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Minor Pentatonic Scale Patterns for Guitar
Let's look now at some more very useful scales. If you have been around other more accomplished guitar players you may have heard of the minor pentatonic scales. We get the name from the fact that we derive these scale patterns from taking five notes of the diatonic Natural Minor Scale (diatonic refers to the two types of steps, half step and whole step, found in these scale patterns). The minor pentatonics have a bluesy sound.
As you may suspect, minor pentatonic scale patterns work well over minor chord progressions. These scale patterns also work well over rock and blues progressions (fifth and dominant chord based progressions). They also work well over many pop, country, and contemporary Christian songs, among others. They are very versatile scale patterns, even more so than the major scale patterns, due to the wide interval spacings between the notes. You will hardly find a song in popular music that you can't play an improvised solo over using these scale patterns.
As with the major scale patterns, you will need to practice these patterns as often and long as possible
Notice that the lower notes of pattern two and upper notes of pattern one (lower and upper in reference to pitch range, not the computer screen!) are the same notes. The upper notes of pattern two are the lower notes of pattern three, etc. The upper notes of pattern five are the lower notes of pattern one, so that the whole set of five patterns repeats itself at some point on the fretboard, depending on what key you are playing in. You may remember this also happened with the major scales, and it will be the same with all condensed scale pattern types, five forms and then a repeat. Again, this means you can move from one pattern into another and still be playing the minor pentatonic sound, which adds a lot of creative options to your solos. For beginning purposes, play the first note of pattern one on a note that corresponds to the key you wish to play in. For instance, if you want to play in the key of A, start the first note of pattern one at the sixth string, 5th fret. As long as you follow the pattern you will automatically be in the key of A. The pattern does the hard mental work for you. You will have enough work on the physical end, so take advantage of the ease of the patterns!
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