Learn the Guitar Online - Use of Pentatonic Scales
A very popular type of scale used by guitar players today is the pentatonic scale.
These scales have five notes and are known as variations of the major and minor scale.
They are vital in creating the sounds of blues, rock and country music and are also among the easiest scales to master.
This makes them a favorite with aspiring guitarist in most genres.
Their apparent simplicity is no indication of scales that are trite and uninteresting.
Just listen to great guitarists the likes of BB King, George Benson and Eric Clapton - just to mention a few - and you will be enjoyably astounded by the sophistication and beauty of these scales.
Great benefits will be derived once you engage in serious study and application of these scales.
Like all valuable knowledge acquired, this will always be in your guitarist "musical-treasure-vault".
By and large, pentatonic scales are relatively easy since they carry fewer notes.
Unlike the diatonic scales and modes which both have seven notes, pentatonic scales only have five.
There are basically three pentatonic scales: 1.
Major Pentatonic 2.
Minor Pentatonic 3.
Blues Pentatonic They all play a specific role in guitar music or music on a whole.
Let us move forward to distinguish them.
The Pentatonic Major The Pentatonic Major is derived from the major scale excluding the fourth and seventh degrees.
To illustrate, look at the following; C Major: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C C Major Pentatonic: C,D,E,G,A,C The Pentatonic Minor The minor pentatonic scale is derived from the natural minor scale leaving out the second and the sixth degrees.
Observe the following; A Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A A Pentatonic: A,C,D,E,G,A You will observe here that the B and F are not present in the A Pentatonic.
These are the second and the sixth degrees which are eliminated in order to form the Pentatonic.
The Blues Pentatonic A common definition of the Blues Pentatonic scale states that it is based on the minor pentatonic scale with the exception of having a flatted 5th or blue note.
The Blues Pentatonic scale comes with many variations, possibly including a 2nd or a raised 7th.
For a basic understanding we will only refer to the Blues Pentatonic involving the flatted 5th.
A Pentatonic Minor: A,C,D,E,G,A A Blues Pentatonic: A,C,D,Eb,E,G,A Did you notice that the Eb is not to be found in the A pentatonic minor? The E flat is the flatted 5th or blue note and has a "blues" sound.
Applying the use of the pentatonic scales in a creative way is always more beneficial than just learning the theory behind them.
You should try to obtain lots of examples and practice material.
These scales have five notes and are known as variations of the major and minor scale.
They are vital in creating the sounds of blues, rock and country music and are also among the easiest scales to master.
This makes them a favorite with aspiring guitarist in most genres.
Their apparent simplicity is no indication of scales that are trite and uninteresting.
Just listen to great guitarists the likes of BB King, George Benson and Eric Clapton - just to mention a few - and you will be enjoyably astounded by the sophistication and beauty of these scales.
Great benefits will be derived once you engage in serious study and application of these scales.
Like all valuable knowledge acquired, this will always be in your guitarist "musical-treasure-vault".
By and large, pentatonic scales are relatively easy since they carry fewer notes.
Unlike the diatonic scales and modes which both have seven notes, pentatonic scales only have five.
There are basically three pentatonic scales: 1.
Major Pentatonic 2.
Minor Pentatonic 3.
Blues Pentatonic They all play a specific role in guitar music or music on a whole.
Let us move forward to distinguish them.
The Pentatonic Major The Pentatonic Major is derived from the major scale excluding the fourth and seventh degrees.
To illustrate, look at the following; C Major: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C C Major Pentatonic: C,D,E,G,A,C The Pentatonic Minor The minor pentatonic scale is derived from the natural minor scale leaving out the second and the sixth degrees.
Observe the following; A Minor: A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A A Pentatonic: A,C,D,E,G,A You will observe here that the B and F are not present in the A Pentatonic.
These are the second and the sixth degrees which are eliminated in order to form the Pentatonic.
The Blues Pentatonic A common definition of the Blues Pentatonic scale states that it is based on the minor pentatonic scale with the exception of having a flatted 5th or blue note.
The Blues Pentatonic scale comes with many variations, possibly including a 2nd or a raised 7th.
For a basic understanding we will only refer to the Blues Pentatonic involving the flatted 5th.
A Pentatonic Minor: A,C,D,E,G,A A Blues Pentatonic: A,C,D,Eb,E,G,A Did you notice that the Eb is not to be found in the A pentatonic minor? The E flat is the flatted 5th or blue note and has a "blues" sound.
Applying the use of the pentatonic scales in a creative way is always more beneficial than just learning the theory behind them.
You should try to obtain lots of examples and practice material.
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