Ultimate Pentatonic Scale Guide [Every Essential Shape!] 

This man probably isn't HALF as old as ME, but he's one of the Best guitar teachers I've ever seen on RU-vid and I've seen a LOT, believe me! Someone asked, "Yeah, this is Great, but HOW do you take this information and make music with it?." Well, I don't know quite how to SAY this, so I'll try the only way I CAN... Improvisations come from TWO places... Your Musical "Soul", The Sounds you hear in your HEAD that you would LOVE to express , and the SECOND place is your EXPERIENCE, the YEARS of beating up your fingers, of learning and playing scales and chords and licks and riffs, and LISTENING!.. To your Favorites, but ALSO to OTHERS, OUTSIDE your favorite genre, or favorite players... LISTEN AND LEARN FROM ALL GUITARISTS!! If you TRULY have ALL of those scale positions "under your fingers", meaning you've PRACTICED them SO many Times, that you can DO it with your eyes closed, and without even THINKING about it.. if you KNOW all of those notes, and more IMPORTANTLY, your FINGERS know where all those notes are, then after THAT, my friend, it's ALL just improvisation... You have to LISTEN to ENOUGH BB King, and Lightnin' Hopkins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, (or whatever blues artists you like), you have to have HEARD and Listened to enough Blues to HAVE those intervals, those solos, in your MEMORY and in your Soul..! I guess you have to FEEL the Blues if you REALLY want to be a GOOD Blues improviser! SAME THING, with ROCK or Jazz or ANYTHING!... You can LEARN where EVERY note on the neck IS, and you can practice Hard enough, to build up superhuman SPEED... But, do you WANT to sound like Yngwie Malmsteen playing the Blues?.. I DON'T... I'd LOVE to sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan, on a HOT night... And Eric Johnson, with his big interval jumps... And throw in something from the MASTER, Johann Sebastian Bach, with his Counterpoint melodies, moving in opposing directions!... I guess you have to FEEL something like the blues, to get the type of bends that David Gilmour pulls off!... HE is a PERFECT example... The Man HAS NEVER, probably COULD Never, play a Solo, with the SPEED of Steve Vai... But I wouldn't CARE, if I could play with just HALF the FEEL of a David Gilmour SOLO!... LISTEN... and PLAY.... Repeat and Rinse, till your fingers are sore... then REPEAT some MORE, until your calluses are too TOUGH, to get sore!.... THAT'S ALL MY 50 Years of Guitar Wisdom, wrapped up in ONE paragraph!... My GIFT to the World of my Brothers, guitar players!

Jules this is an exceptional lesson. Just one suggestion. Let everyone know that moving the minor positions back 3 frets gives you the same fingering but a major scale

One of the best teachers on RU-vid.

We’ve all seen these 5 pentatonic shapes before and most of us drag our feet to learn all the shapes in every key. However, this is a refreshingly better way to learn these important concepts and move us out of our practice ruts. Great lesson. Thanks for posting.

You are absolutely correct about the diagram of the fret board being shown incorrectly and confusing. I, and others have pointed this out before, and it is never corrected. I wish Jules would listen to subscribers and show diagrams correctly for the many viewers that see his videos. Jules is one of the best if not the best instructor on RU-vid. I have learned a great deal from him as I am sure the vast collective of his viewers/subscribers. Please listen to your subscribers, Jules.

I don’t know why people are complaining so much about the diagram he is using. Yeah it’s flipped but it doesn’t matter he’s still pressing the correct notes and it’s easy to follow honestly well done video

I have been playing guitar for years and Jules is on the Mount Rushmore of RU-vid guitar teachers! Probably the BEST comprehensive pentatonic scale lesson I have seen on RU-vid! Excellent teacher! He will definitely take your playing to the next level!

I’m telling ya we are all connected. I was just thinking about all these ways of playing the pentatonic and you pump out this great video on it! Thanks!

Best Pentatonic scale video ever. BOOK MARKED!

As more of a novice I need to check your Patrion site. Good stuff, thank you.

