Where To Start With Soloing

I thought it might be a good idea to post an article to help people get started on the road to (nearly) simple guitar improvisation. I've seen a lot of article telling people to start by learning major scales, but in my opinion there is an easier way to get started, Pentatonic scales.

As most people who have been playing for a while will tell you, one of the most fundamental things to learn in improvisation is the blues. Coincidentally, which scale is one of the best to use when playing the blues, you gessued it, the Pentatonic.

So, I'll give you a simple explanation. Pentatonics are based around the notes of the major scale, however, each Pentatonic scale contains only 5 notes, the 1st 2nd 3rd 5th and 6th notes of the major scale. Also, to make it even easier, we can take these notes and form them into a repeating pattern on the fretboard of your guitar, such a pattern is frequently called a "Scale Pattern." Here is the one for the Pentatonic Major Scale:

nut 
E | - | - | O | - | - | O | 
A | - | - | O | - | O | - | 
D | - | - | O | - | O | - | 
G | - | - | O | - | O | - | 
B | - | - | O | - | - | O | 
E | - | - | O | - | - | O |

So, the scale pattern above would be for the G Pentatonic Major. Now if you look closely you will notice that the low E string is fretted at the 3rd fret, which is a G. So, from this we can learn that if we move the same pattern up and down the neck, the scale we are playing in is the same as the first note fretted on the E string. For example, if I were to move the scale up so the first note on the low E string were an A (5th fret) then I would be playing A Pentatonic Major. So, all you have to do is practice learning where the notes are in the pattern, then you can start jamming along to your favourite songs, just move the same pattern up or down the fretboard until you are in the right key, and all the notes which you are playing will fit in perfectly with the song.

One other thing to mention, as I said before, is that the Pentatonic scales arre best used for blues style songs. However, they are also used extensively in most types of modern rock music. So what are you waiting for, get jamming.

Comments

[lilius]

useful but kinda difficult to understand.......

[macklaws1]

didn't get the diagram at all either

[Oswald]

Are you guys stupid???? This is one of the fue lessons that were easy to understand.

[DraVenD18]

POST UP SOME MORE!!!!!!!

[butch99]

Oswald and bl@ck lightning should use this comment board for constructive criticism. You want to trash it up?, find a chat room and go at it.

[Oswald]

I just wonder.....
You CAN move the pattern to a differnt chord, huh?
I mean if you play the one on the G you can move that an octave down?

[Wolfman]

When I think about it, this is kind of confusing?

[born_free315]

god help me?

[Oswald]

Blues is good.....

[hotneck]

I understode every thing
thank

[epiphone6914]

why dont you guys just try harder to understand it instead of bitching about it?

[Oswald]

The Pentatonics are a great scale.

[stratstrummer40]

this is a pretty fun and important scale so if u dont know it u should learn it.

[Oswald]

I am not going to FUckin shud up you american....
It is good to know scales if you want to play solos and *** you and your "Iam the greatest in the world" crap.....

[andeh]

to the guy who ses hes been playin 5 years without scales but can play like slash...

oswald is saying that you need scales so that you can make up your own solos, sure you can copy slash and kirk hammet, but can you make up your own solos as good as theirs? ...thought not.

[Onetime]

Of course you can make up s$%t as good as hammet and slash without knowing this crap, how do you think this all started in the first place. Look at Hendrix man. Your idea is exactly why all music nowadays sounds the same, cuz nothing is new anymore. YOu suck

[fixxxer_928]

i agree with onetime, music now days are shit. Too many people doing the same shit which makes the music shit. If an experienced person who didnt know any scales wrote his own music, im damn sure itll sound original and great, rather than all this 'use the same scales in everysong' shit

[fixxxer_928]

but not everything that u feal is good really is good...stop using one chord after another, it just sounds so repetative and lame

[deth_head]

learning scales and stuff, is like doing the weights, it helps your flexibilty your hearing pitch. u DO need stuff like this to be a good guitarist.
Evidence of people who cant do scales and arpeggios, have joined punk bands, cos they cant play guitar to save thier lives.
these are good for metal, and my favorite progressive, so give the guy a break, if u dont wanna learn scales, then pfft, then loosen you guitar strap wear baggy pants, and join a FUCKING punk band, cos your never gonna learn!

