Courses

The pentatonic scale

Goal
The five-note scale behind most riffs and solos: five boxes, two identities.
Time
48 min

Steps

  • The first box
  • Five boxes
  • Major and minor pentatonic

You need: Guitar in standard tuning and a metronome. A looper or backing track for a low A drone helps.

The pentatonic scale

  • Five notes, no half steps, so almost nothing clashes.
  • Five box shapes tile the whole neck.
  • Same notes, two names: minor or major, set by the home note.

Exercises

  1. 00 · 3 minInterviewTell your tutor what you know about this topic and what you want from it.
  2. 01 · 15 minThe first boxLearn A minor pentatonic box 1 at fret 5 and improvise over a drone.
  3. 02 · 15 minFive boxesSee how five pentatonic boxes tile the neck, learn box 2, and cross the seam.
  4. 03 · 15 minMajor and minor pentatonicHear one box as both A minor and C major pentatonic; pick home by emphasis.