Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play up the neck of the guitar (starting lower and working up to higher notes) by targeting the root note within the Minor Pentatonic scale patterns
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Awesome lesson. Good learning take aways.
This is a great tool to have under your fingers! For me position 4 and 5 need the most work. Thanks Brian
cool
Thank You! This is something I have always wanted to know. I knew the fingering was the key, just not sure what the best method was. This is huge.
This is really useful information on key details for shifting positions. You don’t get that from tabs. Same goes for efficient picking patterns.
good lesson on learning the fingerboard
Excellent Lesson Once Again.I have been playing for many years.This is the best instruction that I have seen anywhere.Anyone who really wants to to learn to play, spend your time here! Best Regards!
Very cool! Very helpful learning to target all the way up the neck! BTW -loved those chromatic notes to add color!
Ron S.
Great Lesson, more please.
Thanks Brian. I can really see the fretboard opening up. How about the same thing with Major Pentatonics ? As you have many lessons on combining Major and Minor the possibilities would be endless.
Mind opening lesson. For shure it will make things easier on the fretboard… I never thought about this specific way of connecting the patterns but it’s very easy and cool.
Thanks Brian. Your guitar sound is great!!!
This is great I have a few exercises I practice playing between the positions but this puts it together really well.
Instinctively, however, I keep asking myself: what about the IV and the V, the entire piece is in the I. How to add sections for the IV and the V?
I think playing different scales would be a bit brute forcing it in this context.
What would make more sense is playing in the key of the song – G minor pentatonic, but targeting the IV and the V in those sections, in effect, playing in modes.
Probably a bit challenging for me to write such a composition but useful for me to think my way through this.
Hi Charles,
Not sure if this will be helpful but when I’m trying to quickly figure out lead ideas I often use a resource called ChordPulse.
There’s a free version available online (I used it enough to warrant buying the full version but you can do a fair bit in the free one). It enables me to construct simple chord progressions (like a 12 bar blues) very quickly.
You can alter tempo, shuffle feel, loop sections, adjust the volume of the drums, bass and guitar, change key etc. It provides a quick backing for trying things out. The backing tracks are simple and get a bit repetitive, but as a basic tool it works well. For example, if you wanted to work specifically on licks around the IV chord, you could just loop that section.
Using this, you could then test out some of those G minor pentatonic licks over the IV and V chords. Try them over minor and major versions. Dominant seventh versions etc.
Work on turnarounds etc.
It really helps to have some harmonic context when figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
You can do a similar thing with a looper pedal (or recording yourself on some device), but ChordPulse has the benefit of providing visual cues for where a chord change is occurring, plus the metronomic timing of the backing is guaranteed. Plus it’s free. I own a looper, but often find ChordPulse is quicker to set up and use.
You could also think of it as a sketchpad for moving towards creating your own compositions. Hope that helps.
Much appreciated Brian, excellent lesson 🙂
This is a great practical lesson for concentrating on fluid movement between the five patterns and targeting that root note. I can see myself expanding this to consider rapid targeting of the fourth and fifth. Good to work on the ‘not looking’ skill too…
Perfect!
SF
ML150 Hand position shifting summary:
On the first shift from Pattern #1 to #2, it is just a whole step slide to next root note on 2nd string, so this is not hard at all as long as you stretch out the ring finger to reach over a minor 3rd (3 frets) to start with.
To move from pattern #2 to pattern #3, the lick needs to end with a slide of first finger into root note. There are many possible licks to do this.
To move from #3 to #4, Brian switches to middle finger on the b7 and slides up a whole step to the root. That switch to the middle finger makes it very easy to climb up into the sweet spot of pattern #4 for bending that 4th up to a 5th note, so it’s an important detail.
Same concept to move from #4 to #5 by sliding first finger into the root note. I noticed that Brian played a sort of ghost note (b7) to root note, but it would work even if you played the b7 and slide up to the root. With first finger on root, it’s very easy to play the top part of pattern #5.
The transition slide from #5 to #1 is identical to the one used in pattern #1 to #2, only it starts on the 3rd string root and ends on the 4th string root.
So useful !!!
One of your best lessons ever!
Thanks Brian, this is a great lesson on how to play up and down the neck with Pentatonic scales. And thanks for the cheat sheet, that is a great visualization tool.
Thanks, Brian. Great lesson.
Can you link the info in ML121 to this lesson on pentatonic hand positions??
On the Cheat Sheet, are the Shapes (E-Shape, C-Shape…) really correct, why, i cannot see the Shapes in it.
Ivan, the E-Shape has root notes on 6th, 4th, and 1st strings. When you play an Em barre chord it fits perfectly into pattern #1. For the major E major barre chord, that fits directly into pattern #2.
The C-Shape for minor pentatonic is 100% pattern #3 with root notes on 5th and 2nd strings. What you are noticing is difference in minor chord shape shown here, and the major C-Shape which is actually in pattern #4. Brian and many other teachers of CAGED just say C-Shape interchangeably for both major and minor shapes. It is assumed that you understand that those two shapes do not look the same when the 3rd is flatted for minor shapes.
