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Rock / Blues Scales & Modes for Guitar:
The Pentatonic Scale for guitar
This article © 2011
If you want to play rock or blues guitar, then you definitely need to know the pentatonic scale. Some rock and blues guitar players have made entire careers out of only ever playing solos and riffs from this scale. It's an extremely versatile scale, which, in its two different forms, can be played over both major and minor keys. If you know this scale in its major and minor forms, and can play it well, you will be able to improvise a guitar solo over almost any kind of music.
On this page I will show you the pentatonic scale, and explain about its major and minor forms. You can learn the fretboard shapes/patterns for the scale, and then you will be able to transpose it to other keys. To transpose the scale, all you have to do is move the whole shape on the fretboard so that the root notes are in the right place for the key you are in.
You can learn this scale, and many more, together with all kinds of chords, with a useful utility called 'Guitar Power'. If you're interested in checking it out (it's a free trial), you can download the program itself here, or find out more here.
Something else which will help you progress as a guitarist is to have lessons as well. A good teacher will follow planned lesson structures.
Chris Elmore is a good guitar player, and offers online guitar lessons - you can find out more here if you like.
But for now, let's press on with covering the pentatonic scale, shown below.
As it's name implies, there are five notes to the octave in a pentatonic scale.
There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. However, the shape of the scale patterns on the guitar fretboard is identical for both. The only difference between major and minor forms of the pentatonic scale is that the root notes are in a different place. So if you know the pentatonic minor scale, then you know the shape of the pentatonic major scale too - you just need to know where the root notes are for major and minor versions of the scale.
Let's start with an E minor pentatonic scale. In the example below, we're playing some of the strings open, in other words, not fretted. The bottom E is the open E string, the G is at the third fret, etc.
Now let's consider the G major pentatonic scale:
As can be clearly seen, the pattern of notes for both E minor pentatonic and G major pentatonic is exactly the same. E minor is called the relative minor of G major. Every major key has a relative minor key, related to it because the notes are the same, it's just that the root note is a different note.
Learn the above pattern for the pentatonic scale, and learn where the root notes are for both E minor and G major on the guitar fretboard. Then you can transpose this scale pattern up or down the guitar fretboard, and you will be able to play one position of the major and minor pentatonic scales in any other key.
The distance between any two notes is called an interval. The intervals of the minor pentatonic scale have the following names: minor 3rd - perfect 4th - perfect 5th - minor 7th - octave. This means that in E minor, the intervals are as follows:
the interval between E and G is a minor 3rd
the interval between E and A is a perfect 4th
the interval between E and B is a perfect 5th
the interval between E and D is a minor 7th
the interval between E and E is an octave
The intervals of the major pentatonic scale have the following names: major 2nd - major 3rd - perfect 5th - major 6th - octave. This means that in G major, the intervals are as follows:
the interval between G and A is a major 2nd
the interval between G and B is a major 3rd
the interval between G and D is a perfect 5th
the interval between G and E is a major 6th
the interval between G and G is an octave
Once you have learned the first position of the E minor pentatonic scale shown above, then you can learn the other positions (shown below) of E minor pentatonic up the guitar neck, so that you have the entire guitar fretboard covered, in the key of E minor. When you have memorised where the root notes are, you can then transpose all of these scale shapes to any other key.
Once you get above the 12th fret, which is an octave above the open strings, then the scale patterns simply repeat in the same sequence. So you would play the first position of E minor pentatonic at the 12th fret, and so on, as far up as you can play allowing for the type of guitar you have. Les Pauls, Strats, and electric guitars generally tend to have cutaways to the body to allow easy access to the high frets. Some acoustics do too, but not all.
Don't forget that the G major pentatonic scale has exactly the same notes as E minor pentatonic, so the 5 patterns for E minor pentatonic can all be used for G major pentatonic as well. Just learn where the note G occurs, as well as where E occurs. G is the root note when playing the G major pentatonic scale, E is the root note when playing the E minor pentatonic scale. The shape of notes is identical.
As a general rule, it's good practice to use one finger per fret when playing up and down scales. For example, for the 2nd position E minor pentatonic scale shown again below:
...use the first finger of your fretting hand to play the notes at the 2nd fret, your second finger to play the notes at the 3rd fret, your third finger to play the notes at the 4th fret, and your fourth finger to play the notes at the 5th fret.
With some scale shapes on the guitar fretboard, for example the 3rd position of E minor pentatonic, you will need to move around more to cover all the notes, as they span 5 frets, not 4. But generally, it is best to get used to using all four fingers of your fretting hand on a one-finger-per-fret basis.
