How to Play A Minor Pentatonic Scale [easyguitar tutorial]
Are you ready to learn the famous A Minor Pentatonic Scale. Well in this video, I�m
gonna break it down step by step and I�ll even show you a fun and practical way to both
practice it and to use it.
Hi I�m Tomas Michaud from Real Guitar Success. If you�re new here, go ahead and sign up
for my YouTube channel. That way, I can get you some more lessons so you can learn how
to play with confidence, connect with others and have fun.
Skills are an important part of learning to play to guitar. They help train your fingers
to go to the notes that you hear in your head. And of course there are crucial parts to learn
to improvise. The A Minor Pentatonic Scale is easily the most popular scale for most
guitarists to learn and usually the one they learn first. In fact sometimes the only one
they learn. It is used in rock and blues prolifically and also in country and in jazz.
In this video, I�ll show you how to play the A Minor Pentatonic Scale step by step
then I�ll show you a full way to practice it that will help it become natural for you.
Then finally, if you�re ready I�ll show you a lick that you can use with the scale
to help you learn to improvise. It�s gonna be fun. Stay till the end, I�ll make sure
that you get a free jam track that you can use to play along with, to practice with,
it will make it more fun but also to improvise it if you like.
Okay, let�s go ahead and take a look at my left hand. Now first right hand goes just
go straight down picking just to get the notes. Don�t worry about anything fancy for now.
We�re gonna start with the first finger on the fifth fret and then I�m going up
three fret that�s to the eight fret, so this is fifth, sixth, seventh, eight and I�m
using my pinky. For some it might be a little bit of a stretch but it is something you got
used to. So will start off with the first note and then the second note. I�m gonna
call this one and four. The pinky the four finger and then will be doing one on the fifth
fret and three with the third finger. All the notes will be one and three or one and
four. Let start over - one four on the eight fret, next fifth string, one and three. Next
comes the fourth string, one and three. The first finger is always on the fifth fret.
Next string, third string one and three, now were going to one and four the second string,
and then finally on the first string one and four. Now that�s all the notes in the scale.
Let�s go back down starting with the pinky, the four to one and then to the second string
four and one that�s the eight fret, down to the fifth fret, now three and one, third
string to one, another three and one on the fourth string, three and one on the fifth
string, and then four and one on the final and sixth string. Now let me play it for you
again without me talking to show you what it looks like --- and now one more time a
little faster, that�s a movable scale by the way.
The A is the first note here on the sixth string fifth fret. If you were to move that
around to a different note the scale would be that note. So for example, if I moved it
from A to G two frets down, that would be a G Minor Pentatonic. So try that with me
once. Let�s go nice and slow and I will call out the numbers of the fingers. So this
will be 1, this will be 3 and this will be 4. Were gonna start with 1 and 4. Try it with
me now. Get your guitar. Come on. Don�t worry it�s just me and you. Nobody is watching.
Here we go, ready, start � 1, 4 next 1 and 3 okay 1 and 3 again. Now we�re going to
1 and 4 and 1 and 4. Now let�s try going backwards. Start with the 4 here pinky, ready
go 4 and 1, 3 and 1, 3 and 1, 3 and 1 and 4 and 1. Very good! So that�s the basic
scale and of course start very slow just single down picking. Try going from the low string
to the high string first until you get comfortable with that, not perfect just comfortable. And
then try going the other way and then go back and forth up and down.
This is by the way would be going up higher in strings and down would be going back down
from the high string to the low string. So once you get comfortable with that, try this
lick. This is a standard lick or I should say a pattern that is a lick and of itself
that you can use when improvising and it�s a good exercise to practice. The reason I
say a standard pattern is because it�s the same pattern that can be move around to different
notes. So for example ---- it�s the same pattern --- same pattern just starting with
different notes and they all work. If you are playing in the key of A and the scale
is in the key of A that pattern work just starting about any note. So let�s break
that pattern down a little bit. Were going up a note and then back down and then we go
down two when we go back. Start here, go up a note and now back two, now up one back two,
up one, back two and then up one and will stop there. So lick is ----
so try that with me just very slow and I call out the fingers 1 and 4. Here we go ready
start 1, 4, 1, 4 on the next string, back up 1, back to 4 down to 1 up 4 back down to
1, over next string to 3, up 1 and that�s what were all at. Again ----
Okay practice those two, the scale first of course and if you�re ready practice the
lick. Now I wanna show you an example of what it sounds like with a jam track � 1 2 3
4 --- Now faster, lick. Now I�ve written out the notes and tabs for the scale for you
to download and to follow. I wanna make sure you get the pattern right and encourage you
to watch that download the sheet a couple of times as you practice it just to make sure
you get the fingering properly and also I�ve created the jam track that you can download
for free and practice along with it. It will make a lot more fun and also it will help
you with your timing. I put a link in the description for you to be able to get that.
Thanks for hanging out with me in this video today. Is this the first time for you with
the scale or is it a review for you? Let me know in the comment section below and if you
haven�t already, go ahead and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks! See you soon.