I am starting to re-learn musical scales for guitar and I was wondering if anyone could offer an advice on where to start? I have some basic knowledge on scales but I want to further it. It has been a while since I have practiced scales so I figure I might as well start fresh. I was thinking of starting with pentatonic scales but im not sure. Any help./guidance would be appreciated. I was also wondering if anyone could offer any techniques for practicing scales.

Some good ones here:

http://www.jazzguitar.be/jazzguitar_lessons.html

xx

Yep, lessons and some music theory classes. Sounds boring, I know, but taking music theory will help you understand what scales go over what chord progressions. Once you get that down, you’ll know exactly what to do.

i know they are 5 note scales but i need a tab of them. Does anyone know them and could tell me what they are or tell me a good website that shows you a tab. i want to learn them so i can make up solos

Penta is the Greek root word for five. So a pentatonic scale consists of only 5 different notes. While there are many possibilities for arranging 5 different notes to create a scale, we are going to look at the 2 most common. They are major pentatonic, and minor pentatonic.

In order to fully understand how pentatonic scales are constructed, you should have an understanding of how to construct basic 7 note major and minor scales. Because pentatonic scales are derived from them

Major pentatonic scalesA major pentatonic scale comes from a major scale by removing the 4th and 7th degrees. So a major pentatonic scale consists of only the 1 2 3 5 6 of the major scale.
C D E F G A B C – C major scale
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 – scale functions

It may seem funny, but the formula for a major pentatonic scale is 1 2 3 5 6. The G may be the 4th note in a major pentatonic scale, but it is not considered a "4". Remember that the numbers that you see in music are in relationship to the major scale. And in a C major scale, G is the 5th note.C D E G A C- C major scale1 2 3 5 6 1 – scale functions

My DH teaches lessons i got this from searching his notes.. there is about 12 pages on it if you want me to forward this too you email me at jdriley@nb.sympatico.ca

There are a bunch of places online to find pentatonic scale fingerings for guitar. My favorite resource is http://guitarknowledgenet.com where you can find this information presented in a bunch of ways…

Pentatonic Scale In TAB:
(This is the key of A Minor Pentatonic)

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/sit_scale_return.php?radiobutton=radiobutton08&scaleSelect=3&formselect=1&Submit=Get+Scales

If you want other keys start here:

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/sit_scale_select.php

Pentatonic Scale Shown as a Fretboard Diagram:

http://www.guitarknowledgenet.com/full_fretboard.php?ori=1

(Click "View Scales" and pick the pentatonic scale)

Let’s say I am having a guitar blues jam with my friends. I am playing in the key of A using the I, IV, I, V, IV, I chord progression. That includes the chords in this order: A, D, A, E, D, A. My friend is playing the A-minor pentatonic scale (starting on the fifth fret) over these chords. What is another scale that he can slide down (or up) to and use? Why? I’m trying to understand music theory. Thanks for the help.

So you’re playing an A major blues?

Well using that minor pentatonic over a major blues is a pretty cool sound, especially if you bend that 3rd a little bit so it’s right in between the minor and major third.

You could, of course, use D minor and E minor pentatonics over the other chords. You could also use the major pentatonic scale. Dorian and Mixolydian would also sound quite nice.

You can use those scales because they have all the chord tones in them. Even though Dorian and the minor pentatonics have a minor 3rd instead of the major 3rd like in the chords, they have a nice sound. It’s just a blues thing. It sounds really bad and out of place in other styles.

