Unfortunately I don’t have that kind of support, and chances are you don’t either.  So if you are like me you have to use blues backing tracks. Fortunately there are a lot of them available. I’m always looking for new tracks to work out my licks, so I thought I would do a quick post sharing some of my favorite tracks and sources.

Some Of My Favorite Blues Backing Tracks

Band In The Pocket

I’ve owned this CD since it came out in 1999, and it is one I keep coming back to. The tracks sound great, there are a lot of different grooves in standard keys, and they are a lot of fun to play with.  I’ve had hundreds of my students work things out with this CD, and I still play with it often myself.

Band In The Pocket is one of my favorite blues backing track discs. And you can get it cheap at Amazon (click the picture to go there).

2. Blues Improvisation Complete

This book/CD package from Berklee Press is filled with great information and awesome tracks. It has more of a Jazz thing going though. The tracks sound and feel great. They range from some seriously swinging and shuffles to even bossa nova tunes.  There are tracks in all 12 keys, so if you feel stuck in those same old guitar keys this can help you out. After all, you never know when that chick singer is gonna to call Stormy Monday in Eb!

Click the picture to see it on Amazon.

3. 50 Blues

If you’re too anxious to wait for shipping and you want to get jamming right away you can get the awesome package online from 50 Blues. For $37 you get more than 50 blues play-a-long mp3 files and a bunch of other stuff including blues lessons and a few other bonus items.

Most of the tracks are really great, some of them get a bit heavy, as in rock.  At $37 this really is a great deal. Check them out here.

Goin’ Down To The Crossroads

Maybe Robert Johnson could’ve got his chops together without selling his soul if he would have had all the great things we have today. I couldn’t imagine learning guitar without working with backing tracks. Of course there are thousands of collections of blues play-along tracks on the market…these are just 3 of my favorites.

Maybe you have some good ones to share with the rest of us. Leave a comment so the rest of us can check them out.

Blues Backing Tracks is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

More Blues:

1. Blues Masters Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan In Session See larger image In Session [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD] (Audio CD)...
2. Guide Tone Blues Lick #2 – T-Bone Shuffle You may know the blues classic “T-Bone Shuffle” by one...
3. T-Bone Walker – Blues Guitar God Talking about the “T-Bone Shuffle” in the last post about...
4. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
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See larger image In Session [Deluxe Edition CD/DVD] (Audio CD) I spent about a decade sitting in the dank, mildewy basement of a neighborhood music store giving lessons to some 40 guitar students per week. My students ranged in age from 7 to 87, and from beginners to quite advanced. I love the guitar, I love learning and teaching, and I loved every minute of sitting in that nasty basement, with a guitar on my lap, imparting what knowledge I had to anyone hungry for it. And I learned a great deal from my students as well. No matter what style of music my students were interested in I insisted that they learn something about the blues. As far as I’m concerned if you can’t play the blues, well, you can’t play. The blues will help you to grasp the essentials of music. Take 3 chords and five notes and let’s see what you can do with it! The blues also will teach every aspiring guitarist to play with soul. To play the blues well you have to reach deep down into your soul and have the gumption to lay it out there for all who care to listen. You need to spill your guts right out onto the bandstand, and let the listener examine them in a bright light. I don’t care how fast you can play those scales and arpeggios, you have to have something to say and you have to be brave enough say it. No two blues guitarists are alike, and no two blues guitarists fearlessly let it all hang out more than the two late greats Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. On December 6, 1983, the legendary Albert King and up and comer Stevie Ray Vaughan met in a Canadian studio for a show called In Session. The story goes that Albert King wasn’t going to do it because he had no idea who Stevie Ray Vaughan was, but when SRV walked in he was surprised to see “Little Stevie,” the kid who used to follow him around back in the day. Stevie worshiped Albert King, and as a kid he even had he opportunity to share the stage with him. Listen to Albert King reminiscing about those days in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruvWFqEuqow I’ve had the cd release of this amazing show for a few years, but recently a great set of the CD and DVD has been released and it is now one of my most prized possessions. It is so cool to watch the way these to icons interact. I love the way Albert King laughs and smiles when Stevie plays something he really likes, and SRV looks at the master with reverence, he’s like the proverbial pig in, well, you know, sharing the stage with the master and showing just how much he has learned. I used to tell my students that Albert King had more soul in his little finger than all the guitarists in the music store combined, and there were a lot of guitarists in that store. Well SRV kept right up in that department. Here’s a clip of them doing the blues classic “Stormy Monday.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYY-DQ119mo Do yourself a favor and get this! Every blues aficionado should have it! List Price: $18.98 USD New From: $9.23 In Stock Used from: $8.89 In Stock Release date November 9, 2010.