[andeh]

^^^

agreed

[Oswald]

´How do you know which key a song are?
Cant somebody write another lesson about this.
I am always using pentatonic but I think I need more practice.

[fixxxer_928]

hey man, can some one re-write this lesson in a way that all of us can understand...and by the way, no dickheads comment about this saying 'this is so easy to understand' b/c half of us don't know what the hell is going on

[fixxxer_928]

thats right man, LISTEN UP, ABOVE ^^^ IS HOW IT SHOULD BE PLAYED

[fixxxer_928]

and what? i didnt catch the last bit...but if its a mass debate, count me in

[fixxxer_928]

AAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA, now thats funny ^^^^

[KuPo]

It is VERY important to know that the pentatonic scale (shown in the article) is a MINOR scale NOT a major scale!

[fixxxer_928]

why?

[KuPo]

fixxer_928: its important because, when you play the blues the 3rd is a blue note. (the 3rd is the note that defines if the chord/scale is Major or Minor)

[fixxxer_928]

my names fiXXXer not fiXXer and anyway the blues are gay.....really gay. i was told that playing blues solos improves ur soloing skills so i got a blues dvd, listened to the solos...then my mom woke me up 6 hours later when she found me sleeping in front of the tv, so i thought 'ok that was gay, lets hear some of the songs'. i woke up in hospital with a broken leg and i was told i had jumped out my window. thats how gay the blues are

[Messiah Of Rock]

Here's a good point Fixxer. Blues is the bassist for almost every type of music resembling rock. Without blues there would be no metal, there would be no rock and roll, there would be no rock, there would be absolutely nothing dealing with rock. You guys realllllly need to learn a thing or two about actual music and not just playing blink 182 songs and what's popular...and if that's what you want to do...then don't post on a board like this. Eat me morons.

[Messiah Of Rock]

bassist - basis...boy am I jackass. LONG LIVE ME!

[Mr.snruB]

oh, be nice

[lilricoak47]

THIS IS WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE TABBED OUT....

(AT FRET 3, MINOR SCALE = G)
e - - 3 - - 6 -
B - - 3 - - 6 -
G - - 3 - 5 - -
D - - 3 - 5 - -
A - - 3 - 5 - -
E - -[3] - - 6 -
^root note / 3rd fret = G
```````````````````````
`````
``````````````````
``````````
.B!ZZY BONE

[Unforgiven]

hm i dont understand what to do can someone help me please, or should i just learn chords cause ive only been playing 2 months?

[RokChik96]

Man, Oswald u r da most rude guy on dis chating area evr u really nedd 2 learn ur manners these r da things i can say bout witout swearin bcos i dont swear. u r rude, ignorant, arogant and evrything but cool. evry1 else u rok!!!!!!!

[RokChik96]

if der was a war and u were in it Oswald (if dat is ur reel name) ud dy 1st bcos u r reel rude

[RokChik96]

beat dat LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!

[RokChik96]

by da way Oswald dis is quite hard well den again id rather play lead guitar den bass. U idiotic maniac

[TheBebop14752]

why do you people think its hard? just find a song in a key that you know, move the first finger to that note, and you have it?? what is so hard about that?

[FUNZO]

DON'T GET IT

[Wollow]

Ok I think i get it. You play the strings left to right top to bottum, right? and change the starting fret as per the key ur playin in.

Unforgiven, I've been playin 4 2 years now. I Started with a few simple chrods, then did some work on power chords. I've picked up a few chords here and there.
Me Start Soloing now, impress many women and make lots of sex!

[avarice]

we all have to stop razing oswald, for he uses one of those freaky muslim guitars that have like 38 frets on them, his penatonic scale is like 3 of ours the crazy camel jockey

[weasel]

So, if I understand the lesson correctly, to create a solo, I have to play the notes from the scale in random order and it will probably sound good?

