The three essential guitar scales discussed in this article are used to improvise by practically all rock guitarists. Master these to take your guitar playing to new heights.
Minor Pentatonic scale
This scale is well suited for blues and rock soloing. You can hear it in solos like Highway to Hell (ACDC). Below is the G sharp minor pentatonic scale. Practice playing it slowly up and down.
Below is a back up audio track in G sharp minor. Press play and improvise using the G sharp minor pentatonic scale above.
Major Pentatonic scale
This scale is well suited for folk solos and rock songs in major keys. You can hear it in the main riff of the song My Girl (The Temptations). Below is the C major pentatonic scale. Practice playing it slowly up and down.
Below is a back up audio track in C major. Press play and improvise using the C major pentatonic scale above.
Blues Scale
The last of the three essential guitar scales in this article is the blues scale. It is similar to the minor pentatonic scale above but notice how each octave of the scale includes an extra extra note. This note sounds dissonant when you stay on it for too long. Therefore, use it as a passing note. You can hear the blues in the song I Can’t Quit You (Led Zeppelin). Below is the blues scale in E. Practice playing it slowly up and down.
Below is a blues audio back up track in E. Press play and improvise using the blues scale in E above.
If you are interested in learning more about improvisation, you can find out more about our music lessons by clicking here.