Minor and Pentatonic Scales
When to read this: after Session 4, “The A Natural Minor Scale”, “Relative Major and Minor”, “The Pentatonic Pair” (10 minutes); after Session 23, “The Blues Scale” (5 minutes). None of this reading is part of a session’s 50 minutes.
What You’ll Learn
Section titled “What You’ll Learn”This handout covers the A natural minor scale of Session 2, relative major and minor, the pentatonic pair of Session 4, and the blues scale of Session 23.
You read it in two parts, one after Session 4 and one after Session 23. The line at the top of this page names the sections of each part.
Every section below ends with the questions for your theory cards.
Each scale block here is a copy for reading and naming; you play from one only where a section says so. Its tempo and its daily minutes are those of its session and of the week’s row.
The A Natural Minor Scale
Section titled “The A Natural Minor Scale”-
Natural minor scale (natural minor) — A seven-note scale following the pattern: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. It has the notes of the major scale that starts three frets higher: A natural minor is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, the notes of C major from A. (Session 2)
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Home note — The note a tune keeps coming back to and comes to rest on. The tune of Beginner Session 14 uses the notes of the C major scale but keeps coming back to A, so its home note is A (a scale that starts from A with these same notes is called A minor). (Session 4)
Copy of Session 2: A natural minor scale, one octave, open position
A natural minor scale, one octave, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|----------------------|-----------0---2---| D|------------------0---|---2---3-----------| A|------0---2---3-------|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U Finger: - 2 3 - 2 3 - 2 Notes: A B C D E F G A e|----------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------| G|------0---------------|-------------------| D|----------3---2---0---|-------------------| A|----------------------|---3---2---0-------| E|----------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 (4) Pick: D U D U D U D Finger: - 3 2 - 3 2 - Notes: G F E D C B A
A natural minor scale, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top A is played once. The last A lasts two beats: let it ring while you count (4).
In a scale or an arpeggio the pick alternates on every note, down then up, whatever the count: in quarter notes an upstroke falls on counts 2 and 4. In a tune the pick follows the count: down on the numbers, up on the &s.
The table gives the seven steps of the scale going up: the size of the step from each note to the next.
| Step | From | To | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | B | whole |
| 2 | B | C | half |
| 3 | C | D | whole |
| 4 | D | E | whole |
| 5 | E | F | half |
| 6 | F | G | whole |
| 7 | G | A | whole |
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What is the pattern of whole and half steps of a natural minor scale? Answer: Whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole.
- What are the eight notes of the A natural minor scale going up? Answer: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.
Relative Major and Minor
Section titled “Relative Major and Minor”A major scale and the natural minor scale that starts three frets below it have the same notes. They are called relative major and relative minor: G major and E minor, C major and A minor.
- Relative major and minor — A major scale and a natural minor scale that have the same notes and different home notes: G major and E natural minor. The minor’s home note is three frets below the major’s. (Session 4)
The table gives the notes of one pair, C major and A natural minor.
| Major scale | Its notes | Relative minor | Its notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C D E F G A B | A natural minor | A B C D E F G |
The second pair, G major and E minor (the E natural minor scale), has no row here: the G major scale and its F sharp are taught in Session 7, and the notes of the pair are in Keys And Their Chords, the section “The Key of G” (read after Session 7).
The home note tells C major and A natural minor apart: the same seven notes come to rest on C or on A.
On your guitar: with no metronome, play the A natural minor scale of Session 2 once, from memory or from the block under “The A Natural Minor Scale”, at the top of this handout. Then play the C major scale (Beginner Session 14) once from memory. After each, say the note it comes to rest on: A for the first, C for the second.
Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What do a relative major and its relative minor share, and where do they differ? Answer: They have the same notes and different home notes.
- What is the relative minor of C major, and of G major? Answer: A minor for C major, and E minor for G major.
- How many frets below the major’s home note does the relative minor’s home note lie? Answer: Three frets.
