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Learn Guitar Trick #9 – Minor Pentatonic Scale System Bb min

By Mike Hayes | January 10, 2010

The key of Bb is not part of the ‘guitar friendly’ keys in fact
you are more likely to find it in the ‘piano friendly’ keys
department; none the less it’s a favorite key for vocalists which
means it’s a key we need to be familiar with and competent in if
we want be part of a successful musical ensemble.

All time favorite songs such as Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B Good’
where originally performed in the key of Bb so there’s nowhere to
hide from this key it’s everywhere!

An essential part of being an all round musician/guitarist is
your ability to be versatile which means being able to present an
authentic performance of any song in any key that suits the
vocalist in your musical group;

I’m constantly reminded of this when I hear a guitarist show-off
his/her latest bag of guitar licks and tricks during the breaks
at rehearsal … in fact that’s the only time you will hear them
because once the ‘printed music’ comes out you won’t hear a
squeak from them … at least until the next break, when they
will no doubt return and make a nuisance of themselves.

So it’s time to join the guitarist’s who are part of the musical
solution not part of the vocalist’s problem …

Today our focus will be on the key of Bb

Minor pentatonic scale system – Bb minor

The notes in the Bb minor pentatonic scale are:

Bb – Db – Eb – F – Ab – (Bb)

If you played these notes anywhere on the guitar fingerboard you
will be playing the Bb minor pentatonic scale.

Here’s the most common fingering pattern for the scale

Bb – using your first finger behind the sixth fret, sixth string

Db – played with the fourth finger, fret nine, sixth string

Eb – first finger, sixth fret, fifth string

F – played with your third finger behind the eight fret, fifth
string

Ab – first finger, sixth fret, fourth string

Bb Minor pentatonic scale pattern

—————————
—————————
—————————
——————-6—[8]-
———–6—8———–
-[6]—9——————-

Keynotes indicated as [ ]

The same scale one octave higher.

Bb minor pentatonic one octave higher:

———————-[6]-
————–6—9——-
——6—8—————
-[8]———————-
————————–
————————–

Now for another way to play the Bb minor pentatonic
scale:

———————————
———————————
———————————
————————-6—[8]-
————-4—6—8———–
—4—[6]———————–

Keynotes or root notes as they are also called are your
reference points in the scale, they are the notes that the scale
takes it’s name from e.g., the note on the sixth string, sixth
fret is called Bb, similarly the note on the four string, eight
fret is also called Bb as you can see I’ve marked them as
keynotes for the Bb minor pentatonic scale.

Try practicing the Bb minor pentatonic over pre-recorded chord
progression such as …

Typical chord progression(s) would be:

Bb /// | Db /// | Eb /// | F /// ||

or

Bb /// | Db /// |F /// | Eb /// ||

Chord progressions like these are created by using the notes of
the minor pentatonic scale to act as key notes for power chords;
try making your own progressions using the notes in the
scale.

Bb – Db – Eb – F – Ab – (Bb)

There’s an old joke that’s been passed around by musician’s for
years it goes like this:

“How do you get a guitar player to stop playing?”

Answer: “Put a piece of music in front of him!”

The sad part about it is that for 99.9% of the time it’s true!

Unfortunately guitar players, spend far too much time in front of
videos learn some impressive lick or solo without even knowing
what key the lick/solo is in … which means when it comes to
inserting their latest hot lick from their bag of tricks it’s
guaranteed to be a disaster because they are playing in some
foreign key.

Don’t be part of the guitar joke, join the other 0.1% and know
what you are doing; remember in a group the vocalist is
king/queen, learn how to play in all twelve keys, that’s a sure
fire way to built a reputation on guitar.

And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To
Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for
free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com

You’ll learn about hit song templates, simple scales, easy chords, red hot rhythms, and successful practice strategies in text, audio and video.

From Mike Hayes - The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar
System

Topics: Beginner Guitar Lesson, Guitar Fretboard, Learn And Master Guitar, guitar scales | No Comments »

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