The Pentatonic Scale
When to read this: Session 16 assigns this handout. Read it after the session: the reading is not part of the session’s 50 minutes. Read “What You’ll Learn” and “The Concept Explained”, then answer the “Quick Quiz” (about 10 minutes). The last part of “The Concept Explained”, headed “Going Further: Why It Is Called “Minor” (Optional)”, can wait.
What You’ll Learn
Section titled “What You’ll Learn”The pentatonic scale is a five-note scale (from Greek: “penta” = five, “tonic” = tone) that is the most widely used scale in rock, blues, pop, and folk music worldwide — including both Western rock and Indian classical music. This handout explains how the pentatonic scale is built, why it sounds so good, and teaches you the A minor pentatonic scale in open position on your guitar, which you will first play in Session 16.
The Concept Explained
Section titled “The Concept Explained”Five Notes, Infinite Possibilities
Section titled “Five Notes, Infinite Possibilities”The major scale has seven notes. The pentatonic scale takes that concept and strips it down to just five. It leaves out two notes of the seven-note scale, the two that sit a half step from a neighbour and create the most tension. In the C major scale these are the 4th and 7th notes, F and B (F is a half step above E, and B is a half step below C). The five notes that remain produce a sound that is naturally pleasing and nearly impossible to make sound bad. Every note “works” over the chords.
This is why the pentatonic scale is the go-to scale for soloing, improvisation, and melody writing — especially for beginners. It is forgiving and musical right from the start.
Minor Pentatonic vs Major Pentatonic
Section titled “Minor Pentatonic vs Major Pentatonic”There are two versions of the pentatonic scale:
Minor pentatonic — darker, bluesier, used in rock, metal, and blues. This is the version you will learn first.
Major pentatonic — brighter, used in country, pop, and some folk. C major pentatonic (C D E G A) uses the same five notes as A minor pentatonic, starting from C instead of A.
In this course, you focus on the minor pentatonic because it fits perfectly over the rock and blues music in your repertoire (Nirvana, Black Sabbath).
Building the Am Pentatonic Scale
Section titled “Building the Am Pentatonic Scale”Start from the scale you already know from Session 14, C major: C - D - E - F - G - A - B. Take the C major scale, leave out F and B, and start on A. Five notes are left:
| Note | Distance above A |
|---|---|
| A (the home note, called the root) | — |
| C | 3 half steps (3 frets) |
| D | 5 half steps (5 frets) |
| E | 7 half steps (7 frets) |
| G | 10 half steps (10 frets) |
The Am (A minor) pentatonic: A - C - D - E - G
F and B are the two notes of the C major scale that can create unwanted dissonance (clashing sounds) when soloing. Remove them, and everything left sounds good.
Why Am Pentatonic?
Section titled “Why Am Pentatonic?”Am pentatonic is the most common starting key for rock guitar soloing because:
- It uses open strings (A and E are open strings on your guitar)
- It sits in open position (the open strings plus frets 1 to 3)
- Nearly every classic rock riff uses these five notes
- It works over Am, C, G, D, and Em chord progressions — all chords you know from this course
The Box Pattern
Section titled “The Box Pattern”On the guitar, scales are often learned as fixed shapes on the fretboard that your fingers memorise. Guitarists call the pentatonic shapes “boxes”: there are five of them, and together they cover the whole neck. This course teaches one of the five, the shape in open position, where five of the twelve notes are open strings.
The Pentatonic Scale in Different Traditions
Section titled “The Pentatonic Scale in Different Traditions”The five-note pentatonic framework appears in music traditions worldwide. In Indian classical music, many ragas are based on pentatonic structures (five-note “audava” ragas).
Going Further: Why It Is Called “Minor” (Optional)
Section titled “Going Further: Why It Is Called “Minor” (Optional)”You do not need this part to play the scale. It explains the names you will meet in other guitar books.
The A natural minor scale is A B C D E F G: the same notes as C major, starting from A. Counted from A in that scale, the five pentatonic notes are the 1st (A), 3rd (C), 4th (D), 5th (E) and 7th (G), and the two notes left out are the 2nd (B) and the 6th (F). These are the same two notes as “the 4th and 7th of C major” above: F and B. Only the note you start counting from has changed.
Books often call the C a “minor 3rd” (written b3) and the G a “minor 7th” (written b7), because each is one fret lower than the 3rd and the 7th of the A major scale. The minor 3rd is what makes the scale sound minor.
On Your Guitar
Section titled “On Your Guitar”Exercise 1: Am Pentatonic — Open Position
Section titled “Exercise 1: Am Pentatonic — Open Position”This is the most important scale pattern you will learn. It uses the open strings and frets 1 to 3 on all six strings. Going up there are twelve notes, from string 6 to string 1:
A minor pentatonic, open position: ascending (twelve notes) e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------0---3---| B|----------------------|-------------------|---1---3-----------| G|----------------------|-----------0---2---|-------------------| D|----------------------|---0---2-----------|-------------------| A|--------------0---3---|-------------------|-------------------| E|------0---3-----------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Finger: - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 1 3 - 3 Notes: E G A C D E G A C D E G
Note-by-note with fingering (fret 1 = finger 1, fret 2 = finger 2, fret 3 = finger 3):
| String | Fret | Finger | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | open | E |
| 6 | 3 | 3 (ring) | G |
| 5 | 0 | open | A (root) |
| 5 | 3 | 3 (ring) | C |
| 4 | 0 | open | D |
| 4 | 2 | 2 (middle) | E |
| 3 | 0 | open | G |
| 3 | 2 | 2 (middle) | A (root, one octave higher) |
| 2 | 1 | 1 (index) | C |
| 2 | 3 | 3 (ring) | D |
| 1 | 0 | open | E |
| 1 | 3 | 3 (ring) | G |
String 2 is never played open in this scale: the open string is B, which is not one of the five notes. Notice also that the pattern starts on E, the lowest note on your guitar, not on A. The root A comes third.
