WEBVTT 00:00:05.598 --> 00:00:07.703 How are you doing? Justin here. 00:00:07.703 --> 00:00:12.211 In this lesson today, this is lesson 6 of the Blues Lead Guitar series, 00:00:12.211 --> 00:00:17.109 and in this lesson we're gonna be looking at position two of the minor pentatonic scale. 00:00:17.109 --> 00:00:20.115 Now, please be sure that you've got your position one down 00:00:20.115 --> 00:00:21.802 and you can use it, you can play licks 00:00:21.802 --> 00:00:25.362 and you're ready for position two before you get going on this. 00:00:25.362 --> 00:00:28.029 Much better to be able to play a solo using one position 00:00:28.029 --> 00:00:29.829 than be able to go up and down lots of positions, 00:00:29.829 --> 00:00:31.762 to not be able to actually use them. 00:00:31.762 --> 00:00:34.460 So, this lesson we're gonna talk about position two, 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:36.365 the different fingering options you've got, 00:00:36.365 --> 00:00:38.315 where the extra little cool notes are, 00:00:38.315 --> 00:00:41.143 and just a few little tricks around this scale. 00:00:41.143 --> 00:00:43.663 So, lets start by getting into a close-up 00:00:43.663 --> 00:00:48.223 and make sure that you've got the actual scale, up and down, correctly. 00:00:49.638 --> 00:00:54.122 So here we are for position two of our A minor pentatonic scale. 00:00:54.122 --> 00:00:56.146 Now, we're gonna be starting this one here, 00:00:56.146 --> 00:01:00.558 with our first finger on the7th fret of the fourth string. 00:01:00.558 --> 00:01:02.629 And this is the lowest root note. 00:01:02.629 --> 00:01:04.922 It's really important that you practice this scale 00:01:04.922 --> 00:01:07.282 starting and finishing on the lowest root note 00:01:07.282 --> 00:01:09.726 and not the lowest note of the scale. 00:01:09.726 --> 00:01:13.078 This is because you will start to hear where the scale comes from. 00:01:13.078 --> 00:01:15.823 And you'll hear the kind of the tonal center, if you like. 00:01:15.823 --> 00:01:20.020 So, we're gonna start here, with the first finger; 00:01:20.020 --> 00:01:24.925 then we've got the fourth finger on the tenth fret; 00:01:24.925 --> 00:01:29.860 first finger, seventh fret of the third string; 00:01:29.860 --> 00:01:34.478 third finger, ninth fret, third string. 00:01:34.478 --> 00:01:36.525 Now, I'm gonna show you some other options for this later, 00:01:36.525 --> 00:01:41.928 but for now we're gonna do the first finger, eighth fret, second string; 00:01:41.928 --> 00:01:45.315 third finger, tenth fret, second string; 00:01:45.315 --> 00:01:48.912 first finger, eighth fret, first string; 00:01:48.912 --> 00:01:53.525 third finger on the tenth fret of the first string. 00:01:53.525 --> 00:01:55.700 Straight back down that again: 00:01:55.700 --> 00:02:05.595 . . . 00:02:05.595 --> 00:02:07.248 Now we continue down the scale: 00:02:07.248 --> 00:02:10.666 little finger, tenth fret; 00:02:10.666 --> 00:02:14.263 first finger, seventh fret; 00:02:14.263 --> 00:02:17.549 little finger, tenth fret; 00:02:17.549 --> 00:02:21.389 second finger, eighth fret 00:02:21.389 --> 00:02:23.592 and then back up. 00:02:23.592 --> 00:02:28.992 . . . 00:02:28.992 --> 00:02:32.552 Making sure that we're starting and finishing on the lowest root note. 00:02:32.552 --> 00:02:36.211 So now I'm just gonna play that just up and down nice and slow. 00:02:36.211 --> 00:03:09.497 . . . 00:03:09.497 --> 00:03:12.432 Now, one of the most common fingering issues for this 00:03:12.432 --> 00:03:15.894 is when we get on to the second string and the first string. 00:03:15.894 --> 00:03:18.198 Now, some people think that it's better to use 00:03:18.198 --> 00:03:20.758 the second and fourth fingers 00:03:20.758 --> 00:03:23.742 on the notes on the 1st and 2nd strings up here. 00:03:23.742 --> 00:03:26.909 Now, if you're playing in certain circumstances it is better 00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:29.845 and if you're doing technical stuff it can be useful as well. 00:03:29.845 --> 00:03:32.242 So it would be worth practicing sometimes 00:03:32.242 --> 00:03:34.746 using this fingering as I'll show you now, 00:03:34.746 --> 00:03:37.635 I'm just gonna show you the top part of it, if you like, of this scale now. 00:03:37.635 --> 00:03:39.088 It's going here: 00:03:39.088 --> 00:03:43.260 . . . 00:03:43.260 --> 00:03:47.300 Here using second finger to fourth finger. 00:03:47.300 --> 00:03:56.740 . . . 