How To Play All the Pentatonic Scales On The Fretboard
If you have worked on the first lesson of this series I have good news for you! You have already mastered how to play all the pentatonic scales! They are just hidden within the diatonic.
Let's stay in the key of C major to make this easier:
C Major Scale: C D E F G A B C
E-------------------------------- B-------------------------------- G------------------2-4-5--------- D------------2-3-5--------------- A-------3-5---------------------- E--------------------------------
E-------------------------------- B-------------------------------- G------------------2--5---------- D------------2--5---------------- A-------3-5---------------------- E--------------------------------
E---------------------------------3--5------- B---------------------------3--5------------- G---------------------2--5------------------- D---------------2--5------------------------- A---------3--5------------------------------- E---3--5-------------------------------------
E---------------------------------5--8------- B---------------------------5--8------------- G---------------------5--7------------------- D---------------5--7------------------------- A----------5-7------------------------------- E---5--8-------------------------------------
E------------------------------------8--10--- B-----------------------------8--10---------- G-----------------------7--9----------------- D----------------7--10----------------------- A----------7-10------------------------------ E---8--10------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------10-12- B------------------------------10-13--------- G-----------------------9-12----------------- D---------------10-12------------------------ A--------10-12------------------------------- E-10-12--------------------------------------
E------------------------------------12-15--- B-----------------------------13-15---------- G----------------------12-14----------------- D---------------12-14------------------------ A--------12-15------------------------------- E-12-15--------------------------------------
Observation: if you have learned those scales above as A Minor Pentatonic Scale please review “Understanding Relative Keys” article to clarify any questions.
Apply the same discipline you had on the diatonic scales to the pentatonic, play those shapes up and down until you are comfortable with them and try to switch keys using the short cuts I am showing on the video. Next time we are going to take the next step and work on the blues scales!
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!