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Pentatonic Scales

Regular scales—like the familiar major and minor scales—consist of seven tones. But what happens if you strip away two? You’re left with five, and voilà! You’ve just uncovered the pentatonic scale.

Just as there are major and minor scales, the pentatonic scale also comes in major and minor varieties. In this course, we’ll focus on the practical side of pentatonic scales—no deep dives into theory, just hands-on application.

The magic of pentatonic scales lies in their versatility. They have an uncanny ability to sound great in almost any musical setting. Of course, choosing the right pentatonic scale matters, but once you do, every note you play will fit beautifully. Before we jump into playing them, let’s cover some essential background information.

Minor Pentatonic Scale

In the next sections, we’ll dive into the minor pentatonic scale—a cornerstone of pop, rock, blues, and virtually every style of modern music.

Often called the Blues Scale, the minor pentatonic is your go-to tool for soloing over minor chord progressions. It’s simple: if the chords are in A minor, you play the A minor pentatonic scale. If they’re in C minor, you use the C minor pentatonic scale—and so on.

Now, does playing pentatonic scales instantly make you a guitar hero? Not quite. But it’s a powerful first step toward expressive, melodic soloing.

There’s one fascinating exception to the rule of matching scales to chords. In blues music, you can solo over A major or A7 chords using the A minor pentatonic scale. This creates a delicious tension—a gritty, soulful friction that defines the blues sound. That clash between major chords and a minor scale? That’s where the magic happens.

Major Pentatonic Scale

The major pentatonic scale is your go-to tool for soloing over chord progressions in a major key—including blues! One of the coolest tricks in blues soloing is blending the major and minor pentatonic scales, creating a rich, expressive sound full of character. When you solo over a major chord progression using the major pentatonic scale, you’ll get a bright, energetic rock tone—sometimes even leaning into that classic country and western vibe. It’s a sound that’s both uplifting and melodic, perfect for cutting through the mix with clarity and style.

In this course you'll learn to play the pentatonic scale in five positions. You'll also learn the best bending and double-stop spots, and you'll learn to connected the different positions. Let's start with the Minor Pentatonic Scale in position I!

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