Blues Masters Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan In Session is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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So take off yer shoes, grab yer axe, head out onto the porch and learn this lick. Then play around with it, make it yours. Get creative, experiment…play it forwards, backwards upside down. Use a pick, use your fingers, mix it up and change it around. Figure it out: What are you gonna do with it?

|---------------------------|
|-3--5--6--5--3--5--6--5----|
|-4--5--7--5--4--5--7--5----|
|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7dsTPWDUIM

The next awesome double stop blues lick is not a standard lick like the last one, but it is made of standard blues guitar sounds. Notice that I incorporate the first lick into it when I start using it as I would in a tune.

Once again, when you play the blues the idea is to tell your stories, so whenever you learn some new stuff it’s important to experiment and find ways to use it, change it, make it your own.

So forget about how nobody loves B.B. King but his mother, and she could be jivin’ too. Instead focus on how that women done you wrong, and how you felt when you woke up this mornin’.

So move on down to the country, get yourself a frigidaire, keep that woman in the house, get to learning this sweet blues lick.

|-6-3--------6-3----------|
|-5-3-5-3----5-3-5-3------|
|-----5-4--------5-3------|
|---------5----------5----|
|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewQNY_8gX7E

Double Stop Blues Licks is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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1. Put Those Guide Tones In Your Blues Licks – Example #1 In my previous post I introduced the idea of using...
2. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
3. 3 Cool Blues Licks Many blues guitarists are stuck in the E form of...
4. Guide Tone Blues Lick #2 – T-Bone Shuffle You may know the blues classic “T-Bone Shuffle” by one...
5. Blues Guitar Lesson: Using Guide Tones In Blues Licks Jazz musicians have a concept, sometimes called “playing through the...

The “T-Bone Shuffle” is a great example of the use of guide tones in the blues. The tune consists of a repeating lick, that changes the guide tone depending on the chord.

Here is an excellent recording of the T-Bone Shuffle, from the “Showdown” album by 3 of the greatest blue guitarists to ever hold a guitar: Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and Johnny Copeland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-nVl1RyFuA

“Showdown” is a great album. If you don’t have it you may want to check it out.

One thing that is cool about the T-Bone Shuffle lick is that it dances around the guide tone. This version of “T-Bone Shuffle” is in the key of B. It stays on the I chord for the first 4 bars. The main lick is played twice:

--------------------
--------------7-----
---7-8----3-8---9-8-
-9------9-----------
--------------------
--------------------

The guide tone is the 3rd of the B7 chord, D#, played on the 8th fret of the 3rd string.

When it goes to the IV chord the guide tone is the D natural, the 7th fret of the 3rd string:

--------------------
--------------7-----
---7-7----3-7---9-7-
-9------9-----------
--------------------
--------------------

When the tune gets to the V chord, F#7, the guide tone is the E note, the 9th fret of the 3rd string. That is the b7 of the F#7 chord:

--------------------
--------------7-----
---7-9----3-7---9-7-
-9------9-----------
--------------------
--------------------

Notice that at the end of that lick it goes back to the D note (7th fret, 3rd string) because the chord goes to E7, the IV chord.

So there you have it, a classic example of guide tones in the blues. If you don’t already know “The T-Bone Shuffle” you should learn it. This is a popular jam night tune, and it really should be in every blues guitar players repertoire. You never know when someone will call it. And, let’s face it, this is a great tune and a great blues lick.