[Mo0s]

wt the hell , i undertand Nothing

[bennybeast1]

Easily understood, i already knew this anyway.

[punkrock84]

the comment post is more confusing compared to the article ... well done guys ...

[Bobnstuff]

This lesson is too basic, and whoever that dumb ass was who said to play with your feelings and forget scales and stuff obviously has been playing guitar for about a week and has no conception of what scales are, I agree that you should play from feeling but you have got to stay in the same key and scale if you want it to sound good. Learn the scale come up with a simple 4 chord proggresion, get your friend to play it while you improvise a solo with this scale changing key to follow the chords.

[Xx_banx]

^ one of the few posts that were made by someone above 12 FUCKING years old. ive jsut now realized how immature most of you are...

[NiRvanAcobain]

Im dyslexic, so i dont know wtf he is saying.

[Tara]

don't listen 2 people who say stuff theory. you sit there and write or listen to a good song and say 'hey that sounds good' but whats the point if you don't know why. its all part of the learning process...... never stop learning

[claptonfan123]

thats the minor pen. major uses slides

[guitarloser23]

i didn't get it. stupid.

[guitarloser23]

hey, butch99, shut up. ur name should be bitch99

[TnT DyNaMiTe]

i think that this is a really easy concept to grasp. i have never had any paid lessons on the guitar and i found this easy. sorry, but i don't know how to explain it any simpler than what has already been said. this scale is very common, it can be found in alot of Guns 'n' Roses stuff, Sweet Child O' Mine solo, after the 2nd guitar comes in, and Paradise City, just before it goes heavily distorted wit hthe power chords.

[nacho420]

this is a minor scale not major. I don't really want to get involved in the flaming, but i just have to say that if you want to write GOOD music you have to know music theory, and there's no way in hell you can do any improve without it. You can't just play random notes and riffs and hope it sounds good.

[JB2500]

holy shit are some of you stupid??? ive not been playing long and i knew exactly wot the guy ment. great lesson thx!

[jetman_james]

this is a good lesson that should be taken seriuosly. all rock is blues based. hell, most scales have a blues feel to them if you put some double stops and bends and hammer-ons and pull-offs in them. here's a great blues scale in the key of A:

e| 5-8|
B| 5-8 |
G| 5-7-8 |
D| 5-7 |
A| 5-6-7 |
E|5-8 |

learn this and be amazed at how much you improve over the next few weeks

[jetman_james]

sorry the scale looks funny. play from the low E in ascending order and then from the high e in reverse

[jetman_james]

e|--------------------5-8
-|
B|-----------------5-
8----|
G|------------5-7
-8-------|
D|---------5-
7------------|
A|----5-6
-7---------------|
E|-5-
8--------------------|

[jetman_james]

damn!

[alice_and_cat]

Oh, and ug stranger, about scales, they have been in use for well over four thousand years. Maybe the people who use them in their music are on to something.
aac

[lpaulgib]

That would be G penatonic Minor. Relative to A major

[s1 films]

"...each Pentatonic scale contains only 5 notes, the 1st 2nd 3rd 5th and 6th notes of the major scale". That's incorrect if it's a minor pentatonic. Minor pentatonic is 1st, 3rd(flat), 4th, 5th, and 7th(flat). Same as Major, but minus 2nd and 6th degree of the major scale.

[s1 films]

Pentatonics are based around the notes of the major scale, however, each Pentatonic scale contains only 5 notes, the 1st 2nd 3rd 5th and 6th notes of the major scale

... that's incorrect if it's minor pentatonic. Minor pentatonic is 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th of a major scale. The 2nd and 6th degrees are omitted. Minor pentatonic scale is 1, 3b, 4, 5, 7b.

[jetman_james]

you are correct, s1 films. thanx for pointing that out. i didnt catch that either until just now. close call! just kidding!

[Remebol]

why dont he just rename this thread. Pentatonic usage?, but i under stand where he is going with the idea. i think what the man is ssaying. that u can use pentatonics as a back bone to ur solos.. so if u ever get lost of what to do next in ur solo.. u can refere back to ur pentatonic you were useing, and figure out what other notes sound good.. but thats just a little step in making solos.. i believe the rest, comes from ur sole.

