The Minor Pentatonic Scale
In this course we’re going to be studying one of the most commonly-used scales – the minor pentatonic. As you’ll learn from the course, the minor pentatonic is derived from the natural minor scale and works well in all styles of music.
As bass players, the minor pentatonic is an important scale for us to learn. With that in mind, this course covers ways in which to learn the scale all over the fretboard (without relying on shapes or patterns) and then puts it to use in a series of ‘real world’ bass grooves. The first few exercises are written in A minor (a logical key to start learning the scale with), after which there are lines written in other keys. By the end of this course you should be very familiar with the sound of the minor pentatonic scale and you’ll find that it makes a valuable addition to your scale vocabulary.
Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get hold of the PDF worksheets and the audio files for this course (available to subscribers only).
This course contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
1 – Introduction to the Minor Pentatonic Scale
In this video we’ll be talking about the minor pentatonic and discussing how and where it is commonly used.
2 – Playing the Minor Pentatonic Scale
In this lesson we’ll cover the theory behind the minor pentatonic scale, and I’ll be showing you how to play it all over the fingerboard using the ‘content over patterns’ concept. In learning the scale this way, you won’t be limited to only using it in certain parts of the fingerboard.
3 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #1
This exercise is a simple rock groove that will help you to become familiar with the minor pentatonic scale. As you’ll hear, this scale works perfectly for rock basslines.
4 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #2
This exercise is a funk groove using the A minor pentatonic scale.
5 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #3
This exercise is a slap and pop groove that uses the A minor pentatonic sale. The opening double stop helps to establish the minor tonality.
6 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #4
This is a challenging line to play! This is a fast metal bassline that uses the A minor pentatonic scale. Playing long stretches of the line on a single string, as well as using pull-off figures, makes this line easier to perform than it might seem.
7 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #5
This funk groove uses the A minor pentatonic scale and is performed using the palm muting technique.
8 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #6
This is a classic rock bass part that uses the E minor pentatonic scale: E – G – A – B – D. The lines in bars 1 and 3 establish a basic groove, with fills occurring in the second and fourth bars.
9 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #7
This exercise uses the G minor pentatonic scale: G – Bb – C – D – F. Lines like this are great examples of how the scale can be used as the basis for classic rock riffs. Thousands of rock songs feature riffs built on this scale!
10 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #8
This exercise uses the D minor pentatonic scale: D – F – G – A – C. This one is reminiscent of the playing of Jaco Pastorius, who used pentatonic scales regularly, in both his bass grooves and solos. Although this is a busy exercise, it’s played at a moderate tempo and so is easier to perform than it might seem.
11 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #9
This exercise is a busy funk line that uses the C minor pentatonic scale: C – Eb – F – G – Bb. The fills in the second and fourth bars are based on the same pattern, but in different parts of the fingerboard.
12 – Minor Pentatonic Exercise #10
This line is a busy funk groove that uses the G minor pentatonic scale: G – Bb – C – D – F.
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