Major & Minor Pentatonic Jam: How to Use Scales

Lots of students don't see the point into practicing scales up and down the fretboard, so today we are going to see how important it is to have those scales memorize by developing some ideas that will make them sound more musical. Lets keep it simple and start with two chords and two scales:

A Major Chord with an A Major Pentatonic Scale:

E--5-----------------------5-7----
B--5-------------------5-7--------
G--6---------------4-6------------
D--7-----------4-7----------------
A--7-------4-7--------------------
E--5---5-7------------------------

A Minor Chord with an A minor Pentatonic Scale:

E--5-----------------------5-8----
B--5-------------------5-8--------
G--5---------------5-7------------
D--7-----------5-7----------------
A--7-------5-7--------------------
E--5---5-8------------------------

Remember that those shapes of chords and scales are moveable! If you want to learn more about the scales and other shapes, please click here.

If you are a beginner guitar player there is a lot of value into just playing those chords and scales above and form simple licks while trying to move them around to different places on the neck! Being able to see the shapes all over the fretboard can be a tricky task sometimes.

Here is a Jam with the chords and scales above: (please see the video)

A Major Plus A Major Pentatonic Scale:

E--5--5h7-5--5---5---------------
B--5--5---5--5h7-5--5---5--------
G--6----------------4h6-4--------
D--7----------------------7------
A--7-----------------------------
E--5-----------------------------

F# Minor Plus F# Minor Pentatonic Scale:

E--2-----------------------------
B--2-----------------------------
G--2--2---2h4-2---2--------------
D--4--2h4-2---2-4----------------
A--4-----------------------------
E--2-----------------------------

And you can move those ideas above to any other chord that may sound good to you! I like the following progression:

A Major / F# Minor / D Major/ C# Minor / B Minor / A Major

Rod Ferreira has been a guitar teacher for over ten years. Rod specializes in acousitc, electric, blues, and rock guitar. Sign up for a one-on-one lesson today!