[Villsen]

You guys who says scales are the reason that all music sounds the same nowadays, your soo wrong, if you use many scales there's like 70% of all the notes on the neck that works to play, and you can combine that soo much. Original guitarplayers used the notes in the scales too, cause the took the notes that they thought sounded good together, and scales are just that, notes that sounds good together.

B.T.W i think the patern you have wrote in you lesson is an G minor scale, or a A major scale, cause the root in the major pentatonic is on the second note (on the 5th fret), it is the minor pentatonic scale who has the first not as root.

[cic@trix]

tnx. I can use it anyway someday...

[Sokrates]

Stop SPAMMING!!!!
This is a very good article for beginners.

[sir_john]

whoever sed play with your feelings:

i bet wotever you play sounds shit

[clash_04]

i dont understand but thats probly cause i suck

[Bilzzard_of_Ozz]

whoever sed play with your feelings:

i bet wotever you play sounds shit

I'll second that!

[GibsonPuppeteer]

ug stranger - i don't know why you think it's so cool that you think you can play like slash. he sucks! all his solos are built over like a 6 or 7 note pattern with a bunch of wah and vibrato; they're simple to play. if you can play metallica and sabbath too, then power to you, but i wouldn't base your skillz on slash.

[Zeppelinrulz]

GibsonPuppeteer: i wouldn't go as far as saying that slash sucks because his solos are "simple". It doesn't have to be complicated to be good. Look at the Beatles.

[farglesnuff]

umm i read another article about pentatonics titled: "Major Pentatonics:Major Fun" and the scale looks completley different... which is the right one??

[ChickensAreKewl]

ur diagram is wrong mate

[the_ambassador]

hello good lesson bye

[squirespartan]

***.. no typos this time***..
I liked this article. Well done, though I am confused, this was posted by the UG Team yet UG Stranger seems to be criticising it! confusing... what the hell? Is it just a coincidence?
Anyway, it was a good lesson, even though I already knew it, good job UG Team!

Oh and if you dont like the lesson, then get a life. This is a whole community of guitarists where people could ask how to read a tab and no one would call them a ***ing noob, or someone would be more than happy to explain how to do a bloody E minor! No swearing, please. And for all you people out there, swearing your head off just makes you look like a lunatic, nothing less.
Guys, it is a good lesson and listen to the people who actually have something good to say about it.

Thanks, Squier Spartan

Rock isn't dead, it just skipped a generation!

Did you ever realise that anyone driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone driving faster is a lunatic???

[RememberSRV]

whoever thinks that you can solo without knowing SOME scales is out of there mind! especially the blues....YES you have to feel it but its good to know scales otherwise you arent going to be able to fully express urself....but keep on rocking

[TheUnholy]

It doesn't tell you how to solo, it just shows you a scale ...*rolls eyes*

[bazza_69]

im 14 and have been playin for a year and ive mastered this shit how can you find it hard. as dimebag darrel once said "Play from your ***ing heart and soul. forget all the books and lessons just pick it up and play" RIP DIME

[MarmaladeSkies]

whoever thinks that you can solo without knowing SOME scales is out of there mind! especially the blues....YES you have to feel it but its good to know scales otherwise you arent going to be able to fully express urself....but keep on rocking

DAMN STRAIGHT!!! You can't break the rules unless you know them!

[zaccy]

avarice:
we all have to stop razing oswald, for he uses one of those freaky muslim guitars that have like 38 frets on them, his penatonic scale is like 3 of ours the crazy camel jockey
---..
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG HAHAHAHAHA

[Donkey Fly]

didnt get the lesson

[doobiebro]

i dont understand how u use scales and stuff to help u solo i dont see any corolation i guess thats why im rythem

[Pumpkin_Queen]

Aw, why is everyone ruining this lesson by posting totaly unrelated stuff?
Thanks for the info on pentatonics, were doing the blues in our music lessons, and since I mainly play classical, I dont now much about this stuff :

[Amroach]

I don't think u've got that right, if u were using the A as the tonic note (or any other note) the pentatonic scale would be minor not major the major scale would be three frets up from the tonic which makes the note the tonic now is the relative minor of the original tonic's major.

