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A Major Pentatonic Solo
Pro Tips:
(Click here)
Pro Tip:
Take the solo in small sections and build it up to lager sections.
Pay close attention to the rests, ties, and phrasing.
Support all the third finger bends with the first and second fingers.
Use the Backing track for your own improvisation!
The Major Pentatonic Scale is a very useful scale for soloing in a major key setting. It has a bluesy yet bright sounding vibe, and is very comfortable to play on the guitar.This sixteen measure solo is in the key of A, and uses the A Major Pentatonic Scale across the whole neck. Measures one and two is a simple call and response type phrase in the second position. The slurred note is the same phrase In measure one and two. In bars three and four there is a sixteenth note hammer-on, pull-off style phrase that is mostly on the second and fourth frets. Watch out for the sixteenth note rest right before beat two in measure three. Bar five jumps up to the fourth and sixth frets right before shifting to the tenth fret on the second string. Use your first and third finger for all of this except for the fifth fret on the second string.
Measure six is taken out of pattern four and contains a chromatic passing tone. The C#. Use three fingers to bend the twelfth fret up a whole step in bar seven. Measure eight has the same type of bend on the second string. Bars nine and ten is a similar phrase to bars one and two just in a different place in the scale. Measures eleven and twelve is a lot more of the hammer-on, pull-off style licks up in the fourteenth position. The rest of the solo is mostly in the fourteenth position using the home pattern of the scale.
Once you have the solo up to speed, use the backing track to really get the phrases under your fingers and in your head. To take it a step further try practice sessions where you play four measures of the solo and then four measures of your own phrases. Practice switching back and fourth between your own ideas, and licks from the solo. This can also be done in two measure sections.
Free Demo Video
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Backing Tracks
Most exercises include backing tracks for you to practice with. They are also provided in the same tempos as the videos. Backing tracks are available for paid members only and are downloadable MP3 files.
Transcriptions
Every exercise includes a transcription in standard notation as well as guitar tab. The transcriptions are presented online and are also available for download as a PDF for printing or saving to your computer. The transcriptions are available for Paid Members of PracticeTheGuitar.com
