The major pentatonic scale is a great starting point for major pentatonic guitar improvisation, especially when playing over the blues. The only problem is that it can start to sound a little too happy once you really get going with it.
There’s a lack of that feeling people expect from the blues, and this is something that can easily be fixed.
The major pentatonic scale is the foundation of playing in major keys on guitar in general. In this lesson, we’re going to learn how to add just a couple of simple notes to the major pentatonic guitar scale to give you an extra color and add a little more blues feeling to your playing.
The first thing I want to talk about before we jump into this is that I’m not really a fan of the term the blues scale.
Yes, it exists. It’s in books, and it’s a term we tend to use to communicate this idea simply.
But if you really listen to jazz players and serious blues players, they rarely play it like a scale.
They’re really using a specific note as a piece of language, as a piece of color in their phrasing. And that’s what we’re going to learn how to do today.
I’m always hesitant to write out diagrams for this because I don’t want people to start playing it like a scale. That’s not the route to sounding good.
Major Pentatonic Guitar Trick #1: Adding the Flat Three
The first note we can add to the major pentatonic scale is the flat three.
The major pentatonic scale is built on 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Those notes repeat over and over in whatever position or positions you’re playing in.
To add the flat three, we’re looking for a note that’s either one fret above the two or one fret below the three, depending on which way you’re moving through the scale and what’s more comfortable for your hands.
This note could be in a couple of different places. It just depends on how the notes line up with the strings.
Your first job is to take your major pentatonic scale, talk through the scale tones (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) as you go, and play around with finding that flat three and figuring out where it fits best for you.
It’s important to remember that this isn’t something to be played as a scale or played all the time. When I’m playing the blues using this approach, I do use that note a lot, but I always remember that the foundation is the major pentatonic scale.
Remember that you’re using a color. This is kind of like adding salt to your food. A little bit is going to make it taste really good. Too much of it, and you’re not going to be able to eat it.
Trick #2: Adding the Flat Seven
The second note we can use to make this work is the flat seven. For a lot of people, this is the missing piece that’s going to make you sound a lot better, especially when mixed with a little bit of flat three.
The flat seven can be found two frets below the root or one fret above the six. It depends on what scale shape you’re using and what your fingers like to do.
It might even depend on whether you’re moving up or down the neck to another scale position. You’ll be able to find a couple of places in each scale shape to find your flat seven.
How to Practice the Major Pentatonic Scale on Guitar
Your first step is to find a backing track or record yourself playing the chords to the blues, and start off by playing just your major pentatonic scale.
If you’re playing a B-flat blues, use a B-flat major pentatonic scale. If you’re playing a G blues, use a G major pentatonic scale.
Once you’re confident with the finger pattern and how it sounds, try finding that flat three every now and then and see what you can do with it.
Once you’re comfortable with the flat three, try finding the flat seven and see what you can do with it.
When you’re comfortable locating both of these notes, try mixing and matching. The major pentatonic scale plus the flat three plus the flat seven is going to give you a lot more room to play when it comes to the blues.
Have fun practicing this, and let me know how it goes!
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