A minor pentatonic
Five notes that sound right over almost all rock and blues in A. It’s the first scale to learn when you want to improvise a solo.
- Notes:
- A, C, D, E, G.
- Formula:
- 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.
- Style:
- Rock, blues, pop.
- Difficulty:
- Beginner.
On the neck
Every note of the scale on the neck (choose 12, 15 or 19 frets). Click to listen.
High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.
Play the scale notes over it. Open in the Studio
Position 1: learn this one first
It fits in four frets, from the 5th to the 8th. Index finger at the 5th fret, pinky at the 8th.
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|---------------------5-8-| B|-----------------5-8-----| G|-------------5-7---------| D|---------5-7-------------| A|-----5-7-----------------| E|-5-8---------------------|
Tips
Start by playing it up and down, slowly, one note per beat. Then improvise over an Am, G, F progression: ending your phrases on an A (in orange) gives a sense of resolution.
Heard in
The solo in Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) is built largely on this scale, in this exact position.
Chords that go with it
The chords built on the notes of the scale: improvise with this scale over any progression that uses them.
Progressions to use it on
Loop the first one and improvise over it:
All 5 positions
Each position covers all six strings, with two notes per string. Position 1 starts on the root, on the 6th string.
Position 1: frets 5 to 8
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|---------------------5-8-| B|-----------------5-8-----| G|-------------5-7---------| D|---------5-7-------------| A|-----5-7-----------------| E|-5-8---------------------|
Position 2: frets 7 to 10
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|-------------------------8-10-| B|--------------------8-10------| G|----------------7-9-----------| D|-----------7-10---------------| A|------7-10--------------------| E|-8-10-------------------------|
Position 3: frets 9 to 13
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|------------------------------10-12-| B|------------------------10-13-------| G|-------------------9-12-------------| D|-------------10-12------------------| A|-------10-12------------------------| E|-10-12------------------------------|
Position 4: frets 0 to 3
It also works an octave higher, frets 12 to 15.
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|---------------------0-3-| B|-----------------1-3-----| G|-------------0-2---------| D|---------0-2-------------| A|-----0-3-----------------| E|-0-3---------------------|
Position 5: frets 2 to 5
It also works an octave higher, frets 14 to 17.
High E at the top, just like in tab; the numbers under the neck are fret numbers.
e|---------------------3-5-| B|-----------------3-5-----| G|-------------2-5---------| D|---------2-5-------------| A|-----3-5-----------------| E|-3-5---------------------|