This is one of the reasons that the CAGED system can be a little confusing, if you don’t actually know your chord shapes well. Just find the 3rd interval for each chord and you will see that the minor shapes all have a b3 (flat 3) and the major shapes have a M3 (major 3rd). I wish Brian would put the interval number in the dots of each diagram so you can clearly see the intervals.
Minor pentatonic is always going to be 1-b3-4-5-b7 (no 2 or 6)
Major pentatonic is always going to be 1-2-3-5-6 (no 4 or 7)
Hi Ivan,
As Michael explains, these are the minor chord versions of CAGED. The minor versions aren’t quite as intuitive as the major and are mentioned less often. Think of an ordinary open Em cowboy chord, an open Am and an open Dm – those are all ‘easy’ to see (and move around). The C and G aren’t common cowboy chord shapes in their minor version – so they’re less easy to see. You can see them more clearly as basic triads. Or you can work them out as arpeggios.
Brian did an excellent 5 week mini-series on CAGED which covered all of this with some brilliant cheat sheets. I think it starts with the C shape (Episode 556). Those cheat sheets will show you where the minor and major triad is in each shape, which scale patterns relate (Major, Major pentatonic, Natural Minor, Minor Pentatonic, Mixolydian) as well as common arpeggios. Well worth working through and keeping as reference.
Hope that helps.
Just a quick add:
I’ve noted that in the cheat sheets from the CAGED mini-series (ep556 – 560) Brian does label certain scale patterns the ‘C shape’ pattern and the ‘E shape pattern’…and so on.
For example, he shows an E major chord in the C shape and then shows an E major scale and a major pentatonic scale corresponding to that C shape chord and calls both the ‘C shape’.
He then shows a minor E chord shape and the corresponding natural minor and minor pentatonic scales…both of which get labelled ‘the C shape’.
What’s the problem?
Well, this means the ‘C shape’, out of context, does not relate to any particular pattern shape. Think about that…
If I said, ‘I’m playing the C shape pentatonic’, what scale am I playing?
The major pentatonic? The minor? I would need to state, ‘I’m playing the C shape of the minor pentatonic or the C shape of the major pentatonic’. These would refer to different scale patterns. Add to that the fact that, in this naming system, there are also C shape Mixolydian patterns, C shape Dorian patterns, C shape Melodic Minor patterns…etc. ….all different.
To my mind this can lead to more confusion than is necessary.
It may not be confusing to the player (who has learnt the system well) but it can be confusing when trying to teach or explain something to another player.
The CAGED shapes and the patterns relate but they are separate. One is chord shapes – the other is scale patterns. It seems much clearer, to me, to call the pattern shapes by a different name (e.g. to number them 1-5 in a 5 pattern system.).
Instead of saying ‘I’m playing the C shape of the minor pentatonic’, I’d say ‘I’m playing pattern 3 of the minor pentatonic’.
So, the major C shape of CAGED can relate to pattern 4 of the major scale and pattern 4 of the major pentatonic. The dominant 7 C shape can relate to pattern 2 of the Mixolydian Scale. The minor C shape can relate to pattern 3 of the Natural Minor scale and pattern 3 of the minor pentatonic.
I say ‘can’ relate because the scale you choose to play over a respective chord is not limited to the pentatonic of that chord.
You may, to take a relatively simple example, want to play an A major pentatonic over an E chord in the C shape. Playing in the same area of the fretboard you could play ‘out of pentatonic pattern 2’. Clear and simple to explain. Pattern 2 is always pattern 2 – always the same shape.
Using our confused naming system you would presumably have to say something like, ‘I’m playing the E shape of the major pentatonic of A over the (major) C shape of the E ….’ Not very clear…
Unfortunately, trying to explain this in writing isn’t the easiest, but hopefully what I’m saying makes sense to somebody and is helpful…
really super helpful. knowing the scales without understanding how to link them together is so limiting. your method of linking is really easy to follow.
thanks
A useful way to view the fretboard.
I have been really working on the Caged System and Positions and this really brings it together for me. Thank You!
I want to make a rhythm track for this with chords bass and drums. Should I just vamp on a G major chord or use the 1 4 and 5 chords. There are no chords in the notation.
You could play just a G, you could play a 1-4-5 (G, C, and D), or you could even play Gm, Cm, and Dm – basically any chords in the G family
Great lesson Brian. I’m thinking that you also could use these finger positions to switch from minor to major or major to minor pentatonic. Pointer on the root note=major. Ring finger on the root note=minor.
For major pentatonic the root notes stay the same. The patterns switch to the higher pattern #. So for G major, you could start in pattern #2 using the same first finger on the root at fret 3. Then slide up to the E note in pattern #3 with the first finger and play the root note on your pinky or ring finger. Now you are in pattern #3 major pentatonic.
To go from #3 to #4. Same second finger slide from D to E then first finger on G note.
Going from #4 to #5. Same slide with first finger on D to E. Puts you in pattern #5.
