Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll be playing in the key of the song (so no worrying about following chord changes). You’ll be playing everything out of 2 basic shapes (a triangle and a square) – and you’ll be going back and forth between major and minor pentatonic scales using those shapes. A fun and easy way to play blues lead.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Slow Walkthrough - Lead
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Slow Walkthrough - Rhythm
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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I love slow blues and learning patterns that allow me to be a better player. Thanks Brian!
Fantastic Brian, this is perfect for us ‘youngins’ This is the stuff that keeps me interested. I like the more advanced as well, but this keeps me involved in getting there. Thanks!
A very clever tutorial, Brian. Simple, offering loads of potential to adapt. The rhythm lead combination is excellent.
Hi , I’m a bit confused with the triangle and square. The triangle appears to be pattern #2 but the square seams to come from pattern #5. So it should not link up to pattern 2.How does this work?
I’m Brian W, not the instructor, but I read your post and said that’s a good question, so I went on the guitar and think I figured it out, if I’m wrong someone please let me know. The triangle is pattern 4 of the E major scale. The square is pattern 5 of the E major scale.
@Brian W, that’s the way I look at it also.
correct
I think its the Pentatonic as Brian explained in the beginning because if you move up the neck toward the bridge pickup you’ll be at the first position of the Pentatonic, Try playing the entire scale in the same position (from strings 1-6 and you’ll see that the triangle turns into position 4 of the Pentatonic and the square turns into the fifth position.
He’s just shortened the Pentatonic into those shapes to make it easy to identify how to solo in response to the calling chords.
Ben, the triangle comes from pattern 2 in the Minor Pentatonic Scale and the box contains notes from the A Major Scale. The box and one additional note is sometimes called the BB King Box because he used that box so much in his solos. In the key of A, the BB King Box contains the notes A, B, D and F# which are all notes in the A Major Scale. The BB King Box is easy to use because it is right next to the triangle shown in pattern 2 of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. Look up the BB King Box. The lesson shows how to move between the minor and major sounds that is such a characteristic of blues music and how to do it in a very simple way. Hope that helps.
Ben, I don’t know about pattern numbers, but the triangle at fret 5 on the B and G string, is out of the C shape major pentatonic scale, with the root at B5. The square at fret 7 on the B and e strings is out of the A shape major pentatonic, with the root at G7. (in other words there is no root in the square). The triangle at fret 8 on the B and G strings is out of the A shape minor pentatonic, with the root on G9. The square at fret 10 on the B and e strings is out of the G shape minor pentatonic with the root on e12 (and on G10). These are all E pentatonic scales.
Brian
Please do more like this……maybe point out patterens in the other caged forms….
This gives a point to start….from here we ourselves can branch out……
Thank you
Great lesson . Getting huge millage from this
Really awesome lesson. One question though: what’s the deal with the C chord at the end? The scale should have a C#m as the vi chord. Thanks!
think the final chord is an E7 no?
Just a straight E chord.
Thanks as always Brian. You didn’t say so explicitly, but am I correct that you’re best to only play the major triangle-square shape over the E chord? The minor shape is sweet over E , A or B?
you can play any of those notes over any of the chords in the jam track. in this one you’re playing “in the key” of the song, as opposed to playing the changes.
Oh yeah! Because there’s no G#( Major 3rd) ?
Ha ha. Managed to confuse myself quite easily there. Time to play it a few hundred times 😀
Brian when you slide up to the three frets to the e minor, does that not mean I have changed key from e major to e minor, or are they the same or interchangeable? Seems like a dumb question, sorry but hope you can help. Many thanks Richard
Thanks Brian, great lesson , and good timing has I’m just getting into mixing major/ minor pentatonics, helps a lot.
Similar to Cloughie, for a major song we can play the major ( or minor) over the 1 chord , but only minor for the 4 and 5 ,
and a minor song , only the minor scale.
Can we play the major scale over the 1, 4,5 of a major song?
Is there a basic rule of thumb.
