Supercharge the Minor Pentatonic!

The minor pentatonic. Usually the first scale we, rock guitar players learn. Find out the key you are in and it’s off to the races. Besides the pentatonic in the parent key, there are pentatonic scales in 2 other keys you can use.

Eg : In the key of A minor, you can use A minor pentatonic, D minor pentatonic and E minor pentatonic.

How?

All minor pentatonic scales in the harmonized minor scale are derived from their minor chords.

Chords of the A Minor Scale

Am Bdim C Dm Em F G

Okay cool. So how does this sound like?

In the video. I am playing over C Dorian. C Dorian is derived from the Bb Major scale and they share similar chords.

Bb Major Scale :

Bb Cm Dm Eb F Gm Adim

C Dorian Mode :

Cm Dm Eb F Gm Adim Bb

0.00 – 0.31 : C minor pentatonic
0.31 – 0.52 : D minor pentatonic
0.52 – 1.10 : G minor pentatonic

Each pentatonic in a different key, brings a different sound! Even if you know just one scale shape, shift to the correct position on the fretboard to change keys and you can start using this concept. Some of my favorite guitar players that use this often in their playing are Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Michael Landau.