Confession #46 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 5)

In Confession #45 - Pentatonic Scales! (Part 4) we looked at Pentatonic Pattern #4.  In this week's confession, we'll look at Pentatonic Pattern #5.

This is the final pentatonic pattern, and it brings us back around to pattern #1.


Major Pentatonic Pattern #5

Here is major pentatonic pattern #5 in the key of C.  I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference.  I've also shown pattern #4 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.  The dashed notes on the left belong only to pattern #4.  The notes in the middle are common to both patterns. The notes on the right belong only to pattern #5.

As mentioned above, this is the final pattern and it brings us back around to pattern #1.  See the column of notes at the 17th fret?  Does it look a bit familiar?  That's because they are all part of pattern #1, like this:

Minor Pentatonic Pattern #5

Here is minor pentatonic pattern #5 in the key of A minor.  Again, I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference and I've also shown pattern #4 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.

Again, notice how the notes at the 17th fret are all part of pattern #1, like this:

Now that you have leaned all 5 pentatonic patterns, the challenge is to learn to move between them when playing.  Confession #43 - Pentatonic Scales! (Part 2) demonstrated just one the many ways there are to do this.  Experiment and see what works for you!

Next Week's Confession - Know Your CBA's!

Confession #45 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 4)

In Confession #43 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 2) we looked at Pentatonic Pattern #3.  In this week's confession, we'll look at Pentatonic Pattern #4.

We'll also explore how you can link up Pattern #1 and Pattern #4 when playing a I-IV-V chord progression.  There's a video demo and a TAB for this below.

See Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play! and Confession #15 - Find the I, IV, V in any Key!  if you're not sure what a I-IV-V chord progression is or what the roman numerals mean.


Major Pentatonic Pattern #4

Here is major pentatonic pattern #4 in the key of C.  I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference.  I've also shown pattern #3 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.  The dashed notes on the left belong only to pattern #3.  The notes in the middle are common to both patterns. The notes on the right belong only to pattern #4.

Minor Pentatonic Pattern #4

Here is minor pentatonic pattern #4 in the key of A minor.  Again, I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference and I've also shown pattern #3 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.

Linking Pattern #1 and Pattern #4

Let's start this segment with the video demo and the TAB.  Below that we'll discuss where the notes are coming from and how the two patterns are connected in this demo.

Linking Pattern #1 and Pattern #4
(Click to Enlarge)

I started noodling around one day with the Am pentatonic scale.  All the while I was thinking that I would be playing whatever I came up with over an A major chord.

Why did I want to play the Am pentatonic scale over an A major chord?  Theoretically it shouldn't work.  An A major chord has a C# in it.  The A minor scale has a C in it.  The two should clash.  And they do, but in a way that sounds good.  Playing a minor pentatonic scale over a major chord is the sound of the blues and of rock and roll.

I was further thinking that this might be played over a 12 bar blues which, as we learned in Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues!, uses the I, IV and V chords.  In the key of A, the chords would be A, D and E.

So, the lick starts with the Am pentatonic pattern #1 extended box for the first two measures, and would be played over an A major chord.

Then I was thinking what if the chord changed to D major?  I wanted to replicate the lick in the first measure, but play it in the key of D.  i.e. the lick would follow the chord (see Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues! for another example of this) as it does in the third measure of the tab..

One way of doing this would be to simply play the lick 5 frets higher. That would transpose it to the key of D.

However, I wondered if I could find the lick closer by if I switched to a D minor pentatonic pattern.  That's when I had an epiphany:

• The only difference between A minor pentatonic and D minor pentatonic is that A minor has an E note, and D minor has an F note.
• Dm pentatonic pattern #4 is right under Am pentatonic pattern #1

This is illustrated in the chart below.

The chart also shows the location of the "blue note" or the "flat five" when using Am pentatonic pattern #1.  Here, the blue note is Eb,  and is used in the 2nd, 6th and 7th measures in the TAB above.

The other thing to note is that if you play pattern 4 at the 7th fret, then it would be Em pentatonic.  Thus, if you were playing over a 12 bar blues and wanted to follow the chords, you could:

• play pattern #1 at the 5th fret for the I chord (A major),
• play pattern #4 at the 5th fret for the IV chord (D major), and
• play pattern #4 at the 7th fret for the V chord (E major).

To be clear, you could just play Am pentatonic over all three chords.  But knowing that you can follow the chord by switching to Dm pentatonic and Em pentatonic gives you another option for coming up with some great licks!