You can play major or minor pentatonic scale for the key of the song. So if you were in the key of G, your chords were (G, C, and D) – you could just stay in the G major or minor pentatonic scale for any of that. If you wanted to play the chord changes, you could play G major scale over the G, C major scale over the C, D major scale over the D – that all depends on how long you stay on those chords. You could also play mixolydian scale for any of them (which sounds better in my opinion) – it all really depends on the song, the tempo, and the mood you’re going for. Don’t forget arpeggios, that’s also an easy way to play the changes.
Thanks Brian, I’ll check out the mixolydian scale too.
This is the best lesson I have seen in a long while. Just enough info to learn and grow, not so much one gets lost. Thanks a lo.
I just need to know one thing: Where can I get a t-shirt like that?
haha. cant remember where i got that
This looks like the same one: https://www.headlineshirts.net/squirrel-banjo-t-shirt.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsMr_teKF7AIVA6_ICh2wbgLIEAQYASABEgIUCfD_BwE#.X26ms98pA1I
That’s it! Good find.
That’s great! Thanks, Claire. :^)
LUV a track that allows back-n-forth between major & minor pentatonics.
Home run Brian.
Thank you!!!
When you play the triangle is it a part the fourth position of the pentatonic scale ?
Yep
Yes, that was a little confusing at first, since pattern 2 has the exact same triangle. But then I figured out that it’s pattern 4, sliding up to pattern 5
soog good realy learned form the square and triangel something easy to remember at last yes yes yes!!
Brian, this is gold and exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you
Nice looking/sounding Tele in a natural (or old white?) finish there Brian!! Have we seen this beauty before??? Just wonderin’!! Jim C. :>)
blonde finish
great ideas for jamming simple but effective how about something similar in country
Yes a nice tune a nice bit of theory and a Tele that looks 70s’ to me hmm all very cool.
cheers
Brian
1976
Well I can run through this quite reasonably and it strikes me that this lesson oozes sensitivity very nicely. One of BBs greatest tributes and should be a great lesson for all. I love it Brian Sensitivity is lacking in so many guitars demos and here it is in abundance. Great
JohnStrat
I agree, this is what I really liked about the lesson – less is often more. And I’m guilty of jumping around too much at the expense of just focusing on one position and locking in some solid licks. It’s like digging shallow holes everywhere instead of digging one deep one.
I should have added sensitivity is the essence.
Great lesson. Love the new graphics and the colors. Nice fresh format.
Great lesson Brian
I like the way you showed us how to look at the penta scales in small triangle and square patterns in todays lesson. It’s also great when you include the pdf for the rhythm patterns too. I enjoy using both very much, Great stuff.
Thanks Brian,
Ray P
It still amazes me that something so simple can sound so beautiful. Thank you for that reminder. This is an excellent opportunity to focus on the subtleties of dynamics and nuance. Another excellent lesson Brian.
Nice slow blues lesson Brian, I am wishing you would do some more lessons in the style of Mark Knopfler though.
Had to pause and rewatch at different places in this video (just where I’m at experience wise) but definitely a lightbulb lesson for me. Love it when that happens.
I love the simplicity of this lesson, getting us to break it down and view this in a simple way, making it easier to learn. I love it. Another great composition. Thanks Brian, you never disappoint.
Thanks Brian, that’s a great lesson and a nice trick, the triangle + rectangle makes it super easy, I bet even my son will get it!
One question, what determines when you can play the major or minor pentatonic over a backing track like this? Is there any rule to that?
There is no rule – it just depends on how you want to color the sound. If you want it to be a little more bluesy – go for minor, more “happy” sounding or country sounding – go for major… and you can go back and forth between them.
Brian, this lesson really pulled together some threads from earlier lessons you’ve done on the pentatonic scales, and some things really just clicked for the first time. What was still feeling a bit theoretical for me all of sudden feels natural up and down the frets in multiple keys. Thanks so much for this. Great musicality too!
