How to Play Lead Guitar: The Pentatonic Scale - Part 2 of a Two-Part Series

This is the second part in a two-part article concerning learning to play lead guitar. The theory behind playing classic lead was covered in part I. This pair of articles are meant to give you a basis from which to work. You probably will not exactly be able to play like Jimmy Page or Slash after reading these, but I will have given you the basic tools needed to progress toward playing like your favorite guitarists.

In the first part I covered basics of music theory and it is related to lead guitar playing. I also explained the theory behind the pentatonic scale, which is the technique used by most lead guitarists. Knowing what key you are playing in, as well as the notes involved in the pentatonic scale for that key are essential for playing the right scales at the right time. From the first article you will learn the first two scales covered in this series: The relative minor pentatonic scale pattern and the root pentatonic scale patter. In this second article I will teach you the other three patterns which are the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th patterns. Remember all of these patterns work for any key, you simply must know which note to start on. For more on this, see part I.

The 2nd Position of the Pentatonic Scale
Now I want to teach you about playing the pentatonic scale starting on the 2nd note of the key in which you are playing. We have been using the key of C for our examples so I will continue that trend here. The 2nd note of the key of C is the D note. Here is the pattern for playing the 2nd position pentatonic scale for the key of C (starting on the D note).D-E G-A C-D E-G A-C D-E

------------------------------------------10--12-
----------------------------------10--13---------
---------------------------9--12-----------------
-------------------10--12------------------------
-----------10--12--------------------------------
--10---12----------------------------------------

As I have said before, this pattern will work starting on the D note at any location on the fret board. Furthermore this pattern will work starting on the 2nd of any key. For the key of G you would start on A, for the key of E you would start on F#. If this seems like Greek to you then you should probably go back and read the Basic Music Theory section of part I.

On To the Third Position
Now let us talk about the third position pentatonic scale. For the key of C (the key we are using in these examples) has the E note at the third position. Because if you will remember the notes of the key of C major are C, D, E, F, G, A, B. E is the third note of the key of C major.

---------------------------------------------12-15---
-------------------------------------13-15-----------
-----------------------------12-14-------------------
--------------------12-14----------------------------
----------12-15--------------------------------------
-12-15-----------------------------------------------

You can use this pattern and start on any E note. Now if you were playing with a song in the key of A, what note would the third position pentatonic scale start on? If you said the C# note then you are right. Likewise if the key you were playing in was the key of G, then the third position pentatonic scale would start on the B note because B is the third of G major. Once you begin to see how simple this is you will wonder "what's so great about Jimmy Page? I can do the same thing!" Let's move on so you can get there.

The Fifth (and Final) Position of the Pentatonic Scale
In the key of C the G note is the fifth and therefore is a major chord. The tab for the G pentatonic scale for the key of C goes like this:

------------------------------------------15-17--
----------------------------------15-17----------
--------------------------14-17------------------
------------------14-17--------------------------
----------15-17----------------------------------
-15-17-------------------------------------------

Simply start on the G note and play the pattern. In this example we are starting on the G note that is located on the top string at the 15th fret. I am sure you know what I am going to say here. That's right! You can start on any G note on the fretboard just as long as you play the pattern. Now G is the fifth of the key of C but what is the fiftH of the key of D? If you learned your major scale pattern from part I properly then you know that the fifth of the key of D is the A note. So if the song
you were playing with was in the key of D and you wanted to play the fifth position pentatonic scale then you would start on the A note--top string, fifth fret...or any where else you find the A note.

An Example of Pentatonic Scale In Use
I want to give you an example of how a modern guitarist has used the scales we have discussed here. Following you will find the tab for the guitar solo of the song "Cherub Rock" by the band Smashing Pumpkins. Granted it is written by an advanced guitarist but it will help you visualize how these scales are used in real musical situations. The song is written in the key of E. So the pentatonic notes associated with this key are E (the root), F# (2nd), Ab (3rd), B(5th), C#(6th or relative minor). If you play the patterns for each of these positions and then compare those to the notes Billy Corgan uses in his solo you will see that all of the notes he uses come from one of the five positions of the pentatonic scale in the key of E. The solo was tabbed by Tom Parker for www.guitartab.com. Notice that the first three sections take place within the 3rd position scale (for the key of E the third is G#. Start on G# at the 16th fret on the top string, play the 3rd position pattern and you will see the notes Corgan was using when he penned this solo. As the solo progresses, Corgan jumps down and begins playing between the first/root position at the 12th fret (E) and the 6th/relative minor position at the 9th fret (C#).

preB---R                      /B
|-----------------------(17)15-------|-------------19(21)--19----------|
|-/17--------------------------------|----17-19-17---------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
(slow)             A.H.
|-17-19-19-16-17-16----/B\-----------|-/21(22)\------------------------|
|------------------17-19(21)---------|-/------\-----/14(15)------------|
|------------------------------------|--------\-----/------------------|
|------------------------------------|--------------/------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
(very slow)
|--/P\-------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|-15-12------------------/B\---------|---------------------------------|
|-------13--11-9-11-13-11---(12)\----|-11(12)/------------------------|
|-------------------------------\----|-------/12(14)\-----------^^^^^^|
|-------------------------------\----|-------/------11--9--7---9------|
|-------------------------------\----|-------/------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|^^---/B\------------------9----11---|-11(12)--(12)11------------------|
|-9--9(10)--9------------------------|-----------------12--------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|

One Final Word About These Lessons
I have shown you the patterns for playing in all five positions of the pentatonic scale. Remember playing lead guitar is not just a fingers game, it is also a mental game. As with most activities it is 90% mental, 10% physical. Yes, you need your dexterity and speed but what good does it do you if you do not know what notes to play? All that I have shown you in these two articles are meant to help you learn the patterns. If you know the patterns and you know what notes to start on, then eventually you will be able to play solos in any key any where on the fretboard. But you must practice the patterns over and over. Make them a large part of your practice time. Practice them for about an hour a day. Play all five positions and play them in different keys. Learn the pattern, not necessarily the notes. Learn the pattern. Also if you know some other musicians or if you are part of a band, get together with them and just jam. Come up with some simple chord progressions in different keys and just play them. Practice playing lead licks within the scales you have learned and enhance them with pull-offs, hammer-ons and other lead techniques. Over time you will find that playing lead comes quite naturally and even writing guitar riffs will become easier.

I hope this series has helped you and that you will be able to put these ideas to good musical use. Good luck!