Once you can play it, play around with it. Experiment with the lick, make changes to make it your own.

If you have any trouble understanding the theory in this post, be sure to get your free ebook, Blues Dues, (top of the sidebar on on any page of this site). I put all the basics about the blues in Blues Dues so you can get it one place.

Guide Tone Blues Lick #2 – T-Bone Shuffle is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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2. Blues Guitar Lesson: Using Guide Tones In Blues Licks Jazz musicians have a concept, sometimes called “playing through the...
3. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
4. Blues Guitar Lesson – Blues Guitar Chords – Part Two So by now you have those 3 note dominant 7...
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And you will also see that it’s easy.

Before you go any further, download and print the pdf.

The basic repeating lick is very simple, only 4 notes, and it starts right out at the beginning with the 4th note landing right on the 1st beat of the first measure. That 4th note, a B natural, is the 3rd of the the G7 chord:

-3-----|-----
---6-3-|-----
-------|4----
-------|-----
-------|-----
-------|-----

Remember, guide tones are typically 3rds and 7ths. And the 3rd of a chord is especially important; for one thing it’s the 3rd that determines whether a chord is major or minor.

Also, notice that the B note is not in the Minor Pentatonic Scale, or the Blues Scale. If you are just noodling around with a scale pattern you would never hit this note.

When the chord changes to C7, the IV chord, in measure 2, the lick ends on the Bb note, which is the b7th of the C7 chord. And isn’t it cool that the guide tone for the IV chord is only 1/2 step lower than the guide tone for the I chord? That makes it a very smooth movement. It sounds great, and it really reflects the chord change.

-3-----|-----
---6-3-|-----
-------|3----
-------|-----
-------|-----
-------|-----

To keep things from getting boring I put a fancier lick at the end of the 4 bar phrase, and if you look closely you’ll notice that it ends on the B note, reflecting the chord which is a G7.

Looking at the second line, you’ll see that it’s exactly the same, except for the guide tones which always reflect the chord.

The 3rd 4 bar phrase, line 3, does the same thing again, and this time the lick ends on the C note, which is the b7th of D7, the V chord. And I thought it might be nice to end the whole thing by playing the D7 chord, which really would be a simple turnaround to bring us back to the top.

Here is what it sounds like:

Once you learn this 12 bar blues you should change it around, embellish it, make it your own, but always be sure that you play the appropriate guide tone.

Also, I challenge you to write out your own. If you can write the tab please send them to me. If I get enough of them maybe I’ll do a series on readers guide tone 12 bar blues!

Put Those Guide Tones In Your Blues Licks – Example #1 is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

More Blues:

1. Blues Guitar Lesson: Using Guide Tones In Blues Licks Jazz musicians have a concept, sometimes called “playing through the...
2. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
3. 3 Cool Blues Licks Many blues guitarists are stuck in the E form of...
4. Blues Guitar Lesson – Blues Guitar Chords – Part Two So by now you have those 3 note dominant 7...
5. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 3 So now that you know the first 2 patterns of...

Let’s say you’re at a blues jam session and the singer calls Wang Dang Doodle.

“What did he say about my wang?” you ask the bass player.

“Oh man,” the bass player says to to singer, “this guy don’t know Wang Dang Doodle! I guess we gotta play another slow blues.”

For shame! How can you say that you’re a bluesman when you don’t even know Wang Dang Doodle? Son, you gotta pay yer dues!

So here are 3 gotta know classic blues riffs if you wanna call yourself a blues guitarist.

(Of course there are lots more than 3, but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?)

1. Wang Dang Doodle

I know you are aware that Koko Taylor was the Queen of the Blues. And Wang Dang Doodle was a signature song for her. Now you can hear it, and play it, in blues clubs around the world. This riff is as fun to play as it is to hear, all night long…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp5NIxWdUbI

On that recording they are tuned down a whole step, so it is is the key of D. If you want to sound just like that you will have to tune every string down also. Of course if you play it in standard tuning, which is fine, it will be in the key of E.