Hi Brian, I really like your guitar lessons and teaching methods! You mentioned in this lesson that your Telecaster neck has a 7.25″ radius and that because of that ‘bends’ were problematic. I’ve been interesting in purchasing a Stratocaster or Telecaster but I am undecided about going getting the 7.25″ radius or the their newer 9.50″ radius fretboard. I’m currently playing a Gibson ES 335 electric with a 12″ radius. Any advice you could give would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Brian, Really excellent lesson. Very to-the-point and handy! One question though: what’s the deal with the C chord by the end of the song? It is not part of the E-scale. How does it fit harmonically? thanks
I just went up a half step from the 5 chord – that’s something you can do when playing a blues to add a little extra flair to the arrangement. Go to whatever your 5 chord is, then go up a fret, and back down. Cool effect.
Kind of like the beginning of EP268?
Fantastic lesson and catchy rhythm track. Such a simple idea with a triangle and a square in two positions, major and minor pentatonic, but so effective. Showing us with some imagination these simple ideas can produced something awesome.
as a beginner this lesson is right up my alley. I may not understand some of the theory behind this lesson, i am excited to fit these two parts into my practice routine.
Cheers Brian.
As always, very informative and extremely useful. Thank you 😉
When I was young I got stuck in open and barre chords and fairly fixed licks and scales. I could play songs but it was hard to be expressive. I also relied on memorizing how to play songs. Id see others playing outside the patterns I had learned and was somewhat mystified by that. So I eventually set aside the guitar for 30 years. Decided to pick it back up and instinctively knew that I would have to figure out more than I had thirty years ago. Started to hear about patterns and shapes. That made sense, even barre chords had patterns that fit things like 1,4,5 progressions. That there were patterns all over the fretboard and they were interconnected was still allusive. Brian’s lessons have really helped open up my being able to see a lot more. This lesson and how to find patterns was particularly helpful. And the way Brian arranges songs to take advantage of the patterns and shapes on the fretboard has started to make more and more sense for me. I started by learning a few songs he had arranged sort of the way I used to, just by simply memorizing what he did. That helped but it wasn’t until I dug more into the lessons on patterns and shapes that his way of arranging stared to give me ideas how I could do the same. There was a song I learned to play in open and barre chords 30 years ago. I had a friend back then who was a much freer guitarist. He would play the same thing in different positions and a lot more lively than I could either with open or barre chords but the way he did that didn’t make sense to me. This morning I was fiddling with some of the patterns and chord shapes and all of a sudden I realized how to play that song the way my more liberated guitar friend had been. Amazing stuff.
This “triangle and square” approach reminds me of Brian’s lessons on CAGED where he uses parts of a CAGED chord, what he calls upper and lower parts, instead of the whole 5 or 6 string barre chord. This really makes playing the G and C shapes much more practical for me. As has been pointed out the triangle and square are just fragments of the pentatonic boxes 4 and 5. By focusing just on these fragments we have all the notes needed for expressive soloing and it helps cure that tendency to run up and down box patterns. For quickly finding the pattern what works for me is tying them to an E shape barre chord. For example, to play the minor scale in C I think of my C barre chord using the E shape at the 8th fret. Then it follows that the highest note in the “square” is on the 8th fret of the high E string . To go to the major shape just drop down three frets. Fun stuff!
Good lesson. I generally don’t struggle for very long trying to read music. I know the notes, but by the time I figure out a chord, I’ve forgotten the tune I was playing. I’m a little better with tab, so I printed out the tab for the rhythm backing. I’ll look for that earlier lesson on the E6 to E9 slide. That seems to apply here. So, when you go to the A section, you could alternatively play the top three strings on the 2nd fret (A6), and then play them open for A9. That’s meant to be more of a question than a statement. And then strings 2, 3, and 4 on the 2nd fret for A, and then open along with the 5th string for G/A, right? Just trying to understand the options. (I was just about to post this, and then I noticed measure 11, and I see that’s what you did.. I must have learned something in an earlier lesson. Good for me, so I’m posting this anyway.)
Brian – I know you said we should not think of boxes but is the major triangle the BB box?
this was a great lesson. not overly complicated, and tied in the major and minor licks.
really liked this one. Robert
Simple but “sweet”. Good lesson putting major/minor together. perfect lesson while watching football.