[Amroach]

p.s ur diagram is upsidedown.

[stiff rocka]

lol listen guys it isn't that complicated... all u have to know is the name of each single fret and string... u can search on it, just memorize these simple letters EFGABCDE... try to find the keys of the song, for example,if the song's structure was A D and C look for these notes on the fret board...each string must have them... start with the root notes and play along using the pentatonic... then start moving up and down the neck using the pentatonics...I don't know if I made things easier...did I ?

[playerwannabe]

oswalds an unproductive idiot, hi buddy how ya doing. To the american basher's shut up or will make up shit to blow your ass of the map too.

[Gohex]

Guys shut up he tried his best.. or she..

[top gun man2]

it was sooooo easy u are u wanwbees acccept oswald

[Will-eh]

Well.I play bass and i understand this so this proves its easy

[glennieboy240]

yer nice work, im proud of u

[corybott]

anyone who doesnt get this is an idiot. he gave you the tab. start on the low e string play a note (open E for example), then play G (the 3rd fret). Now move up to the next string and play open A, followed by B (2nd fret). Keep moving up.

you are all absolutely stupid.

[s/ash]

don't make fun of beginers. you were one once

[hillbilly13496]

Thanks man, helped a lot.

[bcrichmbird]

Onetime wrote:

Of course you can make up s$%t as good as hammet and slash without knowing this crap, how do you think this all started in the first place. Look at Hendrix man. Your idea is exactly why all music nowadays sounds the same, cuz nothing is new anymore. YOu suck

Errr i think u'll find hendrix, and just about n e one else who can improvise anywhere near as good as that base everything they play on scales, have a look thru n e tab for his solo, it'll b based around some kind of scale or another

[hillbilly13496]

people that dont understand that should just give up guitar playing, cuz it doesnt get any easier to understand than that!

[hillbilly13496]

les paul is the guitar

people that dont understand that should just give up guitar playing, cuz it doesnt get any easier to understand than that!

[the_deviant]

I found it OK! OK?

[fingersofflame]

actually, i don't know what you guys are talking about, the lesson being hard to understand, i got most of it perfeectly...the diagram is pretty simple to understand as well...good job man!

[n0e]

[quote=Onetime]Of course you can make up s$%t as good as hammet and slash without knowing this crap, how do you think this all started in the first place. Look at Hendrix man. Your idea is exactly why all music nowadays sounds the same, cuz nothing is new anymore. YOu suck[/quote]

lmao jimi hendrix is like the master of scales dude, everything he does is based on scales... if you don't learn scales then you don't know what is in key (then you end up like green day :P)

however, don't get stuck in the box trap. don't learn the pattern of the scales, learn the notes in the scales. improvise all over the neck using the notes from your scales and don't stick to going up and down your scales all day.

[yetzkie29]

i dont play those..it sounds redundant..i play linear scale..wana learn?email [e-mail]

[elliano]

hillbilly13496 wrote:

people that dont understand that should just give up guitar playing, cuz it doesnt get any easier to understand than that!

Amen to that!

[CptMorgan]

The pentatonic scale is a good scale to learn if you're having a hard time getting your improv to sound like it has some sort of structure. The diagram that most people dont understand can be tabbed out like this (I hope it displays correctly)
e-----[3]-6
B-----3-6---
G-----3-5-----
D-----3-[5]-----
A-----3-5-----
E[3]-6-----

