The Digital Guitar » Guitar Soloing

Memorizing The Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns

admin — Thu, 10 May 2007 21:17:27 +0000

When I first saw what the Minor Pentatonic scale pattern looked like when it was stretched across the whole entire neck, I was a little bit intimidated. Memorizing the scale across all 21 frets of my guitar seemed like a very daunting task. But as I went on to learn the scale I found out that it is not all that difficult.

All you really need to do is memorize 12 frets. I know your probably thinking, â€œ12 Frets of the scale that is still a lot to Memorize.â€? This is where box patterns are very useful. They break the scale up into 5 easy to learn sections. After you learn those sections, all you need to know is how to connect them. Here are the 5 box patterns.

1st Box Pattern

The 1st Box Pattern connects to the
2nd Box Pattern

The 2nd Box Pattern connects to the
3rd Box Pattern

The 3rd Box Pattern connects to the
4th Box Pattern

The 4th Box Pattern connects to the
5th Box Pattern

Then the 5th Box Pattern connects back to the 1st Box Pattern.
Hereâ€™s what all five put together on 13 frets looks like.

It is a never-ending cycle, when you play boxes 1 through 5, you just start over with one again. So all you really need to know is, what the 5 boxes are and how they connect. Now with these five box patterns you can go as far up the neck as you like, from the 1st fret all the way up to the 24th fret. And you are well on your way to creating great guitar solos.

If you would like to check out the the box patterns of the minor pentatonic in any key, A, A#, B, C … go to the page Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns.

If you have any questions ask them in a comment below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

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Want to solo like the Pros?

admin — Wed, 02 May 2007 22:16:30 +0000

Want to solo like the Pros?

Did you know that most rock solos and songs are only played with 5 notes? No, that is not a typo and you donâ€™t need to have your eyes examined. I said FIVE notes. So few notes you can count them on one hand. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. I know what your thinking, â€œFIVE notes, there has to be more than five notes. Iâ€™ve see guys like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton go all up and down the neck! They couldnâ€™t possibly be playing only five notes.â€? But I assure you they are only five basic notes are needed to create a good guitar solo. Want to know How?

All you really need is the basic knowledge of scales and the pattern they create. Scales are just groups of notes played over and over at different pitches. The Minor Pentatonic Penta meaning five, only has five notes, but in Country and in Rock it has become a primary part of music. I have created diagrams of the guitar neck to show you how this works.

If you are unfamiliar with guitar tabs I suggest you read my entry on Guitar Tablature basics, but for now it will be enough for you to know that the top string on the chart is know as the 1st, it is the thinnest string and it is tuned to a E. The B-string is known as the 2nd, the G-string is known as the 3rd, the D-string is known as the 4th, the A-string is known as the 5th and the 6th string is the thickest, deepest sounding string and it is also tuned to E.

This particular set of notes makes up the minor pentatonic in the key of F. As you can see all five notes, F, G#, A#, C and D# can be played in many different places. To demonstrate this I encourage you to take out your guitar. Hit the 6th (thickest string) on the first fret. Then, hit the 6th string on the 13th fret. You notice that they sound very similar? Thatâ€™s because they are the same note, just played at different pitches. Each note happens every 12 frets. So on the 6th string you get the note F on the 1st and 13th fret.
Scales are made up of these simple patterns and once you learn these patterns you will find soloing not that difficult.

Congratulations you have just completed the first step to soloing like a pro. Fill free to use this key of F to solo to. The individual box patterns of the minor pentatonic scale can also be very helpful when learning the scale.

If you have any questions ask them in a comment below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

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Scale Key

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:48:38 +0000

Everyone writes this kind of stuff a little different so I wanted to make sure that everyone understands the way the scale diagrams work.

The starting fret is where the diagram begins. If the number is 1 the diagram begins on the 1st fret of your guitar.

The root is the base note of the scale and gives it that finished feeling.

If you have any questions ask them in a comment below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of G#/Ab

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:18:09 +0000

If you are looking for the Minor Pentatonic scalein the key of eitherÂ G# or AbÂ flat you are actually looking for the same key, so I wrote it as G#/Ab.

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of F#/Gb

TheÂ second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of G#/Ab

The third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of G#/Ab

TheÂ fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of G#/Ab

TheÂ fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of G#/Ab

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of G#/Ab

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of A

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:32:46 +0000

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A

TheÂ second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A

TheÂ third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A

The fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A

The fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of A

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of A#/Bb

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:39:55 +0000

If you are looking for the Minor Pentatonic in the key of either A# or Bb flat you are actually looking for the same key, so I wrote it as A#/Bb.

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A#/Bb

The second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A#/Bb

TheÂ third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A#/Bb

TheÂ fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A#/Bb

TheÂ fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of A#/Bb

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of A#/Bb

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of B

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:54:24 +0000

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of B

TheÂ Second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of B

The Third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of B

TheÂ Fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of B

TheÂ Fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of B

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of B

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of C

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:58:38 +0000

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C

The secondÂ box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C

TheÂ third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C

TheÂ fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C

TheÂ fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of C

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of C#/Db

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:03:10 +0000

If you are looking for the Minor Pentatonic in the key of either C# or Db flat you are actually looking for the same key, so I wrote it as C#/Db.

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C#/Db

TheÂ second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C#/Db

TheÂ third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C#/Db

The fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C#/Db

TheÂ fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of C#/Db

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of C#/Db

Minor Pentatonic Box Patterns In The Key of D

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:17:51 +0000

The first box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of D

TheÂ second box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of D

TheÂ third box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of D

TheÂ fourth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of D

The fifth box of the Minor Pentatonic in the key of D

A Full Octave of the Minor Pentatonic scale in the key of D