Mastering the Pentatonic and Blues Scales - Amazing Guitar Secrets

Introduction Pentatonic scales are variations of the major and minor scale. And as the name implies, pentatonic scales have five notes (with the exception of the blues pentatonic, but more on that later). Pentatonic scales are used throughout blues, rock and country music. They’re probably the simplest scales to play because they have fewer notes than their major and minor counterparts. So, consequently, they are more common among guitarists. But just because they are quite common, doesn’t mean they’re stale sounding. No, no. In fact in the hands of a guitarist like B.B. King, Eric Johnson or Eric Clapton, they can be simply astonishing. You will do yourself a great service but doing some serious study of the pentatonic scales. I can tell you from personal experience that they wi ll always be with you as a guitarist. Pentatonic scales have a delightfully “open” quality. This is due to the lack of certain notes that are found in the di atonic scales (major and minor). Best of all, pentatonic scales are easy. Well, at least that’s my opinion. I think they’re easier for one simple reason: they have fewer notes! Think about it. The diatonic scales and modes have seven notes. Pentatonic scales only have five. That’s almost 30% less notes! Anyway, I have laid out everything here for you in a step-by-step manner. Make sure you do more than just learn l earn the scales. Go the extra mile and learn how to apply and use the scales. I’ve tried to give you a ton of examples of how to do just that. So, grab your guitar, roll up your sleeves and let’s get started! Cheers,

Dan Denley

Copyright © 2006 by Dan Denley International Copyright Secured. All rights reserved. No part of this publication publi cation may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Learn more about Dan Denley here: www.BluesGuitarSecrets.com www.MasterBluesGuitar.com www.AmazingGuitarSecrets.com

Introduction Pentatonic scales are variations of the major and minor scale. And as the name implies, pentatonic scales have five notes (with the exception of the blues pentatonic, but more on that later). Pentatonic scales are used throughout blues, rock and country music. They’re probably the simplest scales to play because they have fewer notes than their major and minor counterparts. So, consequently, they are more common among guitarists. But just because they are quite common, doesn’t mean they’re stale sounding. No, no. In fact in the hands of a guitarist like B.B. King, Eric Johnson or Eric Clapton, they can be simply astonishing. You will do yourself a great service but doing some serious study of the pentatonic scales. I can tell you from personal experience that they wi ll always be with you as a guitarist. Pentatonic scales have a delightfully “open” quality. This is due to the lack of certain notes that are found in the di atonic scales (major and minor). Best of all, pentatonic scales are easy. Well, at least that’s my opinion. I think they’re easier for one simple reason: they have fewer notes! Think about it. The diatonic scales and modes have seven notes. Pentatonic scales only have five. That’s almost 30% less notes! Anyway, I have laid out everything here for you in a step-by-step manner. Make sure you do more than just learn l earn the scales. Go the extra mile and learn how to apply and use the scales. I’ve tried to give you a ton of examples of how to do just that. So, grab your guitar, roll up your sleeves and let’s get started! Cheers,

Dan Denley

Copyright © 2006 by Dan Denley International Copyright Secured. All rights reserved. No part of this publication publi cation may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Learn more about Dan Denley here: www.BluesGuitarSecrets.com www.MasterBluesGuitar.com www.AmazingGuitarSecrets.com

Table of Contents Introduction ............. ........................... .......................... ........................ .......................... ........................... ......................... ......................1 ..........1 Table of Contents ............. .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ................2 ....2 Pentatonic minor........................ minor.................................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ................3 ....3 Blues pentatonic ............. .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ..............4 ..4 About the movable patterns in i n this book ............ ......................... .......................... ........................... .......................4 .........4 How to visualize vi sualize the pentatonic scale across the fretboard........ f retboard..................... .......................... ................5 ...5 “What the...?”............................. the...?”......................................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ..................5 ......5 The 12-Bar Blues ............. .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ................5 ....5 How to t o choose the appropriate scale................................. scale............................................... ........................... ....................5 .......5 Time To Play! .............. ........................... ........................ ......................... ........................... .......................... ........................ ....................6 .........6 A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern 1 st position ............ ......................... .......................... .........................7 ............7 A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern 2 nd position ............. .......................... ........................... .......................9 .........9 rd A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 3 position............................. position.......................................... .................. .....11 11 th A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 4 position............................. position.......................................... .................. .....13 13 A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 5 th position............................. position.......................................... .................. .....15 15 Real-World Ways To Use The Pentatonic Pentatonic Minor Scale ............ .......................... ........................... ................ ... 16 A Blues Pentatonic ............................ ....................................... ........................ ......................... ........................... .........................21 ............21 Real-World Ways To Use The Blues Bl ues Pentatonic Scale................................. Scale...........................................27 ..........27 A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7 ............. ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ............... 31 Classic Blues Lick #1 .............. ........................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ............... 38 Classic Blues Lick #2 .............. ........................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ............... 39 Classic Blues Lick #3 .............. ........................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ............... 39 Final Thoughts ............ .......................... ......................... ......................... ........................... .......................... ........................ .................. .......40 40

Key To Symbols:

This symbol means, “Go grab your guitar!” And i t represents a section where you need to stop reading and start playing.

