the neck. Putting these patterns in the key of "A" means that the notes that have an "R" after them, or the root notes, are on an "A" note.

Minor Patterns

Pattern 1
E||----------------------|----------------------|------------3----5R---|
B||----------------------|----------------------|--3----5--------------|
G||----------------------|------------2R---5----|----------------------|
D||----------------------|--2----5--------------|----------------------|
A||------------3----5----|----------------------|----------------------|
E||--3----5R-------------|----------------------|----------------------|

Pattern 2
----------------------|----------------------|------------5R---8----|
----------------------|----------------------|--5----8--------------|
----------------------|------------5----7----|----------------------|
----------------------|--5----7R-------------|----------------------|
------------5----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
--5R---8--------------|----------------------|----------------------|

Pattern 3
------------------------|-----------------------|-------------8----10----|
------------------------|-----------------------|--8----10R--------------|
------------------------|-------------7----9----|------------------------|
------------------------|--7R---10--------------|------------------------|
-------------7----10----|-----------------------|------------------------|
--8----10---------------|-----------------------|------------------------|

Pattern 4
--------------------------|-------------------------|--------------10----12----|
--------------------------|-------------------------|--10R----13-----------
--------------------------|--------------9----12----|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--10----12---------------|--------------------------|
--------------10----12R---|-------------------------|--------------------------|
--10----12----------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|

Pattern 5
--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------12----15----|
--------------------------|--------------------------|--13----15----------------|
--------------------------|--------------12----14R---|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--12----14----------------|--------------------------|
--------------12R----15---|--------------------------|-----------------------
--12----15----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Pattern 6
--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------15----17R---||
--------------------------|--------------------------|--15----17----------------||
--------------------------|--------------14R---17----|-----------------------
--------------------------|--14----17----------------|--------------------------||
--------------15----17----|--------------------------|--------------------------||
--15----17R---------------|--------------------------|--------------------------||

Here you can see that pattern 6 has the same shape as pattern 1 and it's root notes in the same place, but is exactly 12 frets up the fretboard, meaning all the notes in pattern 6 are one octave higher then pattern 1.

The major pentatonic scales use the same patterns but with the root notes in a different place to produce a different tonic "progression", which is basically the music theory way of saying it makes it sound major, instead of minor. Here are the same 6 patterns on the neck but with the roots in different areas.

Major Patterns

Pattern 1
E||----------------------|----------------------|------------3----5----|
B||----------------------|----------------------|--3----5--------------|
G||----------------------|------------2----5R---|----------------------|
D||----------------------|--2----5--------------|----------------------|
A||------------3R---5----|----------------------|----------------------|
E||--3----5--------------|----------------------|----------------------|

Pattern 2
----------------------|----------------------|------------5----8R---|
----------------------|----------------------|--5----8--------------|
----------------------|------------5R---7----|----------------------|
----------------------|--5----7--------------|----------------------|
------------5----7----|----------------------|----------------------|
--5----8R-------------|----------------------|----------------------|

Pattern 3
------------------------|-----------------------|-------------8R---10----|
------------------------|-----------------------|--8----10---------------|
------------------------|-------------7----9----|------------------------|
------------------------|--7----10R-------------|------------------------|
-------------7----10----|-----------------------|------------------------|
--8R---10---------------|-----------------------|------------------------|

Pattern 4
--------------------------|-------------------------|--------------10----12----|
--------------------------|-------------------------|--10----13R---------------|
--------------------------|--------------9----12----|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--10R---12---------------|----------------------
--------------10----12----|-------------------------|--------------------------|
--10----12----------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|

Pattern 5
--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------12----15----|
--------------------------|--------------------------|--13R---15------------
--------------------------|--------------12----14----|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--12----14----------------|--------------------------|
--------------12----15R---|--------------------------|--------------------------|
--12----15----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|

Pattern 6
--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------15----17----||
--------------------------|--------------------------|--15----17----------------||
--------------------------|--------------14----17R---|--------------------------||
--------------------------|--14----17----------------|--------------------------||
--------------15R---17----|--------------------------|---------------------
--15----17----------------|--------------------------|--------------------------||

Here you can see that the same patterns but the roots have been changed. The change in roots for the patterns isnt very difficult at all. You can take the the pattern for the Minor scale, and root moves up one note.

