Minor Pentatonic Scale
The minor pentatonic scale is probably just about the most common scale a guitarist will encounter if they play music in genres like rock, blues, metal, punk, or anything directly or indirectly influenced by those kinds of music. Guitarists, like Zakk Wylde and Slash, have basically built their entire career around this particular scale. The obvious reason that this has been possible might, at first glance, seem to be that the minor pentatonic scale is just a really diverse scale, allowing it to be frequently used and still sound different from song to song. However, oddly enough, it is the opposite, it is actually a fairly bland scale. That’s actually the useful part of it, you can do all sorts of stuff with this scale that just wouldn’t work very well on something like Lydian or Phrygian. It also doesn’t allow a guitarist to do a lot of the overly subtle things that would be lost on the average listener. What sounds cool to a musician or guitarist sometimes is too subtle for a person with no musical training, and since the vast majority of fans don’t have musical training, it is rather apparent why using those subtle techniques can limit the overall appeal of a song.
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As the name suggests, the minor pentatonic scale has five notes (1 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b7), and is basically the minor scale with the b2 and b6 notes removed. The basic shape used for the minor scale is shown below. This particular example is in the key of A and can be moved up and down the neck. The root is indicated by the lower note on the 1 and 6 string.
Playing examples like the one below is a good way to develop a better familiarity with the scale and get used to moving back and forth from note to note.
Below is also the A minor pentatonic, but now the root note is the lower note on the 5th string. Some riffs are not only easier in this pattern, but literally unplayable in any other, so it is a good idea to be familiar with this shape as well.
The following example is also helpful in becoming familiar with this pattern of the scale.
There is also a larger diagonal scale that moves across and up and down the neck simultaneously that is very common. This can be a useful way to transition between the two boxes shown above, since some riffs actually do contain parts that are easier or require playing in one shape of the other.
Again, shown below is the same pattern you should practice the other two shapes in. This one is a bit more tricky due to the position shifting, so practice it slowly until you get the hang of it.
At this point, you probably have noticed that the above examples don’t really sound like solos. Before you can really get into that, you do need to know the scales and have a good command of techniques, so it is important to putting the time into both. When a guitarist starts adding dynamics, songwriting, and technique in combination with the scale, then you get those exciting guitar solos you are itching to play. It is one thing to be able to play someone else’s solo, but when you learn the scale and techniques well, writing your own solos is no longer a problem. It does take some practice, but it is definitely worth it once you have this part of learning to play guitar down.
Just to give an example of this, check out the example below. This is a fairly simple example of how a guitarist might actually apply the minor pentatonic scale to an actual solo. While it isn’t really necessary to actually learn or practice the example, it is a good idea to have that understanding that solos have more to them than just being random notes off the scale. What makes those pentatonic solos exciting is the display of technique and songwriting, not the scale itself. Take the time to learn those, and writing great solos will come very quickly behind that.