Thanks, Jules. It is just exceptional how you present your videos and your clear, precise instruction. 🎸👍

Fantastic way of teaching pentatonic scale all over the frets . Making it so easy to understand

That was so well done, I have never had it presented quite like this before.

Wow! Jules, you are truly the best IMHO. You teach with such clarity. Thank you!

An all in one tutorial! Thanks!

This is an absolutely amazing video! I can not express how thankful I am, honestly. 🎉❤🎉 Thank you so much Sir 🙏🙏🙏

Very very concise, with great graphics and illustrations of how to use them to solo. Top marks !

I can't read music, but I'm pleased to say that I figured out the 2, 3 pattern when I was about 18 in the late 60s.I called it "twos and threes". It is simple to move it back and forth on the fretboard, to suit any key, and works with minor and major tunes.

Absolutely brilliant lesson Jules! Thank you.

I have been playing for years and this is the best explanation and example I have come across 👍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank You for this. Great Lesson. Putting the note names in your fretboard diagrams makes it much easier to follow the scale pattern. Well done!!!

Fantastic video ! Incredibly helpful and inspiring ! Thank you for sharing !

Quality and so enjoyable! Thanks.

Thank you, you couldn't have explained it better, all I have to do now is practice

Great video, thanks for sharing! I have been playing the sliding pentatonic my whole life but you taught me some additional theory behind this great scale! I really like your teaching style, very relaxed and easy to follow, great work!!!

Jules excellent lesson really came together for me😅

Thanks Jules, I'm going to give my guitar another go.

Great one this is just what is needed to explain it simple and help everyone navigate easily! One Love!

Wow, Jules! Absolutely beautiful. Thank youuuuuuuuu!!!!

The Telly, is and sounds beautiful. Great video!

You are an incredible teacher son !

Great Lesson Jules. Thanks!!

Yet another excellent tutorial. You deserve 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really clear and coherent lesson, thank you!

Terrific episode. Thanks!

Hi Jules, Great video mate really nice presentation just the best and covered a lot of info in one video. Love your style Les.

Your Good! You are really helping me understand FINALLY! Thank You Jules!

BEST TEACHER 🏆

I'm having a lightbulb moment sir. Thx. 🙃🙂

Love this guy, great job

now this is a great lesson!!!

A long time ago I learned what you csll "the 3 + 2 diagonal". Person showing it said "here's something Hendrix used a lot". Ofcourse its one og the most generic and usable patterns out tgere, but that that triggered me Hendrix bait hooked me and I've been relying heavily on it ever since. Thanks for putting a good name on it!

This is by far one of the best Pentatonic lessons that we have seen so far. I love the way that you not only showed all the shapes but how you use them in context and application over a chord progression. I would love to see more like this as far as using a pentatonic scales. and also using Triads and double stops over chord progressions and mixing it all together just using the pentatonic scales and the chord shapes that come out of the pentatonic scales

What a quality content, thank you!

great lesson - thanks for sharing

Awesome job again, thank you so much

Love this channel!

you are the best!!! thank you from Argentina!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great outlines explanation .. this is exactly where I am at … craving to fully join the dots with caged and pentatonic positions 👍🏻

awesome video. you only forgot one thing... your beer. lol. you make it easy to play the blues. thanks brother.

Fun tip, when you are changing the note you start on but keeping to the same scale (notes played) then you are playing a different mode of the scale. Which all have their own crazy names, and make it sound more complicated than it is.

That nice little example at 8 minutes , sounded a lot like black crowes , jealous of him ….. great reminder to all players … the more songs and keys you can identify with … the more tools in your box 👍🏻

This was a lovely video. Subbing Jules. 💯💢

Great instructing !

Чувак, ты гений.

Amazing!

Wonderful idea! I am a beginner, but I created a custom diagonal pentatonic scale for myself months ago, placing roots on the 5th and 6th strings accordingly. When I saw it here, I was surprised to see it, as I am a beginner and afraid I may not be certain about my idea. However, I was right. People stuck on 5 shapes including myself, loses time, energy, and dynamics due to the lack of smooth movement along octaves, which the diagonal one provides. However, it is tough to get all major and minor scales within my single custom shape. Hence, I made one for major and one for minor since the pattern of roots changes. Yet, I need to construct a couple of shapes to easily reach some keys (not letting them far away along the fret).

