Tag Archives: pentatonic scales

The C major pentatonic scale is a 5-note scale derived from its parent scale, the C major scale. It consists of the notes C, D, E, G and A. In this lesson we’ll take a look at how the scale is built, the 5 CAGED positions of the scale, and some real world applications of the scale.

Navigating the guitar fretboard can be quite daunting. It’s a grid of notes that, when taken at face value, offers little insight into the nature of how it works. But if we drill down and start applying the basic structures of music to the guitar, interconnected shapes and patterns start to emerge that help you map out the fretboard.

There are many ways to go about soloing over chord changes, but it essentially comes down to outlining the chords in the progression to highlight the changes. In this lesson we’ll take a look at some simple options for playing over chord changes that work in a writing setting as well as for improvisation.

As guitarists, once we learn the pentatonic boxes we seem to immediately strive to get “out of the box” and extend our playing up and down the fretboard. However, what if instead of trying to get out of the box, we seek to maximize what each box position has to offer?