Now if you were to play this pattern you would be ascending (Going up) the G minor pentatonic scale.
The notes that are enclosed in the [X] represent the roots of the scale. In the case of the minor pentatonic pattern the root note is the not with the lowest pitch, or deepest sound. Since the 3rd fret on the low E string is the note G, this tab is in the key of G. Now for the diagram. Lets use the 1 fret as our bass note (Making it a F minor Pentatonic). Assign each finger to one fret. By this I mean your 1st finger (Pointer finger) plays all the notes on the 1st fret. Your 2nd finger (Middle) plays the 2nd fret. You third (Ring) plays the third fret. And your 4th (pinky) plays the fourth fret. Notice how this makes a box type shape? Now, keeping your fingers to their assigned frets lets say I tell you to play "1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4"
This means you would play the first 4 frets on the low E string, since scales involve every string, for the second "1" you move up to the A string and play the first four frets. Now the scale pattern for the minor pentatonic is "1,4,1,3,1,3,1,3,1,4,1,4"
If you look at the tabs I showed earlier in my post you should be able to figure out how this relates to the scale. Now that you know the pattern you can move it anywhere on the guitar neck, the shape stays the same. To play in a certain key just play the root note for that key. PM or post with any more questions.

[JS30RR]

Good lesson, simple and to the point.

[potty_man]

nicely worded... but im still no closer to understanding.. :

[CptMorgan]

potty_man wrote:

nicely worded... but im still no closer to understanding.. :

Feel free to PM me man I'm here to help.

[jamesguitarrox]

this lesson has helped me out alot, yah it was kind of confusing but hey thats why you should keep trying im making my own solos and they sound pretty good they dont sound like the new music at all.

[kelz2004]

Cheers!

[guitargal10]

That was a horrible article..Need to know scales to write solos? Well no duh huh?

[kelso12345]

isnt that the minor pentatonic?

[greenday_rock]

i understood it...but it didnt really help

[Dimebag Dani]

kelso12345 :
isnt that the minor pentatonic?

yeah thats what i thought

[SkaterD2002]

coffee and donuts anyone?

[sevendayloss]

short sweet good lesson
easy to understand
good job guys

[silentdud]

Of course you can make up s$%t as good as hammet and slash without knowing this crap, how do you think this all started in the first place. Look at Hendrix man. Your idea is exactly why all music nowadays sounds the same, cuz nothing is new anymore. YOu suck

hendrix wrote in blues scales and he did actually know how to play guitar... sorry to bust you


he wrote ALOT in minor blues...

[silentdud]

also theres a problem because he drew the diagram upside down simple mistake though

[Dlawso]

Hehehe, my old name.... Oswald.
Now its just backwards....

[shredder4490]

why does the ug team suk so hard>

[*kill'emall*]

whoever wrote this got excited and wrote too fast... now we can't understand it

potty_man :
nicely worded... but im still no closer to understanding.. :

(we're all thinking it: no it was not nicely worded)

[rocknboy08]

its alot easier when you have a guitar and play while you are reading the article. but they could have worded it better.

[Doc Turtle]

hehe, it is upside down :P

[Asthia]

The tab is upside down. You should probably have introduced all 5 forms of the pentatonic.

[westo]

Okay this is for all of the guys saying they can't get it. I've never had a teacher so if you'll yell at me or whatever i got all of this from this site anyways. So here it is:

To find the key a song is in, i think you'll find it pretty much in the very first chord that is played (this varies). you can also try to figure it out by guess and check. The way you do that is to just move the big fatty thick E string up and down the fretboard until something sounds right. if it does, whatever note that is is probably the "key" of the whole song.

This is the chromatic scale- it shows what every single fret is for every string and what not.
this is on that big fatty thick E string that i said earlier:

E played open is E
E played on the first fret is F
E played on the second fret is F#/Gb (you can call it either, they are called enharmonic notes- same pitch, different name)
E played on the third fret is G
E played on the fourth fret is G#/Ab (enharmonic)
E played on the fifth fret is A
sixth: A#/Bb (enharmonic)
seventh: B
eigth: C
ninth: C#/Db (enharmonic)
tenth: D
eleventh: D#/Eb
twelfth:E- this E is the octave of the other big fatty thick E... 12 frets higher.

So as you're moving that big fatty thick E string up and down the fretboard to figure out the key, notice what notes you are hitting. Say it sounds good on fret 5, than the key of the song is "A", because the fifth fret on the big fatty thick E string is the note "A".