This symbol means, “Here’s an important concept!” And it represents a section where you need to pay close attenti on to what’s being said.

Two Primary Pentatonic Scales In the world of blues, rock and pop music there are essentially two primary pentatonic scales: •

Pentatonic Minor

•

Blues Pentatonic (this scale has different versions, but is basically the same)

Each has its own unique role to pl ay (no pun intended) in the gui tar world. Here’s how they compare:

Pentatonic minor The Pentatonic Minor is built on the natural minor scale. But it leaves out the 2nd and the 6th degrees. degrees. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of A minor and A Pentatonic minor:

A Minor: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A

A Pentatonic Minor: A, C, D, E, G, A

Notice that the A Pentatonic Minor Mi nor drops the B and the F. That’s because they are the 2nd and 6th degrees.

Blues pentatonic The Blues Pentatonic scale (or sometimes just called the, “Blues scale”) is based on the Minor Pentatonic scale. There is really onl y one difference: a flatted 5th. Now, there are many different variations of the Bl ues Pentatonic scale. Some include the 2nd. Some include a raised 7th. But for simplicity’s sake, we’re only going to discuss two versions of the Blues Pentatonic: the flat 5 and the flat 5, natural seven. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of A minor and A Blues Pentatonic, flat 5:

A Pentatonic Minor: A, C, D, E, G, A

A Blues Pentatonic: A, C, D, Eb, E, G, A

Notice that the only difference between these two scales is the E flat. That’s because it’s the flatted 5th.

About the movable patterns in this book Keep in mind that there are only five notes in the minor pentatonic, six in the blues scale, flat 5 and seven in the blues scale, flat 5, natural 7. Because the blues scale is based on minor pentatonic (which has only five notes) you will only have to learn five different positions. Yes! Even though the blues scale has more than five pitches, it still only has five positions because the fl atted 5th and natural 7 are just passing tones. A passing tone is a note whose main function is to lead to next note. It’s not a principle note in the scale, so it doesn’t get its own position.

How to visualize the pentatonic scale across the fretboard You definitely want to be able to “see” the pentatonic scale across the fretboard. This will help you move over the fretboard during your solo and improvisations instead of just being “stuck” in one place. Use the movable patterns in this book to give yourself a mental image of exactly how to play the scale in its various positions.

“What the...?” If you’ve taken my Amazing Guitar Secrets™ course, you’ll notice that I’m teaching this a little differently. After discussing the various approaches to these scales with my students (approaching 5,000), I’ve decided to simplify a few things. (If you’d like more information about my this guitar course, visit www.AmazingGuitarSecrets.com) You’ll notice that I’ve completely eli minated the major pentatonic scale. That’s because the minor pentatonic is so often used as the tonic in blues, rock and pop that it’s not necessary to add the major pentatonic to your “bag of tricks.” The fact is, the minor and blues pentatonic contain thousands of solo opportunities, so I suggest you focus your energy on mastering these.

The 12-Bar Blues The famous 12-bar blues is one of the most popular musical forms over which to solo. It uses 12 measures of three di fferent chords. Usually, the three main chords are I-IV-V. Notice that all these chords are major (they are also typically dominant). The standard 12-bar blues has four bars (or measures) of I, two bars of IV, two bars of I, one bar of V, one bar of IV, one bar of I, followed by one bar of V. In blues all these chords are usually dominant in quality. This all-dominant quality poses an interesting challenge to choose an appropriate scale.

How to choose the appropriate scale In blues there is a tendency to use all (or mostly) dominant chords. All these dominants require a little change in your thinking on how to choose a scale. For example, you may see E7, A7, B7 and think, “Hey, I see major chords, I’ll just use the major scale!” The only problem i s that E major has a G#. And when you play G# over an A7 chord (A, C#, E, G) the G and G# are going to sound like a car-crash. Now, you might consider using the Mi xolydian mode over each chord. After all, Mixolydian is a dominant mode. Again, I suppose that would work. But that’s going to be a ton of work. And more importantly, there’s an easier way... What you want to use is the pentatonic minor or blues scale (which is just a variation of the pentatonic minor) over your blues and rock progressions. I know it’s going to take a little getting used to. But trust me, once you “get

it” it’s going to make your life as a guitarist so much easier! So, let me give you a couple of examples: 

Chord progression: A7, D7, E7. Use A pentatonic minor or A blues.



