The Biggest Guitar Soloing “Cheat Code” is Hidden in This Pattern

The Easiest Scale You’ll Ever Learn on Guitar: The Minor Pentatonic

Unlock the fretboard with the easiest scale you’re ever going to learn on the guitar… master the minor pentatonic scale and start improvising and soloing in any key today.

I’m going to show you the easiest skill you’re ever going to learn on the guitar: the minor pentatonic scale. This is the foundation for countless solos and riffs across almost every genre of music. Once you learn this shape, you can move it anywhere on the neck to play in any key.

The A Minor Pentatonic Scale

Let’s play through the A minor pentatonic scale. We’ll start with our root note on A, which is located at the fifth fret of the low E string. Here is the pattern, string by string:

The Pattern Breakdown

  • Low E string: fifth fret, eighth fret
  • A string: fifth fret, seventh fret
  • D string: fifth fret, seventh fret
  • G string: fifth fret, seventh fret
  • B string: fifth fret, eighth fret
  • High E string: fifth fret, eighth fret

Once you have that down, make sure you can play this backwards as well to really internalize the shape.

Moving the Scale to Other Keys

That’s A minor. But what about other keys? The great thing about this scale shape is that it’s completely movable. The note you start on determines the key.

Let’s play through it in C minor now. The note C is on the eighth fret of the low E string, so that will be our new starting position. We’re just going to take the exact same shape we just learned and move it up the neck.

So, for C minor, we’re gonna play through it starting on the eighth fret. The pattern of frets and intervals remains exactly the same; only the starting point has changed. This is how you can use this one simple shape to play in all the other keys.

FAQ

  • What is the easiest scale to learn on the guitar?
    The minor pentatonic scale is the easiest skill you’re ever going to learn on the guitar.
  • What are the notes for the A minor pentatonic scale starting on the low E string?
    Starting on the 5th fret of the low E string, the pattern is: E string (5th, 8th), A string (5th, 7th), D string (5th, 7th), G string (5th, 7th), B string (5th, 8th), and high E string (5th, 8th).
  • How do you play the minor pentatonic scale in a different key?
    You simply move the entire scale shape to a new starting position on the fretboard. For example, to play in C minor, you start the exact same pattern on the eighth fret of the low E string, which is the note C.

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