Major Pentatonic Scale 3

Major Pentatonic Scale

More Scales 

Here is the basic pentatonic scale. Does it look familiar? If not, you might

want to go practice the easy tricks before you read this next part. Without the

pentatonic scale as background this section will get really confusing.

Key= A

Basic Pentatonic With Extensions

E |-----5--------8----------------| E |-----5---------8------10-------|

B |-----5--------8----------------| B |-----5---------8------10-------|

G |-----5-----7-------------------| G |-----5-----7------9------------|

D |-----5-----7-------------------| D |-----5-----7-------------------|

A |-----5-----7-------------------| D |-----5-----7-------------------|

E |-----5--------8----------------| E |-----5--------8----------------|

When a guitar player talks about "the penatonic scale" this scale above is what

he is talking about. However, it is really called the MINOR pentatonic scale. In

these discussions we call it "the basic pentatonic" because most people don't

call it minor.

So what is the difference? Well, a scale is major if the third note of the scale

is four frets from the root note. A scale is minor if the third note of the

scale is three frets from the root note. In the A major scale the third note is

C#, which is four frets from A. In the pentatonic scale above the third note is

C, not C#. Therefore the scale is minor. You don't need to understand this in

order to be a good guitar player. You just need to know how to play it. Read on

to learn how to play the MAJOR penatonic scale.

The Major Pentatonic Scale

Next door to the basic pentatonic scale below is the major pentatonic scale. It

looks like the minor pentatonic scale for F#, which it is. However, it is also

the major pentatonic scale for A major. F# is the relative minor key of A major.

The relative minor key is always 1 1/2 steps down from the major key. This is

easy to remember if you remember that A is the relative minor of C. That isn't

really important to this discussion. As a guitar player all you need to know is

that you can play in two different positions on the fret board in the same song

and get two entirely different sets of sounds using the same standard pentatonic

scale and even the same tricks. All you have to do is move the pattern down

three frets and see how it sounds.

Key=A

Minor Pentatonic Major Pentatonic

E |-----5---------8------10-------| E |-----2---------5------7--------|

B |-----5---------8------10-------| B |-----2---------5------7--------|

G |-----5-----7------9------------| G |-----2-----4------6------------|

D |-----5-----7-------------------| D |-----2-----4-------------------|

A |-----5-----7-------------------| A |-----2-----4-------------------|

E |-----5--------8----------------| E |-----2--------5----------------|

If you are playing in the greater rock/blues category of music (the big category

from Chuck Berry to Metallica), then you can use either the major or minor

pentatonic in your solos. You can even use both in the same solo. The rock/blues

style only loosely adheres to the major/minor distinction. This gives you a lot

of leeway in your playing.

The Combination Scale

So what is to stop you from combining the two? Nothing, not one thing except the

song itself. The same trick won't sound good in every song, so it is up to you

to decide what sounds best in a given situation. Does this look difficult? It's

not, really. It is just two simple pentatonic scales sitting side by side.

Key=A

Minor Pentatonic PLUS Major Pentatonic

E |-----2----------5-------7---8------10--------|

B |-----2----------5-------7---8------10--------|

G |-----2------4---5---6---7-------9------------|

D |-----2------4---5-------7--------------------|

A |-----2------4---5-------7--------------------|

E |-----2----------5-------7---8----------------|

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