Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Ideas for mixing the major & minor pentatonic scales. – Guitar Lesson EP437

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to mix the major and minor pentatonic scales to play the blues while learning this composition that you can play by yourself on guitar.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  12. Rich F says

    Great lesson Brian! Listening to this over my early Saturday morning cup of tea!

    This is a great complementary lesson to my favourite early lesson of yours: EP094… that is a brilliant lesson too… electric slow blues… that uses the T-bone Walker chords too. And I love the turnaround introduction in that lesson!

    So today I am going to compare this current lesson with EP094… wow!

    Thanks Brian!

  16. Paul S says

    As I get older I find it harder and harder to finger pick but i still want to get that great sound that Brian has on this lesson. I have found that if I use a heavy or extra heavy delrin pick (as opposed to celluloid) I can almost get that same sound. Its a softer material and although I can’t make those great harmonized notes using three fingers, I can at least get the sound. This is another great lesson on top of one of the best explanations of the pentatonic scales I’ve seen. Thanks Brian!

  19. Jeff H says

    Hi Brian, have to say that I am disappointed that it is now Tablature Only format in the sheet music, I think we need both Standard Notation and Tablature , Tab only does not show Time Signature, and Note Duration. Jeff

  20. trainrider says

    Brian, great lesson as always. However, I agree with Jeff H regarding standard notation. I always print the piece in standard / tab format for learning and referring to it later. This has helped me to become better at reading standard notation and advancing toward the goal of being a versatile musician from basic guitar player. Trainrider / Stan A.

    • Brian says

      It’s all still there, for some reason it’s switched off by default – you can go to the gear icon at the bottom right and you’ll see where you can click on. the music note icon to switch that back on.

  30. chris b says

    Brian,

    You’ve done it again. You’re taking great to GREATER. Words cannot express how grateful I am, truly.

    I love the layering of the lessons, and my playing and musicality does too. Please keep the building going. Lessons are becoming courses.

    I really love the mix of major, minor blues, and country…absolutely. Gives the player so many layers and moods to explore. Fertile ground for comps, lead fills, and songwriting.

    -cb.

  31. mritalian says

    Really like the way you relate the chord shapes to the scales, and your right as you learn to play and be able to improvise it does challenge your brain, then its a matter of getting the fingers to move and put the feeling into the composition. Keep em coming, these lessons on Friday are like a drug, waiting for the next lesson. Thanks

  35. Paul N says

    Hi Brian, I get the idea of transposing the keys. C to A to G, you mention in this example. But how about a mini-lesson on the Key of E. I get the pattern shifting using the the 12th fret as your home fret, but suppose you want the standard E chord with open 1st and 6th strings to be your home base. Is it OK or preferred to use open strings, or is it more practical or efficient to use, say the 4th fret of the G string to play the open B string note, or the 5th fret of the B string to play the open E string note.

    Or am I complicating or overthinking this Key of E?
    Thanks

  37. Francois M says

    Hi Brian, After your last three lessons on the pentatonic scales, and combining the minor and major pentatonic scales, I’m trying to think of a way you can plug your Blues Lead Guitar course. In my own experience I wasn’t interested in the Lead course early on because I didn’t want to just memorize a bunch of licks. But now that I know the pentatonic scales and patterns I am finding the course more inspirational as it shows what can be done with the scales other than playing up and down and maybe a few tired short licks. It looks like your pentatonic deep dive was well received last week and you may have a bunch more subscribers who also may appreciate finding the Lead course. I haven’t thought of any clever way to tie the weekly lessons in with the Lead course other than to shamelessly plug it. Also, if you wanted to add a couple units to the end of the Lead course with some licks that combine major and minor pentatonic scales I for one would find that quite educational. For what it’s worth. Thanks for the lessons.

  41. Scott Z says

    Great series of mixing major and minor pentatonics blending with chords and styles. I have been exploring this usage for awhile, you just upped my game with things I didn’t discover. These have been fun, thanks Brian!

  43. Clive G says

    Hi Brian
    Noticed in your last couple of sessions you are producing only tab in the breakdown.
    I find it really helps have the notation included.
    I use the 2 together.
    I find rests and notation helps with timing.
    Please bring it back.
    Really loving the last session great linking together.
    Clive BBGE

  45. Mark N says

    Got to say I absolutely love this piece, spent a few days getting it down nicely. I love these late night solo tunes, great lesson combining major and minor scales. I like to change this slightly to resolve on the last bar to a Cmaj chord on the 8th fret, just sounds so nice.

  46. Gary W says

    Fantastic lesson thanks Brian … I’m obsessed & drilling – the only way that works for me. Love the way this is dovetailing with the T Bone lesson.

    May I ask a question please? I’m playing a bit more without a pick just now & enjoying this. I was watching closely how you used your thumb here – you seemed to routinely use it right over & as far as the B string. I seem to naturally want to use my ring & index finger over there & rarely take the thumb beyond the D string.

    So my question is, is there an advantage to doing what you do here or would you say it’s fine either way?

    Thanks a million.
    Gary

    • JoLa says

      Hi Gary! I have also noticed some players do that while playing fingerstyle on an electric guitar (ex. Mark Knopfler, John Mayer). I’m pretty sure one of the reasons is to mute any unwanted strings. It also helps with dynamics of the solo notes.

