Pentatonic Scales
A pentatonic scale is any scale consisting of 5 notes or
intervals. You probably already know the minor pentatonic (1, b3, 4, 5, b7) and
the major pentatonic (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) scales, but did you know that there are 330
possible combinations of 5 intervals? This means there are 330 pentatonic
scales available, while most of us barely use 2! The harmonic possibilities are
truly endless when you begin to consider those other 328 permutations, and this
is exactly what we’ll cover here.
Read next: The Foundation
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You might be wondering how on earth you’d learn another 328
pentatonic scales and what you might use them for, but as we shall see, it’s
more about exploring harmonic possibilities than memorizing endless
permutations of patterns. I’ll give you the tools to effectively cover more
than enough of the fretboard to be dangerous with just one pattern per pentatonic scale, then if you find the scale
useful or like the sound of it, you’ll have a system to map it out on the
fretboard literally on the fly.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you working out the
famous five patterns for each scale, though some don’t lend themselves well to
this, and the focus here is more on exploring a world of harmonic possibilities
that are rarely considered but which are right under your fingertips. Don’t
worry about having to remember all those scales because the real learning takes
place when you engage in the simple act of searching for and finding
information on the fretboard, either by visual reference (patterns) or by
intervals. This is a process that will stimulate your creativity, fretboard
knowledge and soloing vocabulary, as well as being highly beneficial for
connecting your fingers to your ears.
Read next: The Foundation