#5 to #1 ring finger to D note on 4th string 12th fret and slide up to 14th fret and play 12th fret G.
The key is to always be aware where the root notes are at no matter which position you are in.
Very nice and handy 👍🎸😊
Really great lesson. I love when the exercise is hidden into musical and fun to play songs. Loving this one!
This is stunning!
What a brilliant way to practice.
Many thanks Brian.
A series would be excellant
Hi and thank you Brian. This really helped me connect the dots. I know the scales but by concentrating on the root notes it made something click in my head. Moving between the scales is much easier now!
Can’t get the tab page to fit on print out
Great lesson – I would love to see a lesson like this geared toward acoustic guitar. One that didn’t go as far up the fretboard that I cannot get to.
Brian this is brilliant. Would love a lesson on the same thing for Major Pentatonic.
Great lesson Brian, but I’m a bit confused with your cheat sheet shape names. Everything else I have seen calls your Pattern 1 (“E Shape”) ➡︎Pattern 1 (G Shape); your Pattern 2 (“D Shape”) ➡︎Pattern 2 (E Shape); your Pattern 3 (“C Shape”) ➡︎Pattern 3 (D Shape); your Pattern 4 (“A Shape”) ➡︎Pattern 4 (C Shape) and Your Pattern 5 (“G Shape”) ➡︎ Pattern 5 (A Shape).
you’re thinking of the MAJOR pentatonic scale – this lesson is about the MINOR pentatonic scale.
Excellent map for moving around between pentatonics. For me going from pointer to ring finger the whole way works best. How about your 1 or 2 GO TO licks for each position?
Cheers
👏
It’s amazing how you can take something I already know and make me see it a hundred times clearer! Great lesson, Brian . Keep em coming . I used this technique playing roadhouse blues in E and it worked perfectly. !
I’m curious to know if you think about octaves when you’re learning the fretboard. Bells go off when you do a video like this. It seems to me that there are many ways to get around the fretboard and octaves appeal to me.
I recently downloaded the cheat sheets available in ML135 for the Minor and MAJOR Pentatonic Patterns and Shapes and noted that the letters for the MAJOR Pentatonic Shapes don’t correspond to the same Pattern numbers as they do on the Minor Pentatonic cheat sheet. i.e. Pattern 2 (D Shape) on the Minor sheet appears as Pattern2 (E Shape) on the MAJOR Sheet, etc. I’ve changed the Shape designations on the Major sheet so it’s not a big deal, but thought you might want to check it out it. Thanks.
I GOT SORT OF CONFUSED IN THE 5 BOXES,SO I TURNED BACK TO LESSON EP 436.I THINK IT MIGHT HELP THOSE WHO WERE AS”DUMB”AS ME.THANK YOU SO MUCH BRIAN.
DOM
I love this lesson…Thank You
I love the emphasis on fingering in this lesson: landing on the G note up the neck (the root) and then adjusting your fingering so you can see where you are before playing a lick in the minor pentatonic. I can orient myself by finding the root, but its the other chord tones (3rd, 5th, flat7) that I usually just find by ear. How about a fingering micro lesson where you land on some other tones besides the root? Thanks
differently one of you best lessons I Like It
Great lesson for learning,, I always print out the cheat sheet and found writing the lesson number on the top really helps when I want to go back to it. Thanks
Great lesson! Thank you for all the work that goes into this.
This really helps – I’ve been noodling around shifting between the pentatonic shapes, but awkwardly bumping my fingers around. This is a great roadmap to avoid that.
Excellent exercise to play a few times a day and it becomes instinctive. Nice!
Brilliant!!! Again!!! It’s not just your ideas, it’s also your methodology for teaching that is totally amazing. Thank you for everything you do Brian. You have helped me more than any other teacher in my guitar journey, color me grateful. 😊
Brilliant! Just what I was looking for – Pure Gold!!
very practical, i love it!
Brian, Great stuff. This really helps with mastering the fretboard and pattern position without a lot of thinking. Your challenge of getting comfortable with the G note and then move on to the C note makes sense. In context of a I, IV, V 12 bar blues progression , and obviously mastering the D note position, would this be the start of playing the changes? Playing licks in each note position and shifting at the proper time to the next note seems to be the brass ring we all want. I go to a blues jam every week to watch and admire. The real good players do just what you said, they are barely watching their fingers. I know you’ve done lessons on making the changes but this hits at it a little different way. I hope I’m on the right track in my thinking. Thanks for all that you do. Dave
Brian, thankyou for this lesson.
Wow, what a great sounding way to connect the pentatonic shapes together. This one really made the shapes up and down the neck click for me. Thanks Brian.
Your explanation of finger placement as you change pentatonic shape is great! It will help me greatly. I never could figure that out even though it seems very obvious once you explained it. Thank you!
Much more useful/practical than memorizing all 5 full pent positions, imo. That said, this is still challenging, especially if you learn this method for both maj/min pentatonics. Thanks, as always, Brian!