What is the pentatonic scale? Broadly speaking, a pentatonic scale is a five-note scale. The term 'pentatonic' originates from Greek, with 'penta' meaning five and 'tonic' referring to tones.

Both the major and minor pentatonic scales are derived from their respective full scales: the major pentatonic from the full major scale and the minor pentatonic from the full natural minor scale. Each of these full scales consists of seven notes. We'll cover the major and minor scales very soon. The pentatonic is more of a versatile scale, so we'll start with that.

Pentatonic scales are plentiful and not limited to just the minor and major variations, but in these lessons, we'll just be exploring the major and minor pentatonic scales. Often, guitarists start with these scales because they're easy to learn and most begin with the first shape of the minor pentatonic scale, which looks like this:

Guitarists quickly realise this minor pentatonic shape is movable, so, if you can play it in A minor, you can also play it in E minor or D minor by simply shifting your root note on the low E string.

For many it's their first 'aha' moment as they start to improvise using the minor pentatonic over basic chords.It's hard to make a mistake, but here's the issue: for many, this marks the end of their studies.

Boxed In

I often hear complaints from guitarists about feeling melodically stuck or needing to learn new scales. When someone says, "I only know the pentatonic scale and want to learn more," I usually challenge them to play the G major pentatonic scale across the fretboard. Typically, one of two things happens: they either admit they're not familiar with the major pentatonic scale, or they say only know the minor pentatonic scale in one root positions but are stumped when asked to move it around.

Knowing the pentatonic scale means more than just being familiar with one "box" or shape. In this lesson, we"ll explore what it means to master the pentatonic scale. This involves knowing both major and minor scales across all CAGED shapes. For instance, you should be able to play the C major pentatonic scale in any shape and associate each shape with a corresponding CAGED chord to identify the crucial chord tones within the pentatonic shape.

CAGED again?

This understanding ties back to the CAGED system and its study, which is why we kicked things off with that. Additionally, you should be capable of finding your place on the fretboard at any moment. For example, if I asked you to play the G major pentatonic scale from any position, you should quickly locate G and know which shape to use. This skill is essential for versatile and confident guitar playing.

You shouldn't constantly rely on starting with the same chord shape and then ascending through similar shapes to navigate the fretboard. This concept is crucial for truly mastering the pentatonic scale.

Even if you feel you've mastered all the shapes and know the pentatonic scale inside out, I'd encourage continuous practice. Mastering the pentatonic scale isn't a one-time achievement. Any guitarist can be pushed to their limits with the right adjustments, even within the pentatonic scale. Next up we’ll discuss the often ignored major pentatonic shapes across the fretboard mapped to the CAGED system for easy memorisation.