Iam quiet familiar with finding my notes on a guitar fret board it’s just that I dnot know what notes got together nicely , i know how to find key signatures , I know that the perfect intervals are 1, 4, 5 goes that mean that I for example iam in the key of C ( C , D, E , F , G , A , B ) does that mean all i can use for a solo are 1 , 4 , 5 intervals ? . Is there a way, Help Please .

learn chord scales
every type of chord has a scale that can be used for that chord:
C7 chord scale=
C Db D D# E F# G Ab A Bb
Amin7 chord scale=
A B C D E G
Fmaj7 chord scale=
F G A B C D E

ok..i’m confused as hell
most videos I’ve found play the 5 positions in the key of A (their guitars tuned to E) thats not confusing
the confusing part is what if my guitar is tuned to Dropped B
how will I play the minor pentatonic scale? Do i just find the A root note and play it normally? please help…
i use the
B-F♯-B-E-G♯-C♯. tuning
so would i Just find the A (root) note on the 6th in this tuning and start the first minor pentatonic scale position there?

the pattern remains the same but u’ll get different notes. the intervals of a minor pentatonic is:

1 3b 4 5 7b 8 (in terms of a major scale u play those notes)

ex: A minor pentatonic
A C D E G A

(the a major scale are A B C# D E F# G# A)

try to avoid patterns cause ur never know what pattern consist of (the name of the notes)

i have learned the minor pentatonic position but im having trouble with finding the major from the minor scale. i was told to put my pinky on the root note of the minor scale and my first 3 frets down and then apply the same position or scle pattern as the minor. from what ive picked up from videos etc. if i do this starting on the 5th fret of the low -E string, the A note, and use the minor pattern then i will have played the a minor pentatonic. Now, if i place my pinky on the root of the minor pentatonic and my first finger 3 frets below that and use the same pattern as in the minor pentatonic am i playing the a major pentatonic ? whats confusing me about this is that if i do as described above the root has changed from A to F#.

Will someone please explain this to me as i cannot continue untill i undertsand it :/…if i am completely wrong please guide me in the right direction and explain to me how to get the major pentatonic from the major one

Major pentatonic starting with the root R-W-W-W+H-W-W+H
Minor pentatonic starting with the root R-W+H-W-W-W+H-W

Below are links to the box shapes of both the major and minor pentatonic which are all movable depending on your key. Examples are shown in G. Using the above formula, you can move those patterns into any other key.

Hi,
First of all – do chords in a song have to be in the same key?
Second – I am learning the Pentatonic scales and the extended pentatonic scale, now that i have learnt them i am trying solo over chords. Could someone please explain what pentatonic scales i would use over certain chords. For example if i were playing D,C,G chords would i solo over the top with a Dminor pentatonic? Or could i use a C or G Pentatonic scale?
Last – If i were playing a E bar chord witch is on the 7th fret, could i use the pentatonic scale from the route on the E string being B. So i would be using a B pentatonic scale over the chord E, would this sound right?
Thank you, i know that im being stupid but could someone please answer.

1) Just think about this: if there were a "rule" about something like that, how would it be enforced? Don’t you think that songwriters would just do whatever they wanted to anyway?

2) What is the "extended pentatonic scale"? That doesn’t make sense. I have a feeling that you’re confusing a shape/fingering with the actual scale. Just because you play notes outside of a specific fingering doesn’t mean you’re playing a different scale. The scale extends above and below the fingering pattern you’re using. For example, A minor pentatonic has the notes A C D E and G in it. EVERY A C D E and G note on the guitar is part of the A minor pentatonic scale.

Here is a nice article on pentatonic scales that should clear up some of your confusion (and straighten some things out in your head).

A simple general rule to follow is minor pentatonic for minor chords, major pentatonic for major chords. So if your chord progression is E – A – F#m – B then you could use E major pentatonic over the E chord, A major pentatonic over the A chord, F# minor pentatonic over the F#m chord… you get the idea.

3) B minor pentatonic scale will sound okay over an E7 chord… you’ll have to watch out for that A note though… that one will sound bad against the G# in the chord.

Ive been told that most riffs are pentatonic scales. Would learning all the major scales first take up my time before I can recognize and play riffs?

The pentatonic scale is easier to learn because 2 notes are left out of the major scale for each octave. Also, don’t learn all the major or pentatonics scales all at once. It will become a mind numbing chore and no fun. Learn a scale in a key of a song you like and play along with the song. This reinforces the scale and then you can move out from there.