Good stuff. Found that adding the double stops from any two notes on adjacent strings within those shapes adds some nice color too.
Fantastic lesson Brian – improvisation ideas for mixing major and minor scales. Great to fall back on.
Excellent lesson, eyeopening do you have anymore similar lessons where you use such techniques ? (triangle and square shape over scales) or can you do similar lessons ? I’ve been trying to improvise for a long time and this was a real breakthrough lesson for me
Brian you show off you I see that Little Walter in the background hope you enjoy it as much I do mine!! BadAss!!
oh yeah? which one you got? that one is the “King Arthur”
Brian, loved this lesson! Really opened a new window for me! Thanks so much for showing the chords and the play along with them! You are aways inspirational and keep me excited to learn more! You make us think and analyze our playing!!
Dave
Hi, Could you make more seasons like the Rhythm part of this lesson? I truly enjoy it. Have a nice evening, Thanks!
Brian, this lesson was for a Major blues song. Could you please do a similar triangle/square lesson for a Minor blues as well.
This approach is very good and easy to learn.
Thank you so much
If it was a minor blues – you’d just use the minor pentatonic scale (you couldn’t use the major) – however, if it’s in a major key you can use either one. Try playing over “Spoonful” by Howlin Wolf – it’s in E minor
One big reason, among many, that I keep returning to your site, is that when you teach on something that I already know (like this lesson), another little door opens for me and I see a little more of the distant horizon. My playing gets a little better, and new ideas start springing up. That’s what teaching is supposed to do. It doesn’t matter how basic the material, new perspective is EVERYTHING. And you give me new perspectives in abundance.
Just want to join in in all the thank yous! I appreciate this!
Hey Brian. Great lesson!! I’m getting it pretty good, and I just started it today. As an aside, I have a blog related technical question/comment. Would it be possible to add a “top” button at the bottom of the blog? And, is there a way to edit a post? Thanks!!
thank you for the rhythm track ! hearing and getting that really helps with the solo timing.
Brian, Thanks so much for this lesson. Took a giant leap in this one. Hope you will do more with patterns like this. Was able to jump and go with this one. Old man doing what he has been
trying to learn for years.. Please do more patterns for us older guys. Thanks for all. Dave
Wow. Just joined yesterday and I am like a kid in the proverbial candy store. This lesson is lightbulb material. Thank you, Brian!
This lesson was just what I needed. Have been struggling to play along with others and stay on the beat. This was simple enough that I was able play it but it was also very interesting musically too. I was just able to make a recoding of me playing over the backtrack and I sounded really good. Thank you, so much.
If you play first half of the lesson at the 6:18-6:20 mark and then play the 1970 version of Eric Clapton playing on “Let It Rain” at the 4:57-4:58 mark you can here the same square box riff. Very good. BTW, one of my all time favorite Clapton songs. He’s in a different key but those 4 notes are spot on between the two clip segments.
Brian, Just noticed in the triangle and square The Major starts on 2nd string or B string and the pentatonic starts on 3rd or G string and ends on 1st or E string E to E Dave
I absolutely love this lesson and the visual aid ..Thanks Brian
I inserted the audio file into Reaper, but it doesn’t play correctly. With headphones on I can hear oscillating from one ear to the next. A tremolo effect. I’ve never had that problem before. Any ideas? I inserted an earlier lesson’s audio as a test, and it plays fine.
I found the solution. I inserted the SLOW version audio files into Reaper, and they sounded great. So I just brought them up to tempo and I’m all set.
Like this rhythm, this is a great one to play on my looper pedal and jam over it.
Brian maybe someday give a lesson and on a looper pedal.
Good lesson! Very clearly explained!!
Wonderful lesson for beginners
Rhythm is as simple as beautiful
Licks are rich of phrasing and not complex
Melody highlights clearly the happy and sad colors of major and minor.
Inevitable as ep219!
