In other words, if you see this chord, it implies that you should play the minor pentatonic scale since it has a minor third. The #9 is enharmonically the same as a minor third (b3). If you are a fan of Jimi Hendrix, you know that he likes to play a Dominant7#9 chord. The Major pentatonic scale does not have any clashing notes. In this case, the minor pentatonic scale contains the minor seventh, so that note sounds great. Once again, bending the minor third up to the major third is a nice bluesy sound. The minor pentatonic scale has a minor third, which may clash with the chord’s minor third. You can use both major and minor pentatonic scales, but once again, be cautious of the minor third when playing the minor pentatonic scale.įor example, you can play C Major pentatonic or C minor pentatonic over a C7 chord.ĭominant chords have a major third and a minor seventh (b7). Use the minor pentatonic scale over minor chords.įor example, play A minor pentatonic over an A minor chord. This note can clash, but you can bend the minor third up a half step to a major third, which is a common tactic by blues guitarists. The minor pentatonic scale has a minor 3rd (or b3) while the major chord as a major third. Yes, you can, but you should be mindful of the notes you are playing.

Some people claim that you can play the C minor pentatonic scale for a bluesy sound. Play the major pentatonic scale over major chords.įor example, over C Major you could play the C Major pentatonic scale. Isn’t that an exciting and simple formula for success? This is why pentatonic scales are so popular.ĭid you know the blues scale is based off the minor pentatonic scale.

Sometimes you can play both scales over the same chord, especially for a bluesy sound.

You can play the minor pentatonic scale over almost any minor chord without clashing with the chord.You can play the major pentatonic scale over almost any major or dominant chord without clashing with the chord.You just need to know how the root note changes in the pattern. You can learn the same exact patterns for both.

There are a few reasons that the penatonic scales are the short cut for the scales. The awesome part is that they contain the same note intervals (with differing roots), so the patterns are the same. There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales contain five notes, which is how it gets its name (Penta=5, tonic = tones). Learn the major and minor pentatonic scales, their patterns, when to use them, and why they’re the scale shortcut.

B flat minor pentatonic scale