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Blues Guitar Workshop 1

Lesson 5:
E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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Lesson 1 E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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Discussion Now we'll take a look at the E minor pentatonic and E blues scales that are used for soloing over
Chat the blues in E. Since the key of E has been tremendously popular for country and electric blues
and rock 'n' roll, these scales can be heard in thousands recordings of classic solos.

E Minor Pentatonic and E Blues Scales

E Minor Pentatonic Scale: Open Position, Full Range

To play the E minor pentatonic scale full range in the open position, practice it from the low root
(or tonic) on the low E string, to the high note (the note G; 3rd fret, high E string), and then play
back down the scale to the low root.

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Lesson 1 E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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E Blues Scale: Open Position, Full Range
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To play the E minor pentatonic scale full range in the open position, practice it from the low root
(or tonic) on the low E string, to the high note (the note G; 3rd fret, high E string), and then play
back down the scale to the low root.

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Berkleemusic Online School -- BMP-122.01 Blues Guitar Workshop 1

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Lesson 1 E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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E Blues Scale: Triplet Exercise
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Lesson 1 E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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Open Positions Blues Phrases
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Example 1

This phrase is mostly triplets; it is played on the top four strings, and starts on the open B string.
Note the slide on beat 4 of measure 1 from the note A (2nd fret) to the note Bb (3rd fret). Also
note the trill at the end, which sounds as the note E. It's played as a series of very quick hammer-
ons and pull-offs between the open D string and the E on the 2nd fret.

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Berkleemusic Online School -- BMP-122.01 Blues Guitar Workshop 1

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Lesson 1 E Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales

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Open Positions Blues Phrases Cont.
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Example 2

This low-end blues lick starts on the low E string. Refer to the video to help get the feel of the
timing for the sixteenth note triplet, which is played on the "& of 2" in bar 1.

Experiment with the phrases above; change the notes and rhythms around, and try creating some
of your own blues licks. When you discover a new sound or a combination of notes that you like,
keep working to develop the phrase. If you're interested in developing your soloing chops, one of
your goals should be to learn and assimilate new phrases, and incorporate them into your soloing
vocabulary.

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Berkleemusic Online School -- BMP-122.01 Blues Guitar Workshop 1

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