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THE MINOR PENTATONIC-SCALE

Author: Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)

1ST PATTERN

Well, the probably most used Scale in improvising is the Pentatonic Scale. The Pentatonic
Scale consists only of 5 Tones and it exists in a major and minor type.
And in this exercise you become knowledge about the keytones on the fingerboard and which
notes you can play in a solo without playing out of tone.
And with the knowledge of these 5 patterns of the Minor-Pentatonic Scale, you can shift them
up and down the fingerboard into any key!

Pentatonic - It´s the oldest scale and consist of five tones. That´s why it´s called Pentatonic
(Penta is greek = five)

Basic knowledge: There are 12 whole-tones and semitones on the fingerboard, that means that
these notes are repeated from the 13th fret. (E.g. you have the keytone F on the 1st and 13th
fret). The difference between these two notes is called an octave.

1. NOTES ON THE FINGERBOARD.

Now you´re ready to learn the five patterns of the Minor-Pentatonic Scale. Each pattern is
moveable over the complete fingerboard.

1ST PATTERN IN THE KEY OF G

PRACTISE: Play from the the high E-string to the low E-string and back. Use one finger for
each fret.
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If you want to move the pattern into another key, just use the graphic above where you can see
the keytones on the fingerboard.

If you can play that easily you can move on to the 2nd Pattern

FILES FOR THIS LESSON:

• Blues Scale in G.gp3

• Pentatonic in A.gp3
• Pentatonic-Lick.gp3

2ND PATTERN

2ND PATTERN IN THE KEY OF G

PRACTISE: Play the second pattern from the the high E-string to the low E-string and back

LISTEN TO MIDI: Pattern2.mid

Now you know the first two patterns. Practise them, until you can play them easily and
smoothly!

PRACTISE: Move the patterns on the fingerboard into other keys!

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Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)
Every distribution (digital or print) requieres a written permission!
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NOW WE TAKE A LOOK HOW THE TWO PATTERNS CAN BE CONNECTED ON

THE FINGERBOARD:

1=Notes from Pattern 1 2=Notes from Pattern 2 1/2=common notes from Pattern 1 and 2.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
e |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
B |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
G |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-1/2-|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|
D |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-1/2-|-----|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
A |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-1/2-|-----|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|
E |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|

Practise both patterns alone and in connection on the fingerboard!

3RD PATTERN

PATTERN 3 IN THE KEY OF G

PRACTISE: Play the pattern from the the high E-string to the low E-string and back

Now you know the first three patterns. Practise them, until you can play them easily and
smoothly!

PRACTISE: Move the patterns on the fingerboard into other keys!

NOW WE TAKE A LOOK HOW THE TWO PATTERNS CAN BE CONNECTED ON

THE FINGERBOARD:

1 = Notes from Pattern 1

2 = Notes from Pattern 2
1/2 = common notes from Pattern 1 and 2.
3 = Notes from Pattern 3
2/3 = common notes from Pattern 2 and 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

e |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
B |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|-----|-----|--3--|-----|
G |-----|-----|--1--|-----|--1--|-----|-2/3-|-----|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
D |-----|-----|--1--|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-2/3-|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
A |-----|-----|--1--|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-2/3-|-----|--3--|-----|-----|
E |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|-----|--3--|-----|-----|

Practise both patterns alone and in connection on the fingerboard!

www.blueslessons.net
Copyright of all lessons (if not mentioned otherwise):
Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)
Every distribution (digital or print) requieres a written permission!
www.blueslessons.net

4TH PATTERN

PATTERN 4 IN THE KEY OF G

PRACTISE: Play the second pattern from the the high E-string to the low E-string and back

Now you know the first four patterns. Practise them, until you can play them easily and
smoothly!

PRACTISE: Move the patterns on the fingerboard into other keys!

NOW WE TAKE A LOOK HOW THE TWO PATTERNS CAN BE CONNECTED ON

THE FINGERBOARD:

1 = Notes from Pattern 1

2 = Notes from Pattern 2
1/2 = common notes from Pattern 1 and 2.
3 = Notes from Pattern 3
2/3 = common notes from Pattern 2 and 3
4 = Notes from Pattern 4
3/4 = common notes from Pattern 3 and 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
e |---|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|---|-4-|
B |---|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-----|-3/4-|---|-4-|
G |---|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-2/3-|-----|---|-3/4-|-----|-4-|---|
D |---|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|-4-|---|
A |---|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|---|-4-|
E |---|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|---|-4-|

Practise both patterns alone and in connection on the fingerboard!

www.blueslessons.net
Copyright of all lessons (if not mentioned otherwise):
Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)
Every distribution (digital or print) requieres a written permission!
www.blueslessons.net

5TH PATTERN

PATTERN 5 IN THE KEY OF G

PRACTISE: Play the pattern from the the high E-string to the low E-string and back

Or

Now you know all five patterns!!! Practise them, until you can play them easily and
smoothly!

PRACTISE: Move the patterns on the fingerboard into other keys!

1 = Notes from Pattern 1 2 = Notes from Pattern 2
1/2 = common notes from Pattern 1 and 2. 3 = Notes from Pattern 3
2/3 = common notes from Pattern 2 and 3 4 = Notes from Pattern 4
3/4 = common notes from Pattern 3 and 4 5 = Notes from Pattern 5
4/5 = common notes from Pattern 4 and 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
e |-5-|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|-----|-4/5-|---|-5-|
B |-5-|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-----|-3/4-|-----|-4/5-|---|-5-|
G |---|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-2/3-|-----|---|-3/4-|-----|-4/5-|-----|---|-5-|
D |---|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|-4/5-|-----|---|-5-|
A |-5-|---|-1-|---|-1-|-----|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|-----|-4/5-|---|-5-|
E |-5-|---|-1-|---|---|-1/2-|-----|-2/3-|---|-3/4-|-----|-----|-4/5-|---|-5-|

IMPORTANT: The notes from the first twelve frets repeat themselves from the 13th fret
(that means that the notes of the first fret are the same then on the thirteenth fret etc.) That
means that you can play the pentatonic notes from the first fret on. I have changed the colour
of these notes to show you all playable notes on the fingerboard in the keytone G.

www.blueslessons.net
Copyright of all lessons (if not mentioned otherwise):
Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)
Every distribution (digital or print) requieres a written permission!
www.blueslessons.net

HERE ARE ALL PATTERNS TOGETHER (INDEPENDEND OF THE KEYTONE)

You can find the GuitarPro & midi files for this lesson on www.blueslessons.net

www.blueslessons.net
Copyright of all lessons (if not mentioned otherwise):
Dirk Hagemann (dirk@blueslessons.net)
Every distribution (digital or print) requieres a written permission!