TRANSFORM YOUR PLAYING

15 L
egends such as Jimmy Page, Slash, Stevie Ray
Vaughan, Peter Green and others all use the
minor pentatonic scale extensively. And,
despite their differing playing styles, they all share

minute
one thing: they rarely confine themselves to just one
area of the fretboard.
The notes of the minor pentatonic scale can be
technique found all over the fretboard and are usually learned
as five different shapes covering all six strings. In this

FIX 7
lesson we’re simplifying things and spreading of the
five shapes over just three strings. Practise each
shape on its own, then take a look at the two licks
we’ve written to see how you can join the shapes

CONN E C T S C A L E together to cover the neck in a musical way.

Once you have learned both licks, you can combine
them into one longer line spanning all five shapes.
We’ve supplied an extra audio example to
demonstrate how this sounds, as well as a backing

SHA P E S A C R O S S an d ex pand your soloing

track to practise over.

THE NECK
o ard
Explore the fretb k ing scale shapes
sso n on lin
with TG’s le
SHAPE 2 SHAPE 4

FIVE SHAPES OF THE A MINOR

PENTATONIC SCALE

SHAPE 1 SHAPE 3 SHAPE 5

EACH OF the five shapes starts and finishes on a root note (marked with a black dot) and covers one octave of the A minor pentatonic scale. Play shapes 1, 2, 4 and 5
starting on your first finger; for shape 3, you’ll need to start on your fourth finger (or your third if you prefer). Take note of where notes are shared between shapes.

LICK BASED ON TRACKS 42-43 LICK BASED ON TRACKS 44-45

SHAPES 1 AND 2 SHAPES 4 AND 5
√
#
q = 80

..
~~~~~~
.. #
q = 80
3 .~~~~~
1 1
1
.. 1
1 ..
1

~~~~~~~
1

~~~~~~
3

T . . . 12 14 12 15 17
.
. .
© James Fortune/REX Shutterstock

7 9 7 T 15 15 17 15

B 5 7
7 10 10 7 10
B
. 14
12 14 17 17
.
≥ ≥ ≤ ≤ ≥ ≥
5 8
≥ ≥ ≥ ≤ ≥ ≥ ≥ ≤
THIS LICK moves through shapes 1 and 2 of the scale. Try to keep track of the THIS LICK is based in shapes 4 and 5 and is best played using only your first and
shape you’re in as you move up the fretboard. The final note is a first-finger slide third fingers. Use your first finger for the 12th fret notes until the slide (shown
to the 12th fret so you could say you are in shape 3 here. We’re joining this lick up with a short diagonal line between two notes) sees you move up to the 14th fret.
with the next one so this slide helps with the change of position. Sliding is an easy way to make the position shifts easier.

FEBRUARY 2016 43