Merci et respect pour tout vos travaux très utile ! ❤🎸😎❤👍

Real nice lesson and great tone, btw. That first solo you did in Cm had a short riff inside from the Stairway to Heaven solo.

Hey great video dude, that's some useful information. Got me thinking a cool series could be licks inside these 3+2 and 2+3 shapes or licks inside similar shapes like the bb box. For me I've studied all these shapes and sequences but struggle to find a few licks in these shapes and get stuck playing the same stuff all the time. Cheers

It sure is not easy making up riffs even once you learned the scales all over the neck .And of course the other problem when playing say a blues made up solo ,is to not make it sound like you are NOT playing a scale .lol Great tuition.

Nice!

I prefer the way you show your tabs! Matches your guitar in the video. Much more intuitive😊

Thanks

EXCELLENT. LIKE YOOUR FST TALKING

So is this information helpful if I want to learn to play Jazz standards using the chord melody approach?

I’ve known this lead pattern for years, from the book Fretboard Logic. My problem is I find it really hard to make it sound musical, since the sliding around always seems to make it sound like a scale all the time for me. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Of course, the typical scale positions sound kind of like that when I use them as well. It’s frustrating.

So using the 2-3 or 3-2. Do you just move to the root to move this around?

would love to see how to mix major and minor pentatonic over a chord progression ! PS .... Sire Guitars you need to try better Than most Fender with better features and finish ..... try the 335 brilliant guitars. 😀

Can you start the 2-3 pattern or the 3-2 pattern on the 5th string

I thought it was very interesting. The only thing that throws me off is, I know you showed us all the shapes in the context of Am Pent. But how do we switch the patterns into other Keys? This is what I am not understanding.

1:32

Nice great lesson, just one thing 8:28 the titles are inverted

Mega top 👌🤪🙏

Weird approach on the diagrams they're flipped. Usually this diagrams are read left to right. In this video are right to left which is a bit confusing for the intended audience 😅

Why do you show the fretboard upside down?

Why are the fretboards reversed? Sixth string goes on the bottom.

👍👍

why are all these fret diagrams backwards

👍👍👍👍

It all makes perfect sense. But there seems to be no way to teach how to take this knowledge and play musically.

The diagram of the fretboard is confusing. It's making me actually want to move on and find other videos. I hope you fix this in the future.

Ho do I give money the page is in e. I am in america

think your diagram on Am pent at 9.33 is wrong !

I've never played the pentatonic in the "regular" way. The reason is: my fingers are short and the tendens of the ring and little finger are shortened...

✋👍👍👍!!!

You've almost got it but not quite lol wish I could show you the difference but....?

So, do you read from right to left? Nor do I. Wake up

Can’t look at those upside down backwards diagrams. Feel like I had a stroke.

Thanks!

I want to donate, no way in the box for "dollars"

Don't mind the bashing about the charts being upside down. That's OK: this is more intuitive for beginners as it corresponds to what they see on screen when you play, and therefore this is also readable for more advanced players

I always get chocolate stains on my pants

Someone’s left handed… 😂

That fretboard being backwards is confusing.

The reason I gave a thumbs down is the misleading graphic at the beginning. Unless you're playing everything at the 12th fret your pattern is wrong

Why are you having flipped diagrams? Look I get you are trying to help, but I'm a 15 years guitar teacher. It's not a good habit to share these diagrams that way. Tablature is 6 to 1 bottom to top. When you have guitar diagrams of scales to watch you look it the same way you look at your guitar, and what you see first is the 6th string.. same should be for the diagrams or tablature. This is not helping beginners. Please consider this for future videos. Also... EVERYONE else does the other way, why would you switch that??

Strongly suggest you rethink the diagrams. Very counter intuitive, and not what you typically see. Good lesson though.

I hate all guitar pattern videos. RU-vid Algo has been showing them to me and they all suck.

Great!!! Easy lesson!!!well done. Grazieeee