It might be harder at first to use all four fingers, especially the fourth finger, which is weakest. But it will make you a faster and more fluent guitar soloist if you can get up to speed with using all four fingers. Practice using all four fingers and you will build the strength in your fourth finger.
You will probably have noticed that the distance between the frets is greater towards the nut, whereas the frets are nearer together towards the guitar body end of the guitar neck. This means there'll be more stretching to do with your fretting hand with some scales (and chords) lower down the guitar neck. ('Lower down the guitar neck' means lower in pitch, i.e. towards the guitar's nut, tuning machines and headstock).
Another factor is what guitar makers call 'scale length', which is the distance between the guitar's bridge and the nut.
Most Fender Strat's have a scale length of 25.5", whereas the classic Gibson guitar scale length, for example on the Les Paul and SG, is 24.75". Ibanez guitars include 6 and 7 string variants, and scale lengths of 25.5" and the even longer 27" scale length. A longer scale length means even greater distance between frets near the nut end of the guitar neck.
This means some guitars may be harder to play if you have smaller hands, as the fret spacing combined with scale length means more finger stretching may be required. Scale length may be something to consider when buying a guitar if you have smaller hands. But whatever guitar you have, if you keep practicing, you should improve and it will get easier.
Angus Young of ACDC has said the Gibson SG was the perfect instrument for him when he was learning, as it has the shorter scale length of 24.75", and a light body weight. Gibson SGs have quite a light body compared to the Les Paul. I'm talking here of original USA Gibson Les Pauls, not copies, which may superficially look the same, but do not play, feel or sound anything like an original Gibson Les Paul.
Gibson Les Pauls are heavy instruments, much heavier than Gibson SGs, Fender Strats or Fender Telecasters. One advantage though of the heavy body weight of a Gibson Les Paul is the added sustain it provides, due to the body density.
The Gibson Les Paul is famous for it's sustain: you can play a note, go and have a bite, you'll still be hearing that one. Yes, it's a gratuitous Spinal Tap reference  (UK link here
)
On the subject of scale length on the guitar, and fret spacing being wider near the nut, I've seen Allan Holdsworth use a chord voicing where he had his first finger of fretting hand on the 2nd fret, and fourth finger on the 7th (yes, the 7th) fret...
As I mention elsewhere, I attended the Musician's Institute (MI) in Los Angeles in 1994. One afternoon Allan Holdsworth came in and delivered a masterclass, playing some of his material, talking about music and gear, and answering questions. He's an awesome jazz/fusion guitar player, with a flair for interesting and unusual compositional ideas. Sometimes his guitar solos sound more like a sax than a guitar. He tends to avoid playing the rock/blues guitar cliches which the rest of us use (and love) so much, which is why Allan Holdsworth's guitar solos sound so different.
Have a listen to Allan Holdsworth's guitar solo (clip below) on the track, 'In the Dead of Night', taken from an album by the jazz/fusion oufit UK (featuring Bill Bruford on drums, John Wetton bass and vocals, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, and Allan Holdsworth of course on guitar).
The original recording of this track is protected by copyright. An excerpt from it is allowed to be made available here under the 'fair use' provisions of intellectual property law, for the purpose of review/criticism. If you like this excerpt, please consider buying the full track.
USA link here | UK link here
Listen to the way Allan Holdsworth begins that guitar solo, the legato opening phrases especially are just so unusual for a guitar player, so fluid and fluent. Most guitarists' fingers just naturally default to using certain fretboard patterns and shapes on the guitar neck, which is what makes a guitar solo sound like a guitar solo, not a sax solo or a keyboard solo. Whereas it sounds as though in this guitar solo Allan Holdsworth is not allowing his fingers to choose the notes, as so many guitar players (even very good guitar players) would do. Instead, it's like he is making note and phrasing choices that come from his musicianship, rather than from what feels comfortable and familiar to his fingers. The opening phrases from the 'In the Dead of Night' solo could be a sax player. Awesome guitar playing.
I've mentioned Angus Young and Allan Holdsworth in the space of a few paragraphs - is it possible to think of two guitar players so wildly different in every way?! But one relevance of mentioning them both here lies in considering scale length, and how whether a guitar player has smaller or larger hands will influence which guitar model suits them best. They are also reminders of how there are so many different kinds of music which can be made with a guitar, and different musical styles all have their place.
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This article © 2011. Permission has not been given for it to be reproduced anywhere else. All rights reserved.
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