How To Solo Over Guitar Chords With The Minor Pentatonic Scale.

Soloing over guitar chords is simple once you know how to use the minor pentatonic scale. Add spice and power to your solo's with these trouble-free but highly helpful techniques.

The humble minor pentatonic scale is what the majority guitar players start with when learning to solo. Trouble is, they don't learn to use the scale to it's greatest potential.

At this time, I'll illustrate you an comfortable way to take advantage of the pentatonic scale to solo over the three most common guitar chord types: Major, minor and dominant 7th chords.

1. Major Chords

A Major chord continuously has a relative minor chord. The simple way to find the 'relative' minor of any major chord on a guitar is to take the note three half-steps (3 frets) below the root note of the major chord.

For example: A C major chord - the root note is C. On a guitar, the note 3 frets below a C note is A. Therefore, A minor is the relative minor of C major.

So to solo over a C major chord, use the A minor pentatonic scale and you can't go wrong.

Another example: F major chord - three frets below the root of F, you will find D. So you use a D minor pentatonic scale over an F major chord.

Another example: G major chord - three frets below the G root note you'll find E. So... You use the E minor pentatonic to solo over a G chord.

At this point, you may have noticed that I listed C, F and G major chords there. Coincidentally, They are the 1, 4 and 5 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major. This applies to all instruments, not just guitar.

More in relation to this later...

2. Minor Chords

These are easy... Just apply the minor pentatonic of what ever the minor chord is. E.G. Use D minor pentatonic for a D minor chord, an E minor pentatonic for an E minor chord, an A minor pentatonic for an A minor Chord.

Now, did you notice I used D, E and A minor chords as the example? Did you also notice that these chords are the 2, 3 and 6 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major?

More about that later, too...

3. Dominant 7th Chords

You have a couple of choices at this time. But basically, you would use the relative minor pentatonic, or the minor pentatonic a tone below the root of the dom7 chord.

For example, over G7, you might use either E minor pent (relative minor), or D min pentatonic.

The reason you might use the D minor pentatonic over a G7 chord is because the Dmi chord and G7 chord often go together in chord progressions. Forcing a Dmi sound over a G7 chord gives a G7sus sound.

4. Thinking From a 'KEY" Perspective

OK, what we have looked at is the KEY of C Major. And basically you can use just the A minor pentatonic alone for ALL the chords in C, or you can also use the D and E minor pentatonics to add some color and more conformity to the chords being used at the time.

Remember, these values apply to whatever chord you are playing at any time, but can also be applied on a KEY basis,which is a more encompassing picture.

The Key of C Major has these chords:

C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, Bmin7b5.

Ami pent can be used over them all, or just the C and Am chords.

D min pentatonic can be used over the F and Dm chords.

E minor can be used over the Em and G7 chords.

We didn't state the 7 chord (Bmi7b5) because it's not used very much. But a worthy choice is the Dm pentatonic. In fact, though, you can use either of the three pentatonics from the C Major scale - Am, Dm or Em. Try them, see which you like best.

The idea of using pentatonics for different chords is a powerful one, don't overlook the cool sounds you can create with

such a simple device.

Also, in a future article, I'll be discussing 'Pentatonic Substitution' where I'll show you how to use substitute and altered pentatonics for even more sound choices.