Thanks Brian on another outstanding lesson. I’ve been a fan of yours and a premium member of your site for several years now and plan to continue to be one as I really enjoy your compositions and your clear, step-by-step instructions on how to play them. The only bit of constructive criticism I have for you is that I feel that you can do a slightly better job when explaining the theory behind what you’re doing. As you can see by other comments in this section, some people are confused as to where the triangle and the square come from. You do seem genuinely enthusiastic about helping people become more versatile players that can apply your lessons to their own songs. But to be able to apply those concepts, we really need to be able to understand the basis of those concepts, and I think you tend to assume your audience has gone through previous lessons that may have already explained them. Again though, I do appreciate the fantastic composition and find you to be one of the better online guitar instructors out there. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Brian
Great lesson. Keeps us begginers very enthusiastic…
Classy sounding tune too
My wife even enjoys how I sound
Rob
Thanks for a great lesson. Almost, “no thinking required”. I would like to request more of these type of lessons, as they allow me to just play music. I don’t have to get hung up on the technicalities. I have found also, these type lessons allow me to be creative and not just replicate what you do. It’s a nice balance between learning the formalities of music (which I do need to learn more) and just playing. I am an engineer so I relate very well to squares and triangles!! I have also tried moving these to other parts of the neck with different keys. It does work. Thanks again. Keep up the great lessons.
I’m a bassist that grabbed a guitar with the intent of using it to expand my understanding of theory and maybe do a bit of home recording. YouTube randomly served me this video after watching a few other blues-oriented lessons and… take my money! This is already the best online lesson content I’ve ever seen. Outstanding!
Great lesson I can keep up at 40% speed. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
up to 70% !!!
Thanks for the great lesson Brian! I love the simplicity of using only the triangle and box to play the pentatonic scales. Beautiful licks and a nice flow in the composition. Learned a lot how to improve my improvisation!
Perhaps this was commented on and I didn’t see it. I love the lead pattern explanations, but you glaze so quickly over the rhythm chords that I have to stop the video to try to see what you are playing. Would help if you’d quickly show us that as well.
Disregard. On slow play-through, I was able to see it in the tabs. I just bought a loop pedal. After converting the mp3 to wav, it was fun to have the rhythm looping while playing the lead.
this was a lightbulb lesson, thank you, I am not getting this information on any other site, I am just learning caged and lead guitar. Melanie
What an excellent lesson. I didn’t just have light bulbs going off but the whole Blackpool illuminations (sorry only UK based people would understand this reference).
Thanks Brian, This is possibly your most useful lesson so far. I’ve been loosely following you for years. I wish it was in my budget to be a member, but retirement hasn’t been as kind as I’d expected. More the pity dealing with this scourge of a pandemic.
Brian, can you do a lesson or a quick YouTube tutorial that connects this with the YouTube tutorial you dropped yesterday (12/30/20) about the two squares? How does the triangle and square connect with the two squares? I’ve been fooling around with both and, combined, they really open the fretboard up. But can you explain how they connect?
Agree with Mitchell. I no longer have to memorize everything. Thanks from me toooo. Dave
This lesson really opened my ears! I spent about an hour working on it last night and immediately light bulbs lit up. Can’t wait to finish this lesson.
dear Brian is it possible sometime to do a lesson on how you pick chords. I understand 1 4 5 progressions,But i see in so many of your lessons you will deviate from the 145 and use other chords and i would like to know how you choose them. Thanks, and its been fun so far lol
Thanks for this lesson! I just happened across it on YouTube for Part 1. It’s so well done that I had to become a premium member. I am looking forward to learning how to make really enjoyable music rather than just strumming chords. Thanks again.
I also just became a premium member for the exact same reason.. Brians work is awesome. Good luck with your learning John..
It’s lessons like this that makes me want to pick up my guitar and play!
Easy to visualise and stay ‘in the loop’!
Thank you Brian.
Brian, I’ve been playing on and off for the better part of 50 years, and I’ve never gone through one of your lessons without picking up some tidbit that helps my playing … you’re doing awesome work!
Hey Chris, I’ve been playing (self taught) for over 60 years and I agree with 100%. I’m always picking up stuff from Brian.