Now you play the pentatonic scale starting at that note fretting it with your index finger. You continue with the scale, playing in beat with the song, and get creative. do some bends and pull offs and hammer ons and trills and whatever. make it sound good...

if you think im wrong go ahead and tell me cuz i havent had a teacher yet or anything. i may have my mistakes.

[CallMeSlick]

*spoilerish*

[destroy_hiphop]

errrrr.....

[.Sidewinder.]

[CODE]
e|--5-8---|
B|--5-8---|
G|--5-7-8-|
D|--5-7---|
A|--5-6-7-|
E|--5-8---|
[/CODE]
that should work..
never mind if it doesn't

[.Sidewinder.]

okay... so no [CODE] and [/CODE] in comments..
dammit

[playing4_Christ]

so easy basic concept, but its so hard to understand for people that dont know it in your article. dude cmon sidwinder has it better

[Reggy]

First of many, straight out of a book, sorry, no flaming intended, just want everyone to know.

[sing4am]

If anyone can't figure this out, or hasn't figured it out on their own, then you really need to work on more basic stuff such as chords, pull offs, hammer ons, and getting creative with power chords first. And another good tip to soloing is don't do it by the book, instead just look up simple solos in tabs and work on those and see what sort of finger positions you need to make (you should use all your fingers or atleast the first three when soloing). And after months if you still can't figure it out maybe its time to put down the guitar and pick up the trumpet.

[whizz8kid]

this is stupid, this is the most simple lesson that are here!!!!!

[whizz8kid]

you all most be stupid, this is the most simple lesson that are on www.ultimate-guitar.com

[escalation_666]

what?... someone doesn't understand this? =s!

basically what he's saying, is that the pentatonic scale can be moved around to whichever key the song is in so to 'jam' along with it...

for those of you who dont understand the diagram go put your guitar away and get to school :s.

[escalation_666]

and listen 'onetime' and the idiot below him, dont even try call music shit.

scales have been working for years, and will continue working for years to come. millions of successful guitarists have used and based their entire discographies around scales. so if you think you're above them then you obviously need to think about where you are in the world.

sitting at home unemployed learning stairway to heaven undoubtably. the majority of that song is based round scales too. idiot.

[Jbetter_thanu]

a fairly good lesson for beginners, i already knew this stuff, it is pretty sad if u cant understand

i dont see any tips on SOLOING! this is supposed to be soloing, i know its good to start and practice with pentatonic scales but c'mon, lame job as far as soloing stuff.

and it IS possible to write a good song that sounds good(with a LOT of trial and error) but knowing scales is the best way to go, but not just run scales as a solo, that takes no skill and/or creativity, but it should also be (gonna sound korny) heartfelt, and it should be something the WRITER is proud of and likes.
also, SLASH rules, his solos on knonkin on heaven's door aren't filled with tons of incredibly fast notes and crazy effects, but is simple and (also gay sounding) "passionate" if u will. (not to say the fast hard awesome stuff isnt goood though, i like it)

[sloehand]

it is a minor scale not major

[JGuill]

Right, it is minor!! I think the best thing to do is to learn the fingerboard first. Once you know all the notes on the fingerboard, it will make it alot easier to solo over any chord progression, and you will also know that this scale is minor!!!

[F-U]

yo.

[F-U]

how ya doing

[genericdude86]

thanks, I understood that.

[Guitarhero180]

Good article, east to understand.

[Montanus]

thanks a lot..

[Hells_bell45]

Ok, you UG guy. I think we all know that you have to know the pentatonic scales to solo.What we want to know how the hell these guys improvise so frickin good. Please help me! Could you like... I don't know, put out a lesson with tips or something?

[Fender18guitar]

its ok i got some scales but my solos kinda sound like crap but ... UG has helped me some how i think well i agree with hell_bell45 put out a lesson with tips that would be usefull.. thx:d

[richard_666]

nice

[EpiphoneKnight]

Almost any variations with the Pentatonic Minor (which is what his chart shows, btw) should sound reasonably good.