Coming down, the top G is played once, so there are eleven notes, and the last E lasts two beats:
A minor pentatonic, open position: descending (eleven notes) e|------0---------------|-------------------|---------------| B|----------3---1-------|-------------------|---------------| G|------------------2---|---0---------------|---------------| D|----------------------|-------2---0-------|---------------| A|----------------------|---------------3---|---0-----------| E|----------------------|-------------------|-------3---0---| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 Finger: - 3 1 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - Notes: E D C A G E D C A G E
Play ascending (string 6 to string 1), then descending. Say the notes aloud as you go up: “E, G, A, C, D, E, G, A, C, D, E, G”.
Start at 40 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes): that is the count shown under the TAB. Raise the metronome 5 BPM at a time, and only after three clean runs in a row. Aim for even volume on every note.
Exercise 2: Four Notes on Strings 5 and 4
Section titled “Exercise 2: Four Notes on Strings 5 and 4”Start with just four notes on two strings:
e|----------------------| B|----------------------| G|----------------------| D|--------------0---2---| A|------0---3-----------| E|----------------------| Notes: A C D E
Play: A (string 5 open) → C (string 5, fret 3) → D (string 4 open) → E (string 4, fret 2)
Say the note names as you play. These four notes alone can create a recognisable melody. Try playing them in different orders — A-C-D-E, E-D-C-A, A-D-E-C — and notice how each order creates a different musical phrase.
Exercise 3: Simple Pentatonic Riff
Section titled “Exercise 3: Simple Pentatonic Riff”Here is a short riff using the Am pentatonic scale. This kind of phrase appears in countless rock songs:
e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|------------------0---|---2---0-----------| D|----------0---2-------|-----------0---2---| A|------0---------------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Notes: A D E G A G D E
Play slowly, one note at a time. Every fretted note in this riff is at fret 2: use finger 2 (middle). Once it is smooth, play it with the metronome at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes).
Exercise 4: Pentatonic Call and Response
Section titled “Exercise 4: Pentatonic Call and Response”This exercise prepares you for improvisation (Session 22). Play the “call” phrase, then play the “response”:
Call:
e|----------------------| B|----------------------| G|------0---2---0-------| D|----------------------| A|----------------------| E|----------------------| Count: 1 2 3 (4) Notes: G A G
Response:
e|----------------------| B|----------------------| G|----------------------| D|------0---2---0-------| A|----------------------| E|----------------------| Count: 1 2 3 (4) Notes: D E D
Each phrase has three notes, on beats 1, 2 and 3. Beat 4 is in brackets: play nothing new and let the third note ring through it.
The call uses string 3 (G and A notes), the response uses string 4 (D and E notes). Same rhythm, different strings, different mood. This is the beginning of musical conversation — one phrase asks, the other answers.
Exercise 5: Full Scale with Hammer-Ons (Session 16+)
Section titled “Exercise 5: Full Scale with Hammer-Ons (Session 16+)”Once you have learned hammer-ons in Session 16, play the scale with this technique for a smoother, more connected sound. On each string, pick the lower note and hammer the higher one:
A minor pentatonic with hammer-ons, going up e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------0---h3--| B|----------------------|-------------------|---1---h3----------| G|----------------------|-----------0---h2--|-------------------| D|----------------------|---0---h2----------|-------------------| A|--------------0---h3--|-------------------|-------------------| E|------0---h3----------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D D D D D D Notes: E G A C D E G A C D E G
“0---h3” (written tightly, 0h3) means: pick the open string, then bring the tip of finger 3 down quickly from just above the string, landing just behind the fret wire at fret 3, without picking again. The hammered note should be clearly audible. On an acoustic guitar it will be a little quieter than a picked note, and that is correct.
On string 2 the hammer-on is 1---h3 (written tightly, 1h3): hold fret 1 with finger 1, pick the string, then hammer finger 3 onto fret 3.
This creates a fluid, legato (smoothly connected) feel that is central to rock and blues phrasing.
Quick Quiz
Section titled “Quick Quiz”1. How many notes does the pentatonic scale contain?
2. What are the five notes in the Am pentatonic scale?
3. Which two notes of the C major scale does the Am pentatonic scale leave out?
4. Why is the pentatonic scale considered a good scale for beginners to improvise with?
5. What is a “box” when guitarists talk about pentatonic scales?
Answers
Section titled “Answers”- Five notes (penta = five).
- A - C - D - E - G.
- F and B.
- Because all five notes sound good over common chord progressions — it is almost impossible to play a “wrong” note with the pentatonic scale.
- One of five fingering shapes that together cover the whole neck. This course teaches the one in open position.
Key Takeaway
Section titled “Key Takeaway”The Am pentatonic scale has five notes — A, C, D, E and G: the C major scale without F and B, starting on A — and is the most versatile scale for rock, blues, and improvisation. On your guitar, the open-position pattern uses the open strings and frets 1 to 3 on all six strings; on string 2 the notes are at frets 1 and 3, never the open string. Master this one pattern and you have the raw material for soloing over nearly every song in this course.