Dansm's Guitar Scale Lessons
The Pentatonic Major Scale
The pentatonic major scale is very popular in rock music. It contains five different notes and therefore has five different modes. Their names and formations are found on the pages below. Once you learn how to form each mode, you can put it all together so you know where every note in the scale is on the fretboard. This is probably the most powerful use of scales. Make sure to go through these pages in order, because they build on each other. Good luck, remember to have fun, and keep playin' ! If you have any questions, e-mail me!
My Scale Notation
how to read all my scale charts

Half and Whole Steps
information necessary for learning scales

Which Scales Should I Learn?
this page outlines the important scales for a few main genres of music

What Are Modes?
a definition of modes for guitarists

Playing Scales: Fretting and Picking
get the most out of your hands while playing scales

Information on Keys
how do you know what key a song is in? check out this page for help

Which Scales Can I Play?
you have a chord progression in G, but what scales and what modes can you play over it?

Learning Scales
scales don't have to be boring; here are some suggestions so you learn them, not learn to hate them

Translating Scales and Modes Into Any Key
I showed you the modes in G or Em, so learn how to play them in ANY key
The Pentatonic Major Scale
pattern of whole and 1½ steps
The First Mode

The Second Mode

The Third Mode

The Fourth Mode

The Fifth Mode
the rock scale: the most important mode
The Pentatonic Major Key
putting it all together

Pentatonic Major RealAudio Chord Progressions
practice soloing with the pentatonic major scale using these RA files
Back to the Pentatonic Scales
Back to Dansm's Guitar Scale Lessons

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© 1997 Daniel E. Smith.