Learning to play guitar?

 

You may as well start with the King. Tips and ideas to help you learn the Pentatonic Scales faster

They say that the pentatonic scale is the king of the scales. It is certainly one of the most prevalent in the world of guitar playing and is used across a range of styles and genres such as the Blues, Jazz and Rock.

If you wanted to hear a simple rendition of the Pentatonic scale try playing or listening to the song “Lyla” by Eric Clapton.

You would probably know by now about scales in general and why they are so important, but in case you didn’t let me reiterate the facts. Guitar scales are a sequence of notes that feature to a wider or lesser degree in set combinations.

I would describe them as building stones for a musical piece. And whilst they are often learnt only by [private_bronze] ear, received wisdom is that it is better to learn to read them as this provides versatility and depth. Let me repeat this – I can assure you that although you may get good results by playing through hearing only, one day you will discover the world of written notes and regret all those years in which you could have developed your music reading skills.

One of the best places to see very knowledgeable people play the Pentatonic scales is online, and in particular places like youtube. They may not all be famous enough to be on guitar posters but they are generally adept at what they do and I will hazard to say that you will gain value by watching some of them play.

Indeed I would also say that you should learn guitar online as a viable option to getting you to where you want to be. Learning to play online has many advantages – its cheaper, you can do it at your own time and you can zoom in, rewind and pause.

As you get a little more advanced you will probably attempt to play songs that have both Major and Minor Pentatonic scales in them. The difference between these two is one of the most intriguing parts of the Pentatonic Scale, and that’s because they can sound remarkably similar to each other. What is more confusing is the fact that the fretboard patterns are the same for both these sequences.

So what is the difference I hear you ask? Without getting overly technical and reiventing all your learning modes, the difference is dependent on which root you start with, which in turn depends on which chord or progression you’ve started with.

Different roots thus determine whether you are playing the major or minor Pentatonic scale. Another difference is that the minor scale has a flattened 3rd interval. Even without much note reading and music theory you would be able to tell the difference as the minor scale sounds more darkly melancholic, the major lighter and happier.

Some examples of the latter are “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynryd Skinner and “All Right Now” by Free. If you wanted to compare this to the Minor try listening to Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Whilst most beginners concentrate on the minor due to its greater ease, I would definitely recommend that you pursue both as it will give you the depth and insight you desire when playing this wonderful instrument. [/private_bronze]