The Pentatonic Pair
Section titled “The Pentatonic Pair”- Major pentatonic scale — A five-note scale: a major scale without its fourth and seventh notes. G major pentatonic is G, A, B, D, E, the same five notes as E minor pentatonic with G as the home note. (Session 4)
Copy of Session 4: E minor pentatonic, two octaves, open position
E minor pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------0-------| B|----------------------|-------------------|---0---3-------3---| G|----------------------|-----------0---2---|-------------------| D|----------------------|---0---2-----------|-------------------| A|--------------0---2---|-------------------|-------------------| E|------0---3-----------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: - 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 Notes: E G A B D E G A B D E D e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|------0---------------|-------------------|-------------------| G|----------2---0-------|-------------------|-------------------| D|------------------2---|---0---------------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------2---0-------|-------------------| E|----------------------|---------------3---|---0---------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D U D U D U D U D Finger: - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - Notes: B A G E D B A G E
E minor pentatonic, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top E is played once. The last E lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
Copy of Session 4: G major pentatonic, two octaves, open position
G major pentatonic, two octaves, open position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-------0---3---0---| B|----------------------|---------------0---|---3---------------| G|----------------------|-------0---2-------|-------------------| D|------------------0---|---2---------------|-------------------| A|----------0---2-------|-------------------|-------------------| E|------3---------------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3 - Notes: G A B D E G A B D E G E e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|------3---0-----------|-------------------|-------------------| G|--------------2---0---|-------------------|-------------------| D|----------------------|---2---0-----------|-------------------| A|----------------------|-----------2---0---|-------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------|---3---------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D U D U D U D U D Finger: 3 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 3 Notes: D B A G E D B A G
G major pentatonic, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top G is played once. The last G lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
The table names each scale’s home note and its five notes.
| Name | Home note | Its five notes |
|---|---|---|
| E minor pentatonic | E | E G A B D |
| G major pentatonic | G | G A B D E |
The two blocks hold the same five notes, E G A B D, in the same twelve places: the run from E leaves out the top G, and the run from G leaves out the bottom E. E minor pentatonic starts and comes to rest on E, and G major pentatonic on G. E minor and G major are relative minor and major.
Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What are the five notes of E minor pentatonic? Answer: E, G, A, B, D.
- Which two notes of a major scale does its major pentatonic leave out, and what are the five notes of G major pentatonic? Answer: The fourth and the seventh. G major pentatonic is G, A, B, D, E.
- Which notes do E minor pentatonic and G major pentatonic share, and what is the home note of each? Answer: All five: E, G, A, B, D. The home note is E for E minor pentatonic and G for G major pentatonic.
The Blues Scale
Section titled “The Blues Scale”The blues scale is the minor pentatonic scale with one note added, one fret above its third note (in A: D). In A the added note is E flat (the same fret as D sharp), six frets above the home note.
- Blues scale — The minor pentatonic scale with one note added, one fret above its third note (in A: D). The A blues scale is A, C, D, E flat, E, G. (Session 23)
Copy of Session 23: A blues scale, two octaves, fifth position
A blues scale, two octaves, fifth position: up and down, quarter notes e|----------------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------|-----------5---8---| G|----------------------|---------------5---|---7---8-----------| D|----------------------|-------5---7-------|-------------------| A|--------------5---6---|---7---------------|-------------------| E|------5---8-----------|-------------------|-------------------| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: 1 4 1 2 3 1 3 1 3 4 1 4 Notes: A C D Eb E G A C D Eb E G e|------5---------------|-------------------|-------------------| B|----------8---5-------|-------------------|-------------------| G|------------------8---|---7---5-----------|-------------------| D|----------------------|-----------7---5---|-------------------| A|----------------------|-------------------|---7---6---5-------| E|----------------------|-------------------|---------------8---| Count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Pick: D U D U D U D U D U D U Finger: 1 4 1 4 3 1 3 1 3 2 1 4 Notes: A G E Eb D C A G E Eb D C e|----------------------| B|----------------------| G|----------------------| D|----------------------| A|----------------------| E|------5---------------| Count: 1 (2) (3) (4) Pick: D Finger: 1 Notes: A
A blues scale, in quarter notes: one note per click. The top A is played once. The last A lasts four beats: let it ring while you count (2) (3) (4).
This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.
The table gives the two places of the added note in fifth position.
| Note | String | Fret | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eb | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Eb | 3 | 8 | 4 (little finger) |
E flat is the same fret as D sharp: one fret with two names.
Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
On your guitar: with no metronome and your hand in fifth position, find each of the two E flats of the table, press it once with the finger the table gives and say its name, E flat. The line under the scale’s block says where the scale itself is played.
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- Which note does the A blues scale add to A minor pentatonic, and where does it lie from the home note? Answer: E flat, six frets above the home note.
- What are the six notes of the A blues scale? Answer: A, C, D, E flat, E, G.