The Pentatonic Positions...

The Pentatonic Positions Book www.learnguitarcardiff.com

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Pentatonic Positions... Where ever I may roam!!!

Have you ever noticed how some guitarists seem to be able to improvise in any part of the fretboard? They can do this because they have the ability to play one scale from many different starting positions

In this book, you will first learn how to play the minor pentatonic scale in 5 different positions that, when linked together, will cover the entire length of the fretboard. I will also show you how to apply this knowledge to the major pentatonic scale and show you some tricks to helps you transition between positions like a pro.

So... how does it work?

For the moment, we will work with the A minor pentatonic scale. First, we will map the notes of the scale ( A - C - D - E - G ) on the low E string.

Now we will do the same on every other string...

Looks confusing, right?



To help us access all of these notes and help us learn where they are, the next step is to break up the fingerboard into 5 regions, or as we say in guitar speak, “positions”.

(Please note: The lines in the above diagram are intended to give a rough, visual guide to where each position begins/ends. The colour coding shows exactly which notes belong in which position.)

By learning how to play in each of the 5 positions above, we can then link them together and move in and out of them at will.

The next step is to break down each position and learn how to play them.



Position 1

Also known as the “E Form”, this pattern should be familiar to you, as this is the first movable shape for the minor pentatonic that guitarists tend to learn. This position starts on the root note found on the low E string

Here is how to play it in the key of A minor:

Position 2

Also known as the “D Form”, this position is built from the 2nd note of the minor pentatonic scale, found on the low E string.

Here is the position in the key of A minor, starting on the first finger, from the lowest available root note located on the D string.



Position 3

Also known as the “C Form”, this position is built from the 3rd note of the minor pentatonic scale found on the low E string.

Here is the position in the key of A minor, starting on the 3rd/4th finger, from the lowest available root note located on the A string.

Position 4

Also known as the “A Form”, this position is built from the 4th note of the minor pentatonic scale found on the low E string.

Here is the position in the key of A minor, starting on the first finger, from the lowest available root note located on the A string.



Position 5

Also known as the “G Form”, this position is built from the 5th note of the minor pentatonic scale found on the low E string.

Here is the position in the key of A minor, starting on the 3rd/4th finger, from the lowest available root note located on the low E string.

The cycle starts again

After we reach the 5th position we begin back at the 1st position and octave higher than where we started originally. If we had and infinite fretboard, we could repeat this order of positions over and over! Try playing the 5th Position pattern above but starting on the 3rd fret of the low E string... you will be playing the same notes but an octave lower!

Practice Tips:

1) Take the time to learn each new position properly before moving on to the next. Practice improvising using any new position learnt with a backing track to make sure it is really under the fingers before moving on. You will find that in the long run this will be far more beneficial than learning them all in one go!

2) Be aware where the root notes are in each position. This is important to know if you want to use these positions to create effective solos. Good musicians don’t simply wander around positions blindly... they target certain notes at specific times and knowing where the root notes are will help you do this.

3) Try adding the “blue” note (b5) to each pattern to play the blues scale in any of the 5 positions.

4) Use a metronome when you practice. This will help you keep track of your progress and help you develop speed. REMEMBER: Start at a slow tempo and don’t speed up until you can play it cleanly!



Linking Positions

Now that we have learnt all 5 positions, here are some ideas to help you practice moving between them.

Diagonal Scale Patterns

Simply called diagonal because of the path your hand will travel across the fretboard when playing them, each of the two patterns below exploit 3 different positions of the A minor pentatonic scale.

This first pattern starts low in the 5th position. The slide (5th to 7th fret) on the A string takes us into the middle section of Position 1, whilst the next slide (7th to 9th fret) on the G string takes us into the top section of Position 2

The second pattern starts low in the 3rd position. The slide (12th to 14th fret) on the D string takes us into the middle section of Position 4, whilst the next slide (15th to 17th fret) on the B string takes us into the top section of Position 5

Don’f forget, with some adjustment to the fingerings, you can also add the blue note (b5) to the patterns above to achieve the blues scale.



Up one... down another

The scale pattern below uses Position 1 when ascending and switches to Position 2 to come back down.

(Fingering tip: Shift from the 8th fret to the 10th on the top E string using the little finger)

Try doing this in other positions that are adjacent to each other.

Limited Strings

Another good way to practice moving between patterns is to limit the strings you can use. The example below moves through all 5 position using only the B and E strings:



Minor to Major

Due to the fact that every minor scale has a relative major scale that shares the same notes, it is possible convert any of the 5 minor pentatonic positions into major pentatonic positions. All the patterns stay the same, the only thing to change is the position of the root notes.

If we take the first position of the A minor pentatonic, we can see that by simply starting from the C we can play the C major pentatonic scale.

A minor C major

Here are the root note changes in the remaining positions...

Minor Major

Position 2

Position 3



Position 4

Position 5


The Pentatonic Positions...

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