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Next Week's Confession - Pentatonic Scales (Part 5)

Confession #44 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 3)

In Confession #43 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 2) we looked at Pentatonic Pattern #2.  In this week's confession, we'll look at Pentatonic Pattern #3.

There's no TAB or video for this week, but next week, when we explore Pattern #4, we'll see how you can link up Pattern #1 and Pattern #4 in a cool way.


Major Pentatonic Pattern #3

Here is major pentatonic pattern #3 in the key of C.  I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference.  I've also shown pattern #2 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.  The dashed notes on the left belong only to pattern #2.  The notes in the middle are common to both patterns. The notes on the right belong only to pattern #3.

You could play this in 9th position by using fingers 2 and 4 on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings, and then fingers 1 and 4 on the third string.  Once you get to the second string you'd switch to 10th position by using fingers 1 and 4, and then fingers 1 and 3 on the first string.

However some players like to use just fingers 1 and 3 for Pattern #3.  Experiment and see what works best for you.


Minor Pentatonic Pattern #3

Here is minor pentatonic pattern #3 in the key of A minor.  Again, I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference and I've also shown pattern #2 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.

Next Week's Confession - Pentatonic Scales (Part 4)

Confession #43 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 2)

In Confession #40 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 1) we looked at Pentatonic Pattern #1.  In this week's confession, we'll look at Pentatonic Pattern #2.


Major Pentatonic Pattern #2

Here is major pentatonic pattern #2 in the key of C.  I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference.  I've also shown pattern #1 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.  The dashed notes on the left belong only to pattern #1.  The notes in the middle are common to both patterns. The notes on the right belong only to pattern #2.

Minor Pentatonic Pattern #2

Here is minor pentatonic pattern #2 in the key of A minor.  Again, I've coloured the root notes red for easy reference and I've also shown pattern #1 in the diagram so you can see how the two patterns are connected.

In Confession #35 - Repeat & Vary! (Improvisation 1) and Confession #40 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 1)  I talked about the pentatonic extended box.  Now you can see how those notes come from minor pentatonic pattern #2.  They are often used in conjunction with minor pentatonic pattern #1 as demonstrated in the TAB and video below.

I've also coloured two notes in blue.  I find that these two notes from the extended box are very powerful when played together.  You'll see/hear this in the TAB/video below.

I was trying to figure out why they are so powerful and here's what I came up with.  The E is the 5th in the key of A or Am.  We already know how powerful the 5th is from playing root-5 power chords.

The G is the flat 7th in the key of A or Am.  As discussed in last week's confession, the G is what turns an Am chord into an Am7 chord. It's also what turns a an A chord into an A7 chord.

Combined, the 5th and the flat 7th imply a minor 7th chord or a dominant 7th chord.  I suspect that is why they sound so good together.

See Confession #42 - 7th Chords Cheat Sheet! for more information on 7th chords.


VIDEO AND TAB

Here is a little riff that moves between the extended box from pattern #2 and pattern #1.  In the last measure, execute a grace note slide into the E at the 9th fret of the third string and hold it while you play the G at the 8th fret of the second string.

Next Week's Confession - Pentatonic Scales (Part 3)

Confession #41 - 12 Bar Blues!

Last week we learned pentatonic pattern #1 (see Confession #40 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 1)).  This week we'll put that pattern to use over a 12 bar blues chord progression.


12 BAR BLUES

The 12 bar blues is a standard chord progression used frequently in, yes you guessed it, blues music.  It is also frequently used in rock and roll.  As you may have already guessed, the progression is 12 bars long.  At the end of the 12 bars, the progression is repeated again and again throughout the song.

Basic 12 Bar Blues

At its most basic, the progression consists of the I, IV and V chords of whatever key you happen to be playing in, organized like this:

|  I   |  I   |  I   |  I   |
|  IV  |  IV  |  I   |  I   |
|  V   |  IV  |  I   |  V   |

See Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play!  if you aren't sure what the roman numerals mean.


In the key of A, the I, IV and V chords are A, D and E, so the progression would be:

|  A   |  A   |  A   |  A   |
|  D   |  D   |  A   |  A   |
|  E   |  D   |  A   |  E   |

Dominant Sevenths

It is also very common for the 12 bar blues to be played using all dominant 7th chords like this:

|  I7  |  I7  |  I7  |  I7  |
|  IV7 |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  V7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  V7  |


See Confession #13 - Learn More Barre Chords! for examples of some dominant 7th chord fingerings.

As we'll learn in a future confession about harmonizing the major scale in sevenths, technically you change key every time you change chords when you play a 12 bar blues this way.

