Who this is for
Learners who know the major scale and the I, IV and V chords and want the sound of rock, blues and folk. Already improvise over a twelve-bar blues? Test out on Day 6.
Best done after: Steps & the Major Scale, Chord Progressions. It is advice, not a rule: every lesson has short "rusty on…?" boxes for anything you skipped.
Why learn this
Pentatonic scales have five notes and no half steps, so almost nothing you play can sound wrong. They are the first scale for most guitarists and the backbone of rock, blues, folk, gospel and pop melodies around the world.
The twelve-bar blues is the most important chord pattern in popular music. This program puts the two together: the scales that fit, the chords that carry them, and how to use the **blue note** that gives the sound its edge.
What you will be able to do
- The major pentatonic scale
- The minor pentatonic scale
- How the two are related
- The blues scale and the blue note
- The twelve-bar blues in any key
- Which scale to play over which chord
The 6-day plan
- The major pentatonic scale. Build the major pentatonic scale from the major scale and spell it in any key.
- The minor pentatonic scale. Build the minor pentatonic and see how it relates to the major pentatonic.
- The blues scale and the blue note. Add the blue note to the minor pentatonic and spell the blues scale.
- The twelve-bar blues. Know the twelve-bar blues chord pattern and play it in any key.
- Playing over the blues. Choose the minor or major pentatonic and the blues scale over a twelve-bar blues.
- Putting it together. Combine scales and chords: know what to play over a blues, in any key.
How each session works
Every day follows the shape of a workout. It starts with a warm-up that reviews earlier days, then technique: a short, plain explanation with a small interactive tool to try it on. Then come the working sets, drills with instant feedback, and a finisher, a short test with a pass mark so you only build on things you can do. A cool-down recaps the day and previews the next.
Choose your split
The daily split is a session a day: done in a week. The easy split is a session every other day, with rest days between: two weeks, and a gentler pace. On your own pace there is no schedule. Nothing is ever locked, and you can change split at any time.
What comes next
Ear Training 2: Hearing Chords: The 5-Day Program. See the whole training plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does "pentatonic" mean?
Five notes ("penta" is five, "tonic" is tone). A pentatonic scale picks five of the seven notes of a major or minor scale: the ones that never clash.
Why do pentatonic scales sound good over everything?
They leave out the two notes that make half-step clashes with the chords (the 4th and 7th in major, the 2nd and 6th in minor). With no half steps, there is nothing to rub against.
What is the blue note?
The flat 5th added to the minor pentatonic scale to make the blues scale. It sits between the 4th and the 5th and gives the gritty, bent-note sound of the blues.
Which pentatonic do I use?
Minor pentatonic works over minor chords and, surprisingly, over a whole twelve-bar blues in a major key. Major pentatonic gives a sweeter, country or folk sound over major chords.
What is the 12-bar blues?
A repeating pattern of twelve bars: I I I I / IV IV I I / V IV I V. In C that is C7 four bars, F7 two bars, C7 two bars, then G7, F7, C7, G7.