Here’s the tab:

|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|-----0---2-0----------------|
|-0h2---2-----2-----5--------|
|---------------3-3---3p0----|

The next time someone says something about yer wang, you will know what to do, won’t you?

And the next classic blues riff is…

2. Messin’ With The Kid

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells were a power team of bluesmen who gave us this gem of a blues standard. And later the Blues Brothers helped the white folks get hip to it too. This riff is burned into my brain, as I have played it so many times at oh so many blues jam sessions. Just don’t play it too fast…that kills the soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXJ-YPKqguA

And here is how you play it, in the key of C:

|-8--6---------------------|
|-------8--6---------------|
|-------------8-7-5---5----|
|-------------------8------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|

If you don’t know that slick blues riff, you don’t know nothin’!

And finally, the 3rd gotta know if yer gonna call yourself a blues guitarist blues riff is…

3. Mannish Boy

It doesn’t get more classic, or any cooler than this. Muddy Waters was the suavest son of gun that ever graced the bandstand. Hell, I’m glad he wasn’t around when I was wooin’ my wife…I never would have stood a chance.

Simple to play and steaming hot, you gotta know this riff. If you don’t you’d better to get your sorry behind into that woodshed and don’t come out ’til you got it!

Oh yeah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5IOou6qN1o

It doesn’t get any easier than playing this one. Hell, you could do it after a few too many whiskeys at 4 in the mornin’. And by the way, it’s in the key of A.

|--------------|
|--------------|
|---7---5------|
|-7---7---7----|
|--------------|
|--------------|

Everything is going to be alright this morning. Especially if you got these riffs in your bag of blues tricks.

So go on now…learn em!

3 Classic Blues Riffs is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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1. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
2. 3 Cool Blues Licks Many blues guitarists are stuck in the E form of...
3. Better Blues Licks: Question…Repeat…Answer Image via Wikipedia “I went to the crossroads, fell down...
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But there’s a whole long neck on your guitar, with lot’s of frets, and the truth is that wherever your hand is on the fretboard you have easy access to every note in over 2 octaves. That’s a lot of notes, and it’s everything you need to play some sweet blues.

So in this post I’m going to show you 3 cool licks in the D form of the minor pentatonic scale. Learn them, love them, make them your own and then store them away safely in your bag of blues licks tricks!

In case you don’t have the D form of the minor pentatonic scale under your fingers here it is:

If you don’t already know it be sure to learn it by heart and then practice it in all 12 keys.

These licks are in the key of G. Once you get them down you should practice them in all 12 keys. It’s also a great idea to learn them in all of the different CAGED patterns of the Minor Pentatonic scale, in differnet octaves in every area of the guitar fretboard. That’s the kind of practice that will really pay off, in fact it’s essential to truly master the guitar.

The first blues lick is very simple:

|-------6------|
|---6-8---8----|
|-7------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|

Take a listen:

The second lick starts with a full step bend:

|-8b10-6-8---6--------|
|----------8---8-8----|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|

Listen:

The third lick incorporates the 1st 2, but this time instead of bending I’m shifting up to play the high note. You can play it by bending like in the 2nd lick, and of course that will sound great.

|---------------6----------10-6-8---6--------|
|-----------6-8---8---------------8---8-8----|
|-----5-6-7----------------------------------|
|-5-8----------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|

Here’s what this lick sounds like:

So there you have it, 3 cool blues licks in the D form of the Minor Pentatonic scale. Once you learn them be sure to play around with them. Change the rhythm, change a note or 2, expand on them, make them your blues licks. Enjoy!

3 Cool Blues Licks is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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1. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 1 ...
2. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 2 Now that you’ve got the first position of the scale...
3. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 3 So now that you know the first 2 patterns of...
4. Better Blues Licks: Question…Repeat…Answer Image via Wikipedia “I went to the crossroads, fell down...
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“I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above, have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please”
-Robert Johnson

What Makes A Great Blues Guitar Solo?

