The 5 Shapes of the Minor Pentatonic Scale

Learn to play in all keys, all over the fretboard.

One of the most discussed topics among guitar players is pentatonic scales. One of the most popular ways to teach them is by using the 5 shapes concept. This can be a very confusing concept as there are many ways to approach it, but if we can grasp it then we will learn many things about the nature of our instrument and how to improvise in any key, anywhere on the neck.

In a previous video I introduced MINOR pentatonic scales using the E and A string tonic method (that video can be found here: https://youtu.be/QByI1z7eiW0).

I find this method a better way to start with pentatonics as it requires less theory and brainpower. When using this method the only two things we need to learn are:

1. where notes on the E (6th) and A (5th) string lie

2. what the E and A string patterns (shapes) are.

From there we can extrapolate 3 more shapes (for a total of 5) to play the minor pentatonic scale. The general idea is that each minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes, and each shape will start on one of those notes on the low E (6th) string. Therefore each shape will put us in a different position on the neck, allowing us to move freely around our fretboard when soloing or improvising.

This video goes into a lot of detail and tries to approach the concept from a few different angles. Feel free to use the chapter markers to skip around if things are moving too slowly, or if you need to go back and review a concept from earlier in the video.

An in depth and comprehensive PDF with scale diagrams, fretboard images and exercises can be found HERE:

Complete Pentatonic Video Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeg6RkS-CCoMYi_rl1wnIrJFvFNXv5J_n&si=_bnt6x93bSmAmBd9