I learned in a class that the blues often had a 1-4-5 chord pattern.

Now, if you have a rock song with a 1-4-5 chord pattern, Pentatonic minor should work. (Of course it works other times too, but that's a good initial thought.) So say a basic song has three chords, starts with G, goes to C, then D, a Pentatonic minor solo should sound reasonably good. If you end solo on a G it should sound good for an ending. You should be able to start solo anywhere on the scale I think.

It's really super easy. I'm not sure all I said is right, but I think so.

[EpiphoneKnight]

You don't HAVE to end on the G, but for starters that's a good place to do it.

[EpiphoneKnight]

Back to that G-C-D progression I was talknig about:

You don't HAVE to end the solo on the G, but for starters that's a good place to do it.

For example, it's possible to end on a D and sound ok, (because then going back to the G chord immediately after kind of acts as the resolve there) but it's not as easy as ending with a G. (You'll understand the coolness of solo better by ending on G at first.)

[childofbodom14]

how do you know what key to play the solo in (how do you know what key the song is in)?

[simmons100]

needs more

[rzorblde]

how many types of pentatonic sclaed are there
one in my book said it as this
e|open and 3rd
b|1st and third
g|open and second
d|open and second
a|open and third
e|-
can someone please explain this to me and other confused newbies

rzor

[Pancakemix]

Good stuff, short, sweet, and to the point.

[Ferinos]

Jesus Christ people a bit of enthusiasm for newbie guitarist wouldn't be at all bad you know! I currently get lessons from a mate, but I came here hoping to pick up a few tips, and so far I don't grasp much of it, and to top it all, when I see peeps talking like a lot of you did above, it kinda really dampens a newbies spirits. If I wasn't getting lessons, this site would be enough to depress me for life. Stick to tabbing out the songs, stop giving lessons please.

[dcookie87]

why is it that the G pentatonic major scale is different on http://www.theguitarfiles.com/scale.php to on here?... is that site wrong or am i just looking at it wrong?

[asdfjkl]

the pendatonic scale you put up is wrong. besides, there are other shapes you could use too.

[wagner8irnmadn]

wha?...

[triv fan]

oswald talk all the guitar shit u want , if you practice and truly love it thats fine, but you wanna mention the stars and stripes or any of her children again imona have to reach out and touch you ,you feelin me "mate"

[triv fan]

you must be the final authority on the relavence of all the lessons on this site cause youre mouth has been runnin across the last 15 ive read and it s never sayin anything worthwile, if this is all so basic too you why are u looking at the lessons portion of this website anyway mr guitar god

[VelvetAlley411]

Trashing on Punk? Haha thats funny considering band members of The Unseen probably are better than you will ever be at guitar.Alright lesson though,next time explain changing keys a little more and give the diagram examples

[passe]

what????....

[gregorio819]

thanks man
but.. could you show me a pentatonic minor?

[Nomak1]

გონნა ეხ

[madguyposerhomi]

those ppl who are confused in the diagram check in the scales section and search it.u should understand it by then

[philipp122]

Isn't that G pentatonic minor/A# pentatonic major? G pentatonic major 1st popsitions starts on open E.

[philipp122]

dcookie87 wrote:

why is it that the G pentatonic major scale is different on http://www.theguitarfiles.com/scale.php to on here?... is that site wrong or am i just looking at it wrong?

Yeah, I knew it. The scale up there is G pentatonic minor, which is the same thing as A# pentatonic major. The scale positions are the same for maj. pent. and min. pent., just moved down the fret board. For example, the A major pentatonic starts at the second fret and follows the same shape as A minor pentatonic which starts at the 5th fret. So no, you're not looking at it wrong. The lesson is wrong.

[Hebbahklumpah00]

the Scale is written as a lefty player should read notes

[LionHeart_sh07]

Hmmmm, strange i kinda learned the Major Scale first, it took a bot of time, but to get the petatonic, i just subtract the unneeded notes, its kinda becoming like second nat Very nice

[bpas41]

are you a lefty cause u tabbed the tuning of the guitar wrong unless you are a lefty then it's right