So in the case of pattern 2, The root note for the minor is on the 5th fret, and the root note for the major is on the 8th fret. So all you are doing is moving the root one note forward in the pattern to change from minor to major.

These major patterns also fall into a different key because there is a change in the root note. These patterns shown above are the C major Pentatonic scales. What?!?! You might think this is strange, but starting at the root note, they have totally different tone feel. So the A minor pentatonic scale and the C major pentatonic scale might be made of the same notes (A C D E G) but depending on what note you start on, you give the scale a whole different feel.

All you need to do is learn the 5 patterns and how the root notes change for major and minor scales and you will be well on your way to being able to improvise a solo over nearly every song your hear. This is one of the most powerful tools for a learning guitarist. So make sure to memorise the patterns and think about how to apply them, use your ears and have fun! Hope this was a good first lesson. Chris.

Comments

[kwikfingers-uk]

Good effort! this is priceless for newby's.

[GuitarMC]

More scale charts/fingering diagrams can be found at:
http://guitarstyles.org/scales.aspx

[smudgertom]

thanks dude you have jus helped me understand the whole thing

[TriviumFan717]

great information. basically your using relative keys the whole time.

Ex. d minor pentatonic is the same as F Major Pentatonic (relative keys).

[Billy Kochase]

What does the r stand for in the tab

[raymo39]

r stands for the root note, says that in the first paragraph

[jonnyrotten1264]

i don't get it, if the scale is the same how does the root note change or stand out

[raymo39]

the root note doesnt change in terms of position in the pattern, in these examples i have the root note at A for the minor scales (which is at the fifth fret of the E string) but if i shift the scale up one fret, the root note will be on A# (sixth fret of the E string) then the key becomes A# minor pentatonic. so the pattern is still the same, but the notes you play form a scale in a different key

[waysay]

I am never going to give any lessons to anyone.... ever

[geetarmaster13]

hahaha whoa man u got some things to learn bout guitar scales...

[Bigcammy4]

im not sure i understand what happens when you change the location of the root, and or what u do with the root. does it change the sound? do u hold the note longer on a root? the way im playing atm i dont see a difference between major A and minor A, care to help out? thanks =)

[raymo39]

sure, major A will be the same pattern or shape as minor a, but major a will start on the second fret of the 6th string, because the root of that pattern then falls on an A, but the minor will be the same shape but the main, root note will be the first note in the pattern falling on the A or 5th fret

[adawal87]

I can play them all, but the meaning goes over my head. Whats the point in scales? is it to learn or create your own riffs or something?

[raymo39]

its really to create your own riffs, start playing great 70's rock songs and you can immeadiately see the notes from the main riffs fit into these patterns. stuff like mississippi queen and heartbreaker by led zeppelin just go straight in. And they are heavily used in the solos too

[rolo45]

This helps alot , Cheers

[bagpipemetal]

Thanks for thiss it's really useful and helps me memorise the different scale shapes really fast!

[3dw1n]

Hey bro. excellent i rated u by a 10 GREAT !!!

Keep Going man!!!!

[TheLastBaron80]

Thanks for the lesson raymo39. I'm kind of in a rut though; I was hoping you could help me out?

Are these patterns the same as different modes? No, eh?

Are there 5 different patterns for extended scales as well?

[Nryw3]

Thanks for the lesson

[iFire]

How do I know what the root is?

[lorenzotorres]

nice

[doza808]

hey good job on this lesson, it cleared many questions in my head. i guess its just time to put in a lot of practice time now....LOL...dangit...j/k.