The blues is about telling your stories. It’s about baring your soul, expressing who you are and where you’ve been.

Robert Johnson was sharing a very personal thing, he went to mouth of Hell, prayed for salvation, then gave up everything to play the blues.

But the best music is about tension and release. You have to bring the listener to that point of tension where they are glued to everything you do, and you have to reward them in the end. If you can do that, they will love you.

If you can’t bring them to that place in the first place you’ll lose them fast. They won’t pay attention.

If you can get them there, but not get them off, you’re just a tease. And they will hate you for it!

The great thing is that this tension and release is built into the 12 bar blues form. To play the blues well you need to understand the form of the blues. And there is no better way to understand the form of the blues than to study the masters.

So for this lesson I want to look at the classic “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson.

12 Bar Blues

“Cross  Road Blues” is a standard 12 bar blues.

Of course that means that it consists of 12 measures.  But if you look closer, you will see that those 12 bars are divided into 4 bar phrases.  This is very important.

Let’s listen to the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60nI4sa9A

The first 4 bar phrase contains the lyric

“I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees”

The melody of this lyric poses a musical question that is placed in that first 4 bar area. It is the 1st 4 bar phrase, and it is left open. If he stopped there it would feel incomplete.

The question is repeated in the 2nd 4 bar phrase. This builds tension, you can hardly wait to hear how it’s going to turn out.

“I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees”

Then, the 3rd 4 bar phrase finally has the answer:

“Asked the Lord above, have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please”

The musical question is answered, the tension is resolved. Now we can start the 12 bar cycle over and do it again.

Apply This Principal To Your Blues Licks

Get out some staff paper, or tab paper, and write some 12 bar blues licks that follow the form question…repeat question..answer. Yes, write them down…it will help you to really learn the principle and to remember what you came up with.

Then put on a play along, and play those suckers. How many can you come up with?

When you have a few you really like, practice developing them. Start with your original idea, change it a bit in the next chorus and so on. This is a great way to build a blues guitar solo!

Keep this idea in your head when you play the blues…it will help you to play musically, not just rip out a bunch of notes that don’t really speak to anyone.

Some Final Thoughts

Breathe. Put space in your solos. Too many guitarists never stop to take a breathe. It’s like a screaming child on an airplane. Don’t be one of those!

Listen to singers and other instruments. Miles Davis said that he learned more about soloing by listening to singers than anything else. Singing is all about phrasing…play like a singer and you will connect with your audience.

Guitarists have a tendency to put notes together in a way that lays out well on the guitar. Studying the lines of other instrumentalists helps you to think outside the box.

If you apply this idea to your blues, your licks will speak to your audience, guaranteed! Now, go PLAY THE BLUES!

Better Blues Licks: Question…Repeat…Answer is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

More Blues:

1. Blues Guitar Lick #2 – Slow Blues Intro – B.B. King Style Blues lick #2 is an intro to a slow blues...
2. Better Blues Guitar Solos – 7 Ways To Play With Feeling How do you play the blues with feeling? How do...
3. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 3 So now that you know the first 2 patterns of...
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5. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 1 ...

So now that you know the first 2 patterns of the Minor Pentatonic Scale it’s time to get your fingers on the 3rd pattern.
Many blues guitarists focus primarily on the first 2 patterns of the scale, but if you want to be really good you need to learn to play all over the fingerboard. The 3rd pattern of the scale is the trickiest because it involves shifting positions to play the 7th fret on the 3rd string and the 11th fret on the 2nd string.

Here it is in the key of G:

The Minor Pentatonic Scale Pattern 3

Notice that I start with my 2nd finger so that I can get that 7th fret note on the 3rd string, and then I shift up a fret on the 2nd string so that I can get the 11th fret note on the 2nd string. The truth is that it’s more difficult to go from the 2nd finger to the 4th finger than it is is to go from the 1st finger to the 3rd finger. But it’s more economical to do it this way, and practicing like this helps to strengthen the 4th finger.

