The minor pentatonic scale: your first solo scale
Five notes, one shape, and it works over rock, blues and more. Here’s box 1, a first lick and a backing track to try it on.
If you want to solo, start here. The minor pentatonic has only five notes, so it’s hard to hit a wrong one, and almost every rock and blues guitarist leans on it.
A minor pentatonic, box 1
Learn the shape
- Two notes on every string, frets 5 to 8 in the key of A.
- The red dots are the root, A. Start and end there.
- Play it up and down slowly, one note per click, until you don’t need to look.
A first lick
Bend, then land on A
80 BPM
e|-------5-----5--------------| B|-8b10-----8-------5---------| G|---------------------7~-----| D|----------------------------| A|----------------------------| E|----------------------------|
Now play
Put on the backing track and use just three or four notes. Leave gaps. Repeat what sounds good. Improvising is more about choices than speed.
Blues in A
Tempo
Feel: triplet swing / shuffle · 12 bars, loops
Target notes: A7 → C♯ (3) · D7 → F♯ (3) · E7 → G♯ (3)
Learn this free in 10 minutes. Start free, no card needed.
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