Posts Tagged ‘Pentatonic scale’

Yesterday I posted this video lesson about 3NPS Pentatonic so today I wanted to share the 5 shapes/fingerings. I hope you understand the process of how to build these and how to use them (again, watch the video if you don't). Good Luck.

I have always been inspired by lines played by funk sax players like Sanborn, Marienthal o Brecker, lines which are unique because of the characteristics of the instrument to produce the same note with two different fingerings (but this is possible on the guitar,too), together with their aggressive feel and a bluesy approach (= pentatonis, bends…). In this post you will find the fingerings for pentatonic scale three notes per string in position (to get the “false fingering” feel) and three notes per string trough the neck, to get fast and smooth lines.

Basic Pentatonic stuff

I will not get too much into pentatonics as you can find stuff all over the net. Too

much has been said and done on the famous ‘pentatonic box’…As I say in the video, a

major pentatonic is a major scale without the 4thand 7th degree.

So C major pentatonic is: C D E G A

These are the 5 positions for the major pentatonic, in the example in G major (but

valid for all keys). Of course, remember that if you start from the 6th (the 5th note of the

pentatonic – also ‘box’ N.5) you will have the relative minor. In the example in G the

minor pentatonic will be E, just like E minor is the relative minor of a G major scale.

The last box at the bottom right is the famous ‘blues scale’…a minor pentatonic with an

added b5. Try and learn them just like we did for the major scale…all keys, down every

single string, from lowest note to highest note on the fretboard and so on. Find the ’5 boxes’ position fingerings below:

Printable PDF: Pentatonic Fingerings