In actual playing I may play those lower sting notes with my 1st and 3rd finger, depending on the lick and whats going on around it. Stay tuned, I’ll be posting some licks soon that illustrate what I am talking about.

In actual playing I may play those lower string notes with my 1st and 3rd finger, depending on the lick and what’s going on around it. Stay tuned, I’ll be posting some licks soon that illustrate what I am talking about.

Also, notice that this pattern fits over this Dominant 7 chord shape:

At this point you should be able to play the first 2 patterns easily. So here are some practice suggestions:

1. Once you get this pattern under your fingers play it all 12 keys around the circle of 4ths. For more information about his practice technique be sure to subscribe to this blog and get the free Blues Rules course.
2. Practice playing all three patterns of the scale that you know so far, up and down, starting from the first pattern. Pay close attention to how they are connected. Once you get that down do it around the circle of 4ths.
3. Practice going back and forth between the Dominant 7 chord form shown above and the scale. And once again, do it aound the circle of 4ths.
4. Have some fun with it! Put on a blues play-long and make some music.

So get to work. I will be posting the 4th pattern very soon!

The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 3 is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

More Blues:

1. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 2 Now that you’ve got the first position of the scale...
2. The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 1 ...
3. Blues Guitar Lesson – Blues Guitar Chords – Part Two So by now you have those 3 note dominant 7...
4. Blues Chords – Part One One of the defining characteristics of the blues in a...
5. Learn The Guitar Notes In 3 Simple Steps This topic certainly applies to the blues guitar, but no...

Every blues guitarist must have a firm grasp on the minor pentatonic scale so I thought it would be a good idea to do an in-depth series covering the scale and each of the 5 pentatonic scale patterns. In the first part of the series I will explain exactly what the minor pentatonic scale is and show you the first pattern.

How I Approach Learning Guitar Scales

• Because it lays out so well on the guitar fretboard I like to learn a scale in the key of G. Once I learn it in G then I work on playing it in different keys. So the fretboard charts in this tutorial are all in the key of G.
• I see the guitar fretboard according to CAGED theory. If you don’t know what that is take a look at this blog post: CAGED Guitar before you read any further.
• Learning a scale is just the first step. Turning it into music is another thing. Be sure to check out this post: How To Learn Guitar Scales.

What Is The Minor Pentatonic Scale?

The word pentatonic literally means “five” (penta) “tones” (tonic). A pentatonic scale is one that contains only 5 notes. Actually there are many pentatonic scales, but the most common are the minor and major pentatonic scales.

The 5 notes of the minor pentatonic scale are: R – b3 – 4 – 5 – b7. So in the key of G the notes are G – Bb – C – D – F. For more on what all this means be sure to subscribe to 100blueslicks.com and get the free Blues Rules course. Check the sidebar of this page.

The first pattern of the scale is the E form (see the CAGED Guitar post link under “How I Approach Learning Guitar Scales).

G Minor Pentatonic Scale Pattern 1

Get Started Playing The Minor Pentatonic Scale

In the 3rd position, that is with your 1st finger at the 3rd fret, Play each note from the lowest to the highest and back again. Following a rule of one finger per fret, play the notes on the 6th fret with your 4th finger, and play the notes on the 5th fret with your 3rd finger.

Also, be sure to alternate your pick. The first note should be an upstroke and the then a downstroke and so on.

Once you start to get familiar with the pattern, set your metronome (you do have one don’t you?) at a moderate tempo, around 70 beats per minute, and try to play each note in time.

For more details on learning guitar scales, including a printable chart of the minor pentatonic scale covering the entire fretboard, be sure to subscribe and get your free Blues Rules guitar course.

Make Music With The Minor Pentatonic Scale

The E Form of the minor pentatonic scale is probably the most commonly used of the 5 patterns. Here are here are a couple sample licks to get you started:

The Minor Pentatonic Scale – Part 1 is from 100 Blues Licks where you can get more free guitar blues guitar lessons, blues licks and more.

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