    • Mark H says

      Absolutely you can use your thumb to pick on the treble side of the neck. Your namesake, the great Rev. Gary Davis, had this signature lick going on which came to be known as the ‘syncopated lick’. This is where he picks out a lick that sounds like a marching band, often around an E9 chord halfway up the neck on the treble side. It would be impossible to play without interjecting his thumb to pick out specific melody notes. It took me a lot of painstaking practice to get it.

      Treble thumb picking also gets used in 5 string clawhammer banjo, it’s called ‘drop thumb technique’ and is considered pretty hard to do. It sounds great . I’m still working on it, in my usual haphazard banjo manner.

  47. Paris w says

    hi from Oz

    Man so cool, really helps me learn how to switch it up when playing the 1 4 5.

    Also I just completed a course re mixing the major minor with another website but there was no mention of mixing the pattern shape 2’s so much appreciated

  48. Bruce G says

    Brian—these past 3 lessons: 435, 436, 437 have been great for me! In fact, I’m continuing to work across all three to put the pentatonics together with the application of them. Lots more to do, but putting these together has been awesome.

    Oh—and on 435 you asked if we are interested in exploring the major/minor pentatonic boxes right around the 12th fret—YES! Keep it coming! Would love to connect what you’ve taught for BB King to other styles as well (eg country/Leonard Skynard…)

    • Bruce G says

      One more request…. You introduce a ton of licks and “ideas” in these lessons. I would love to hear how to keep track/integrate/think about acquiring licks… LIck library if you will…

      I’m staying away from the word “memorize”….I’ve seen other discussions around thinking about licks like a language—phrases, words—that you then apply to convey a thought… Interesting… Would love to hear your take on this…

      • David LC says

        Bruce G,
        You raise an interesting thought. For what it is worth here is what I do.
        I try to blend what Brian shows us with the tunes playing in my head. Some people may say I have way too much playing in my head but I’ve never been very good at memorizing licks, note for note, or guitar standards but I try to learn the musical concepts, including scales (take your pick), patterns, tunes, the stuff you refer to as language, mix it all together into my guitar “style”. It’s music.
        David C

  49. Glenn says

    Brian, this is the best intro lesson on the pentatonics I have seen. Crystal clear presentation. BTW, I see that others are commenting on your midweek shorts, but I can;t find them. Somebody help?

  50. Kurt P says

    Brian would you do a lesson on I’ll fly away?
    My wife would love it if I could learn that song . Also I think it would give me something to really focus on because I am kinda all over the place. I feel I need a break through.

    Thank you.

  54. alfred c says

    Feedback on the new format: I approve.
    The latest lessons do put more emphasis on the student learning and listening and the tabs and the sheet music (all good things), rather than just following along, but, the Soundslice playback interface is excellent and allows for personal deep dives where required on riffs and theory. This will probably be painful at first but will ultimately help develop an ear as well.

    I find I use the keyboard shortcuts a lot now, rather than grabbing the mouse with my picking hand. Better, but I wonder if I’m missing some shortcut keys for the Soundslice interface, etc.?

  55. James S says

    Great lesson, Brian. That was gold the BB lick at then end when you ran down the minor pentatonic but then threw in the six from the major instead of the seven on the fourth string.

    One comment/question I hope you’ll address in a future lesson: I’ve always heard that you need to be careful playing the major pentatonic over the four chord, because the major third of the key (in this case E) clashes with both the one of the four chord (F) and the seven of the four chord (D sharp).

    Thanks again!

  59. DouglasAlaskaDad says

    Dude, this one is a game changer. It’s one thing to have some lightbulbs going on when I watch these videos but it’s entirely another when you show how to connect it ALL together across the entire fretboard. Right on Brian. Top shelf stuff man.

  61. john m says

    I love this channel. Learn a new blues composition each week. At first I was wishing there would be a compressed version that just taught the song too. But it forced me to really learn. And now at about the year mark, I go through the lesson and then make myself learn it from the flow walk through. So it gives the lesson and builds my ear a bit. In a few months I’ll move into the tab. I read music from playing trumpet and piano but have never read tab. Just curious as to whether I’m doing this all backwards somehow. Is this a normal progression?

  62. Craig H says

    Hi there
    Unless I’m wrong the major pentatonic scale doesn’t include the note that matches the four chord in the same way that the minor does. Am I right? What do you do about that? Thanks

  63. Robert M says

    Wow…..getting very complicated here. One of my biggest problems is playing clean, that is making every note come out crystal clear. You do that effortlessly. Surely you can step back and give us some help on this subject as it relates to action, tuning, string gauge, and practice techniques, etc.

    • Mark H says

      Larry, it’s a straight 12 bar blues with respect to how many bars the verse occupies, and also where the changes are.

      But… I don’t know if you know this but there are actually two common variations on the 12 bar. This one changes to the IV chord (F) in the second bar, for 1 bar, before going back to the I chord (C) for 3 more bars. Many other 12 bar songs do not do this; they hang on doggedly to the I chord (C) for four whole bars before the first change to the IV chord. Both forms are very common.

      Also, this is a jazzy blues. There are a lot of chord voicings, alterations and licks that ‘imply’ the I, IV and V but don’t directly spell them out. This can be another source of confusion. You will come to love the ‘implied note/chord’ thing over time, it’s adds a lot of interest. It’s been around forever, you hear it a lot in really early acoustic country blues.

      I recommend counting the four beats in each bar as the tab plays to get a feel for the changes.

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