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Learn a slow, blues guitar lead using the major pentatonic scale. EP260

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slow (B.B King inspired) lead in the key of F using the major pentatonic scale. I’ll give you several tips for incorporating major pentatonic scale licks into your solos when you improvise.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Tagged With: Major Pentatonic Scale

Comments

  1. JRG says

    June 8, 2018 at 11:30 am

    Hi Brian,

    This looks like a great lesson. I have been trying to use the Major pentatonic scale more but have had difficulty blending it over the 4 chord and the 5 chord. I suspect this lesson will shed some light on this problem for me. Thank you.

    Jim

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    • Scott S says

      June 14, 2018 at 2:08 am

      More great stuff. Lesson 238 is a bit beyond my skills and has been frustrating me. This is a bit more my level I think. Thanks so much.

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  2. smilefred says

    June 8, 2018 at 3:21 pm

    Another poor fella in the right hands 😉 ..BTW another gem ! Thanks Brian

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  3. JohnStrat says

    June 8, 2018 at 4:19 pm

    Sounds like a cool lesson to me. I have wanted to get the major pent underway so thanks.
    johnstrat

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  4. San Luis Rey says

    June 8, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    Thanks for another great blues lesson to build on Brian! I love the major blues scale ala BB King . This will be a great lesson to practice his style of vibrato. BTW my vote goes to last week’s grey background . Nice guitar find!

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  5. Christopher S says

    June 8, 2018 at 11:57 pm

    Thanks for a great lesson. The guitar sounds and looks great- I’m not sure how anybody could let that go for that price, surely they’d know to price it higher. Anyway, what a find!

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  6. 6thstring says

    June 9, 2018 at 12:27 am

    This one is fun..

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  7. Robert W says

    June 9, 2018 at 5:20 am

    interested in the backing track as well

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  8. Wendell T says

    June 9, 2018 at 5:32 am

    Another great lesson. Hockin Custom Guitars is in Chapel Hill, TN. He has a website

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  9. sciencefiction says

    June 9, 2018 at 6:07 am

    When I watched this video, I thought that new guitar you were playing might be the cutaway version of that more expensive Israeli guitar you have recently been using.

    Larry

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  10. helmut h says

    June 9, 2018 at 6:32 am

    could you please spell the name of the guitar producer one more time? hawkin ?
    regards
    helmut

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  11. Michael Allen says

    June 9, 2018 at 9:00 am

    Love it!! Thanks Brian

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  12. Biker13 says

    June 9, 2018 at 9:14 am

    Another great lesson Brian. And a great reminder that really thoughtful, soulful phrasing can render such beautiful results without having to rely on overly challenging technique. Such a pleasure to play this song. Great job! As always. THANK YOU.

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  13. Raymond P says

    June 9, 2018 at 10:53 am

    Thanks Brian,

    I love the way you break everything down with the Penta Scales

    Thanks
    Ray

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  14. Tim Lee says

    June 9, 2018 at 11:01 am

    Great lesson. Prefer the lighter background on your video presentations but it’s the lesson content that counts! Thanks Brian.

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  15. roco says

    June 9, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    Slow Blues-another favorite!🎶

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  16. Buster89 says

    June 9, 2018 at 6:26 pm

    BACK IN BLACK !

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  17. Robert P says

    June 10, 2018 at 4:25 am

    Great lesson once again Brian
    The old dark background is so much better than the light background…. Thanks

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  18. Robert P says

    June 10, 2018 at 4:46 am

    Sorry Brian missed last weeks lesson the GREY background is fine as well just not the bright WHITE one this follows my earlier comment about BLACK background Thanks again.

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  19. AJ M says

    June 10, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    I think you should post the chord positions you can do on the song with the tab. That would be really helpful.

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  20. greg f says

    June 10, 2018 at 8:58 pm

    Ah – a delta blues piece in the key of F, according to your website, this is the first composition in the key of F. Love it! It’s very much like something from Tab Benoit. Especially the backing track! Would love more like this one! Thanks!

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    • Brian says

      June 11, 2018 at 10:14 am

      Good ear – this was inspired directly from Tab Benoit!

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  21. RobertBlower says

    June 11, 2018 at 8:20 am

    This was another great lesson. Really appreciate the way you tie the licks to chord shapes, helps me navigate the fret board. Thanks for sharing you knowledge

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  22. Paul D says

    June 11, 2018 at 1:54 pm

    Nice lesson. For me your Major Pentatonic Blues lessons always have a lot of great takeaways. Stradlin’ Frets is also a great name for a band.

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  23. Bruce M says

    June 12, 2018 at 11:12 am

    a little tad of Eddie Jones?

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  24. Michael H says

    June 12, 2018 at 5:10 pm

    Great lesson Brian! Glad you are doing major pentatonic scale and I appreciate you explaining how to find the different patterns, its all starting to make sense. Sweet sound please do more of these lessons with Major Pentatonic. Thanks.

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  25. Mark C says

    June 12, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Dear Brian, You’re a gifted teacher. I’ve learned a lot.