This particular lesson may be one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever picked up. Knowing the Pentatonic Scale is necessary but in many ways it can make a player think that the entire position of the scale or even the scale itself must be played and I’ve found that to be quite a hindrance.
This lesson takes pieces of the Pentatonic scale and teaches you to use it to create a melody and find other notes that fit instead of playing scales that actually stop the player from being creative!
Awesome lesson Brian!
ey Chris, I’ve been playing (self taught) for over 60 years and I agree with 100%. I’m always picking up stuff from Brian.
This particular lesson may be one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever picked up. Knowing the Pentatonic Scale is necessary but in many ways it can make a player think that the entire position of the scale or even the scale itself must be played and I’ve found that to be quite a hindrance.
This lesson takes pieces of the Pentatonic scale and teaches you to use it to create a melody and find other notes that fit instead of playing scales that actually stop the player from being creative!
very useful lesson!!
Wow Brian, the triangle vs rectangle is so simple yet so helpful! Luv these kind of take home ideas! Keep going !
Hey Brian
My first priemium lesson and loving it..
You realy showed me how many cool licks I can find in just 5 notes.
An eye opener for me. Already playing with them to suit my old bent and stiff fingers….
Notice in that the first play through, I think you do a kind of “double stop” on the last bend on fret 7 (last bar)
I cant seem to get that- how / what did you do ? It not mentioned later or in the tabs.
Thanks again and please – lots more like this 🙂
Hi all,
I’m a new subscriber after viewing this lesson on youtube. I’ve had more fun playing this lesson than I have in the last few years of meandering down the youtube rabbit hole! Looking forward to getting into the other lessons.
Dan
Hi Brian
I’m revisiting this lesson
I’m a little confused about the rhythm track
The first chord run seems to be 3 string fragments of C# minor to B minor, then E major to D major
Am I correct in assuming these chords are all in the A major scale? Yet we are playing lead lines in E major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic. Am I missing something… perhaps a dumb question
Cheers
Peter C
Brian for now I am happy to follow what you do and it makes me feel like I am playing!!!!
MORE.
Brian unlocks a trade secret here!
This lesson itself is worth the price of Premium membership.
Hi Brian,
Fairly new member here but have learned a lot so far and loving my membership to your site. Question, is it possible to provide backing tracks in the .wav format?
Reason being, my boss looper will only accept the .wav file format and converting from mp3 is a pain.
Great lesson Brian
Hi, a premium member. Like your lessons. But it is a pain in the neck when you keep referring to as follows: 2nd string 3rd fret, 4th string 8th string etc….. Since people are learning, have you thought about referring to the note names- for ex- “B”on fret “x” etc and Db on y string etc? I mean naming the note names rather than mentioning 2nd fret on d string etc?
going through some past lessons, # 380 is a light bulb moment. Thanks Brian!
Very useful lesson. I was finding playing lead in the key of E problematic; when you try to use position 1 minor pentatonic/position 2 major pentatonic the root is the nut, where bending is harder, and there’s no place to go lower than the nut, etc. If you start at the 12th fret that’s way too high for home base.
I know there are ways around this using the other positions but for something simple, quick and error-resistant in a jam context this is a great little trick to have in the toolbox.
Hi Brian,
This lesson is gold for me. I’m a bit struggling to follow the rhythm tab in the bars 17~21. It seems the tab splits the chords (bass and chord) 767 and 656 up in time, while the example clip keeps the chord together. Can you help out, whether I see it wrong in the example video clip, or that there is a little discrepancy between the clip and the tab.
Thank you in advance for reaction.
Absolutely love this one! Love the style of music. Do more like this style please, which is low key blues but close to smooth jazz, maybe a bit like JJ Cale or Clapton, authentic blues, but on the line of urban, and “smooth” genre. This is exactly what I am interested in, how can I find more like this?
The major pentatonic contains the 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6 degree of the scale and the minor contains 1 – 3b – 4 – 5 – 7b of the scale . Over the fourth chord are you emphasising the minor pentatonic
because it contains the 4 degree or it dosen’t matter.
Any chance you can show the actual notes on the chords you are using in the middle of the set?