Lesson Tag: soloing

Now it’s your turn to try your hand at it, using the patterns and techniques we’ve discussed thus far. Take some risks and don’t fear mistakes. The more you try the better you’ll get – and the more fun you’ll have!

We close out this Intro to the Blues by going through the C-Minor Pentatonic scale, and I offer a couple more great sounding riffs you can add to your playing.

Here are a few more soloing ideas using our Pentatonic scale. I also introduce the major-3rd note into the mix, which gives a great blend of minor and major sounds.

We’re moving quickly now: we know how to find the blues chords in this key, we know where to place and play the Pentatonic Scale for soloing, we know the 12-bar form. Here we give some additional tips for playing rhythm, and give you some ideas for the final turnaround measure.

Here are a few riffs for the minor pentatonic scale. Now that you know the scale, start experimenting! One of the most rewarding parts of playing guitar is that you can create your own stuff with the tools you’ve been given. Begin thinking musically rather than technically and you’ll be surprised at what you can do.

We can add a note to the standard minor pentatonic scale to make it sound even funkier and more bluesy. Technically, we’re adding the flat-5 (b5) note into the scale. This creates a very dissonant sound which adds so much more soul and funk to our blues.
What you’ll later find is that this b5 note makes an appearance in other genres, too, such as rock, country, funk, etc. The b5 is the gift that keeps on giving!

Here we explore the A-minor Pentatonic Scale, and see how it can be used for more soloing in the key of A.

A great feature of guitar scale shapes is that the same shape can be used for either a major sound or a minor sound, depending on where you place the pattern. Blues melodies and solos often weave in and out of major and minor feels. Here we look at two different pentatonic feels.

Here are a few ideas for transforming the Pentatonic notes into music!