    Three things would help me:

    When you show a pattern or a lick, please identify the key notes: “ This sounds good because it’s a fifth and minor third bent to a major together”; “This is where the root is in this pattern”, etc. Then I can begin to identify sounds.

    I get the three fret relationship between major and minor pentatonics, but why does it hold? I don’t get it. Has to be related to tuning.

    Finally, relate the five postions to the CAGED system.

    Thanks. It’s a privilege to learn from you.

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  26. Paul M says

    June 13, 2018 at 5:36 am

    As always thank you for bringing a wonderful community of friends together. More power to you Brian.

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  27. peter w says

    June 13, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    Just a thought. It seems to me after you post a lesson there is frequently enough a request for a walk through re the chords and rhythm arrangement. Why not make it a regular segment. Would round out the lesson and the experience. In the end making us better players. Thanks Brian.

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    • Brian says

      June 14, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      When Friday comes to a close and I finally publish a lesson each week – I collapse from exhaustion. You’d be surprised how much energy goes into these each week. Staring at a blank canvas each Monday knowing that you have to 1) write, 2) record, 3) edit, 4) upload each week… that includes writing and recording MP3 jam tracks, creating the tablature, the on-screen tab viewer, and answering support emails – while marketing on social media in the middle of it all. I agree it would be great to include the rhythm and the chord arrangements, bass parts, keyboard, etc each week in addition – but I don’t have the facilities at this point. It’s not that I just overlooked that – it’s just that there are only so many hours in a day

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      • sunburst says

        June 19, 2018 at 6:57 pm

        I believe you man,lol..I can’t imagine but hoping you are making good with this worldwide ..establishment?

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      • Scott S says

        June 24, 2018 at 3:26 am

        I think its ok Brian, I mean, I know I start worki g on a piece and then the next is another great piece I want to work, so I get atarted on that one and then the following week is another great one! We need time to catch up. Take a break, we need to catch up anyway!!

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        • Scott S says

          June 24, 2018 at 3:33 am

          I don’t know about anyone else, but I know I would be more than happy to pay for premium membership with a lesson every 2 weeks. Don’t want you to get burned out!

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      • Scott S says

        June 24, 2018 at 3:47 am

        What we pay for what? 48 lessons a year, from a master like yourself. Takea break and consider one lesson every 2 weeks. This membership is still an extraordinary bargain with 2 weeks per lesson.

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        • Scott S says

          June 24, 2018 at 3:51 am

          One more thing… when a new member signs up there is ALREADY so much good material available. I think its time we members helped you out by getting your site advertised. Facebook and where else?

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  28. Walter D says

    June 13, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    Lessons like this are why I am a Premium member. Brian teaches you how to play guitar – not just how to play notes on a fretboard. Thanks Brian.

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  29. PJR says

    June 14, 2018 at 7:00 am

    Great lesson…you really make that guitar sing.

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  30. peter w says

    June 15, 2018 at 11:19 am

    Hi Brian. I get it. It did cross my mind as I posted. All good. I think we all appreciate the effort you make to create something original and worthwhile every week.. That’s why we are members! Tks for the response. ( Couldn’t hurt to ask!)

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  31. peter w says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    I just want to add that my ability as a guitarist as an avocation has improved considerably since I signed up with your site. I had played years ago but had fallen out as life has a way of getting in the way . If for no other reason than that you have me picking up the guitar and playing more. It can become tedious and uninspiring when it’s all about the mechanics…. you have me playing music. Thank you. The band may be getting back together!

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  32. peter w says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    Btw…. all this composition has got to be honing your talents as a song craftsman. Don’t sell yourself short. You have a gift.

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  33. ian h says

    June 19, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    good day Brian! i was wandering, what amp do you play through?

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  34. sunburst says

    June 19, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    Nice feel Brian,just watched this one and looking forward to learning some from you! thanks again, great buck for the wood too!

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  35. Jordi T says

    June 22, 2018 at 10:38 am

    Great lesson once again Brian!
    Regards from Barcelona

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  36. Dan P says

    November 13, 2018 at 2:27 pm

    Brian, I’m having trouble finding the pentatonic scale lessons — somewhere in the Blues lessons?

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  37. Merle H says

    March 28, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    I cannot print off all the tabs!

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  38. pan054 says

    December 23, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Hi,
    Great lesson again. I’m struggling a bit with understanding the timing. For instance: bar 2 adds up to five quarter notes if you just add the notes and rests together. Obviously I’m misunderstanding something, maybe the ‘triplet feel’ bit? Can anybody point me in the right direction, please?
    Cheers

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  39. Mike R says

    May 8, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    Just found this little ditty. What a beautiful lesson. You surprise me each week with the quality of teaching you keep putting out.. Thanks for teaching me guitar!

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  40. Michael S says

    April 7, 2023 at 9:17 pm

    Hi Brian. I’m enjoying this lesson. I love practicing with the jam track. Is there a way to adjust the speed between 0.5 and 1? I need 0.9.

    Thanks.

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