Chord progression: Bb, Eb, F. Use Bb pentatonic minor or B b blues.



Chord progression: F#m7, Bm7, C#7. Use F# pentatonic minor or F# blues.



Chord progression: G7, C9, D9: Use G pentatonic minor or A blues.

See how in all the examples above, I simply used the one chord to determine the key? And once I found the one chord, I just use the corresponding pentatonic minor scale. Why this works is not as important as the fact that it works. So make sure you focus your solos around the pentatonic scale or blues scales and you’ll do fine.

Time To Play! Ok, now it’s time to turn your head-knowledge into heart-knowledge. Go grab your guitar and let’s tackle the task of learning these scales. I’ve given you the tab and standard notation for each scale. Use the movable patterns to memorize the di fferent positions of each scale. Once you feel pretty good about your progress, try to take the movable patterns and start on a note that I have not given you the tab for. Remember, the movable patterns are meant to be transposed. So, don’t be afraid to branch out and try to play in some new keys!

A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern 1 st position Note: White dots indicate the root note (in this case, A). Black dots indicate other degrees of the scale. Also, remember that thi s pattern can be moved any place on the fretboard. As it’s moved, you are transposing the scale into different keys.

Figure 1

Suggested fingering,1 st position Note: This fingering may not be exactly what is played on the DVD. Because fingering is largely a personal choice, you can use the fingering below or simply play what feels most comfortable to you.

Figure 2

Notation for A Pentatonic Minor, 1 st position

Figure 3

A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern 2 nd position Note: White dots indicate the root note (in this case, A). Black notes indicate other degrees of the scale. Also remember that thi s pattern can be moved any place on th e fretboard. As it’s moved, you are transposing the scale into di fferent keys

Figure 4

Suggested fingering, 2nd position Note: This fingering may not be exactly what is played on the DVD. Because fingering is largely a personal choice, you can use the fingering below or simply play what feels most comfortable to you.

Figure 5

Notation for A Pentatonic Minor, 2nd position

Figure 6

A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 3 rd position Note: White dots indicate the root note (in this case, A). Black notes indicate other degrees of the scale. Also remember that thi s pattern can be moved any place on th e fretboard. As it’s moved, you are transposing the scale into di fferent keys.

Figure 7

Suggested fingering, 3rd position Note: This fingering may not be exactly what is played on the DVD. Because fingering is largely a personal choice, you can use the fingering below or simply play what feels most comfortable to you.

Figure 8

Notation for A Pentatonic Minor, 3rd position

Figure 9

A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 4 th position Note: White dots indicate the root note (in this case, A). Black notes indicate other degrees of the scale. Also remember that thi s pattern can be moved any place on th e fretboard. As it’s moved, you are transposing the scale into di fferent keys.

Figure 10

Suggested fingering Note: This fingering may not be exactly what is played on the DVD. Because fingering is largely a personal choice, you can use the fingering below or simply play what feels most comfortable to you.

Figure 11

A Pentatonic Minor, 4th position Figure 12

A Pentatonic Minor: movable pattern, 5 th position Note: White dots indicate the root note (in this case, A). Black notes indicate other degrees of the scale. Also remember that thi s pattern can be moved any place on th e fretboard. As it’s moved, you are transposing the scale into di fferent keys.

Figure 13

Suggested fingering, 5 th position Note: This fingering may not be exactly what is played on the DVD. Because fingering is largely a personal choice, you can use the fingering below or simply play what feels most comfortable to you.

Figure 14

Notation for A Pentatonic Minor, 5th position Figure 15

Real-World Ways To Use The Pentatonic Minor Scale I never want to be accused of giving you the theory, but not enough practical examples of how to use it. So, here are three chord progressions that I’ve written for you to practice improvisational skills. Each chord progression comes from the major scale. But each is in a different key. I’ve done the leg-work for you by matching the chord progression to the scale that you should use to improvise.