Quick Change

Another common variation is to play the IV chord or the IV7 chord in the second measure, like this:

|  I7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  IV7 |  IV7 |  I7  |  I7  |
|  V7  |  IV7 |  I7  |  V7  |

This is referred to as the "quick change".  You'll hear the quick change in the Blue Brothers version of Sweet Home Chicago.


MOVEABLE RIFF

The first two measures of the TAB below introduce a riff that is played in 5th position and is based (mostly) on the A minor pentatonic scale.

The riff also includes the "flat-five" or the "blue note" (6th fret of your fifth string) which is not technically part of the scale, but is often used with it.  I'll talk more about the blue note in a future confession.

When the chord changes to a D in the 5th measure, the riff follows the chord.  The riff is identical except that it now it starts on a D instead of an A.

This could be done by staying on the fourth and fifth strings and moving up to 10th position, but its easier to shift to the third and fourth strings.  When a riff follows the chords like this, it is called a moveable riff.


VIDEO AND TAB

Here's a video demonstration of a 12 bar blues in the key of A using the moveable riff in the TAB below:

Here's the TAB for the song.  In the third and fourth measures I have shown the suggested fingerings for playing the riff.  I have also shown suggested fingering in the twelfth measure.  This is what works for me.  If it doesn't work for you then try a different fingering.

12 Bar Blues in the Key of A
(Click to Enlarge)

Have fun playing this one!

Next Week's Confession - 7th Chord Cheat Sheet!

Confession #40 - Pentatonic Scales (Part 1)

Pentatonic scales are very commonly used in rock and roll, so you'll want to have a good understanding of them. Fortunately, they are not that difficult to understand or to play.  That's one of the reason for their popularity.

THE MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE

Penta comes from the Greek language, and means 5, so penta-tonic means 5 tones  Thus a pentatonic sale has, yes you guessed it, 5 tones.

Which 5 tones you ask?  Well, take the C major scale (see Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale!) and leave out the F and the B and you get the C major pentatonic scale:

[The numbers below the note names are the scale formula (see Confession #27 - Learn the Minor Scale!)]


C Major Scale

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8
  W   W   H   W   W   W   H

The numbers below the note names are the scale formula (see Confession #27 - Learn the Minor Scale!)


C Major Pentatonic Scale

C - D - E - - - G - A - - - C
1   2   3       5   6       8
  W   W    H+W    W    W+H

Major Pentatonic Pattern #1

You may have already learned this pattern.  If not, take the time to learn it as Pattern #1 is very commonly used.

Major Pentatonic Pattern #1
(Click to Enlarge)

Observe that the root note C is at the 7th fret of your sixth string.  The A at the 5th fret of the sixth string is part of the scale, but I've shown it in dashed lines as it is below the root note.


THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE

Let's do the same thing again, but this time start with the A minor scale (see Confession #39 - Back to the Minor Scale!), which is the relative minor scale to the C major scale.

A Minor Scale

A - B - C  - D - E - F  - G  - A
1   2   3b   4   5   6b   7b   8
  W   H    W   W   H    W    W


A Minor Pentatonic Scale

A - - - C  - D - E - -  - G  - A
1       3b   4   5        7b   8
   W+H     W   W    H+W     W


Minor Pentatonic Pattern #1

Again, this pattern will probably look familiar.

Minor Pentatonic Pattern #1
(Click to Enlarge)

Observe that the root note A is at the 5th fret of your sixth string.

I've also shown the Am pentatonic extended box.  We'll discuss where these notes come from in a future confession.  For now, ignore the notes in the dashed lines.

You're probably thinking to yourself, "It's the same pattern as the major pentatonic scale!"  And you would be correct.  The A minor pentatonic scale is the relative minor scale to the C major pentatonic scale, so they do use the same notes.  The difference is which note you treat as the root note of the scale.
So how do you know which scale is which?  If you want to play the minor pentatonic scale, then the root note is under your index finger. If you want to play the major pentatonic scale, then the root note is under your fourth finger.  Note that minor and index both have the letter i in them.  This is the trick to remembering which scale is which.


OBSERVATIONS

Observe that there are only two notes per string, which makes these pentatonic scale patterns easy to play.  This is part of the reason they are so popular!

Observe that by eliminating the notes F and B, we eliminated the half steps from the standard major and minor scale.  If you can remember this fact, then you can easily build a pentatonic scale in any key,  Write out the major or minor scale for that key, and then eliminate the half steps. Boom! There's the pentatonic scale. That's easier then remembering the scale formula.

Next Week's Confession - 12 Bar Blues!