How To Use Each Example Play each chord progression. Create your own rhythmic patterns. Then, grab a friend and have him play the chord progression while you solo over the top. Or you could grab a tape recorder from Radio Shack and record the rhythm guitar part (that’s the chord progression.) Play the rhythm section and play the scale over it. Improvise your own solo using bends, trills, vibrato, slides, etc. Each scale that I’ve given you is in 1st position (i.e., they all start on the tonic, or root note of the scale.) Try to use the moveable patterns as well. Use th em to move out of the 1st position. Try to incorporate as many different positions as you can. But most importantly... Have fun!

Example 1: A pentatonic minor Play this chord progression: Figure 16

Use this scale to improvise: Figure 17

Example 2: D pentatonic minor Play this chord progression: Figure 18


Example 3: E pentatonic minor Play this chord progression Figure 20


Blues pentatonic, flat 5 The Blues Pentatonic scale (or sometimes just called the, “Blues scale”) is based on the Minor Pentatonic scale. There is really onl y one difference: a flatted 5th. Now, there are many different variations of the Bl ues Pentatonic scale. Some include the 2nd. Some include a raised 7th. But for simplicity’s sake, we’re only going to discuss two versions of the Blues Pentatonic: the flat 5 and the flat 5, natural seven. Here are all the positions of the blues scale, flat 5:

A Blues Pentatonic Movable Pattern 1 Figure 22

Suggested Fingering Figure 23

A Blues Pentatonic, 1 st position Figure 24

Movable Pattern 2 Figure 25


A Blues Pentatonic, 2nd position Figure 27

Movable Pattern 3

Figure 28


A Blues Pentatonic, 3rd position Figure 30



A Blues Pentatonic, 4th position Figure 33



A Blues Pentatonic, 5 th position Figure 36

Real-World Ways To Use The Blues Pentatonic Scale I never want to be accused of giving you the theory, but not enough practical examples of how to use it. So, here are three chord progressions that I’ve written for you to practice improvisational skills. Each chord progression comes from the major scale. But each is in a different key. I’ve done the leg-work for you by matching the chord progression to the scale that you should use to improvise.

How To Use Each Example Play each chord progression. Create your own rhythmic patterns. Then, grab a friend and have him play the chord progression while you solo over the top. Or you could grab a tape recorder from Radio Shack and record the rhythm guitar part (that’s the chord progression. Playback the rhythm section and play the scale over it. Improvise your own solo using bends, trills, vibrato, slides, etc. Each scale that I’ve given you is in 1st position (i.e., they all start on the tonic, or root note of the scale.) Try to use the moveable patterns as well. Use th em to move out of the 1st position. Try to incorporate as many different positions as you can. But most importantly... Have fun!

Example 1: E blues minor Play this chord progression:

Figure 37


Example 2: G blues minor Play this chord progression: Figure 39


Example 3: A blues minor Play this chord progression:

Figure 41

Use this scale to improvise:

Figure 42

Blues pentatonic, flat 5, natural 7 The Blues Pentatonic scale (or sometimes just called the, “Blues scale”) is based on the Minor Pentatonic scale. This version of the bl ues scale uses the flat 5 and natural 7. Here’s all the positions of the blues scale, flat 5, natural 7:

A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7 Movable Pattern 1 Figure 43


A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 1 st position Figure 45



A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 2nd position Figure 48



A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 3rd position Figure 51



A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 4th position Figure 54

A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 4th position, 8va lower

Figure 55



A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 5 th position Figure 58

A Blues Pentatonic, Flat 5, Natural 7, 5 th position, 8va lower

Figure 59

Bonus Material: Five Classic Blues Licks I’ve written five classic blues licks for you to add to your arsenal of solo licks. All of them are in the key of E blues minor. That means that all these licks will work perfectly for the previous examples. However, they are easily transposed into other keys. Keep the li ck the same, just move to a different starting note. For example, if you wanted to transpose “Classic Blues Lick #1” to the key of G blues minor and use it in your example two above, then here’s what you do: instead of starting on the 14th fret, you’d start on the 17th. Then just add three to each of the other frets and you’ll be playing the key of G blues minor! Here’s how I did that: 1. I knew that the li ck was in the key of E blues minor. 2. I knew that I was starting on the 14th fret, 3rd sting. That note is A. 3. I asked myself, “Ok, how does A relate to E?” (Because I’m in the key of E blues minor). Then, I figured out that A is the 4th in the key of E blues minor. 4. Then I said, “Ok, well what’s the 4th in the key of G?” It’s C. So all I have to do is start on C, which is 17th fret, 3rd string. 5. So, I added three to all the other fret numbers, and “Ta-dah!” I have now transposed the lick from E blues minor to G blues minor.

Classic Blues Lick #1 Figure 60




Mastering the Pentatonic and Blues Scales - Amazing Guitar Secrets

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