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:00.472 Now the advantage, of course, is that your hand doesn't have to shift any, 00:04:00.472 --> 00:04:02.826 from here you don't have to go through this slide 00:04:02.826 --> 00:04:06.069 kinda getting jammed up a little bit in that section. 00:04:06.069 --> 00:04:09.795 . . . 00:04:09.795 --> 00:04:10.952 Use second and fourth 00:04:10.952 --> 00:04:14.512 . . . 00:04:14.512 --> 00:04:16.811 So why would you not wanna use 2nd and 4th 00:04:16.811 --> 00:04:18.702 when it appears easier? 00:04:18.702 --> 00:04:22.038 Well, the reason is because very often you're gonna be bending on this note here 00:04:22.038 --> 00:04:25.678 which is the tenth fret of the thinnest string. 00:04:25.678 --> 00:04:28.177 . . . 00:04:28.177 --> 00:04:30.122 This is a really, really common note to bend. 00:04:30.122 --> 00:04:33.645 We know that bending with your little finger is really hard and not very productive, 00:04:33.645 --> 00:04:36.912 so you generally wanna have your third finger on that spot. 00:04:36.912 --> 00:04:40.274 . . . 00:04:40.274 --> 00:04:42.620 It's a really, really common thing to be using those fingers. 00:04:42.620 --> 00:04:47.583 . . . 00:04:47.583 --> 00:04:49.685 So you can see that straight away you got nice vibrato here, 00:04:49.685 --> 00:04:50.980 using your third finger as well. 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:57.988 So, occasionally (plays) you're doing little patterns 00:04:57.988 --> 00:05:00.789 you might wanna use your second and fourth fingers there, 00:05:00.789 --> 00:05:05.995 but generally you wanna be using your 1st and 3rd fingers there for this bit. 00:05:05.995 --> 00:05:10.691 . . . 00:05:11.706 --> 00:05:14.848 Now, one of the things it's really important when you're practicing your scales 00:05:14.848 --> 00:05:17.555 or learning your scales is knowing what notes you can bend 00:05:17.555 --> 00:05:20.025 and how far you shoud bend them, if you're going to. 00:05:20.025 --> 00:05:21.365 Now, position two is a little bit funny, 00:05:21.365 --> 00:05:24.155 because some of the notes in there are really ones 00:05:24.155 --> 00:05:27.503 that you kinda have to be a bit careful with your bending on. 00:05:27.503 --> 00:05:30.488 So if we look at the first two notes, 00:05:30.488 --> 00:05:32.797 we're starting of course on the 4th string here, 00:05:32.797 --> 00:05:34.805 . . . 00:05:34.805 --> 00:05:37.875 That note that we come to with the little finger is the note C 00:05:37.875 --> 00:05:42.060 and this is the minor third in the key of A 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:45.269 And this is the note that you might remember from our earlier lessons 00:05:45.269 --> 00:05:48.195 that there you might put a curl on the note C. 00:05:48.195 --> 00:05:50.374 Now, you can bend that note 00:05:50.374 --> 00:05:52.788 but you only have to bend that a tone 00:05:52.788 --> 00:05:55.755 because it's A on the fourth string which is a bit weird 00:05:55.755 --> 00:05:59.168 at B, the fact that it's with your little finger 00:05:59.168 --> 00:06:01.635 you might find that a little bit awkward to get a bend on. 00:06:01.635 --> 00:06:04.405 So it's a quite uncommon note to bend, 00:06:04.405 --> 00:06:06.826 but a very common note to curl, to get : 00:06:06.826 --> 00:06:13.463 . . . 00:06:13.463 --> 00:06:15.605 So you might end up doing curls with little finger 00:06:15.605 --> 00:06:17.755 but a very unusual one to bend. 00:06:17.755 --> 00:06:19.632 If we look at notes on next two strings, 00:06:19.632 --> 00:06:24.537 we've got here the D and E with the first and third fingers (plays). 00:06:24.537 --> 00:06:28.608 Now, the note here, the E, if you kind of do a bend on that, 00:06:28.608 --> 00:06:30.472 you have to bend that a minor third 00:06:30.472 --> 00:06:32.309 which means three frets higher. 00:06:32.309 --> 00:06:39.565 So (plays) it's quite a big bend, quite an unusual bend as well, 00:06:39.565 --> 00:06:42.558 so even though that note could have the bend 00:06:42.558 --> 00:06:45.312 and it'd be a minor third, which is quite far, 00:06:45.312 --> 00:06:48.306 you can bend at a tone later on, if you get into Dorian mode, 00:06:48.306 --> 00:06:51.789 but it tends to be an unusual one to bend. 00:06:51.789 --> 00:06:53.611 But if you're "Greek-confused" there, 00:06:53.611 --> 00:06:56.525 "Oh no, Dorian mode, he's using his funny Greek stuff again!" 00:06:56.525 --> 00:06:58.475 so the Dorian mode in the key of A 00:06:58.475 --> 00:07:00.851 would simply mean that we're using the note F# 00:07:00.851 --> 00:07:03.937 which is a very cool and funky to use in an A blues, 00:07:03.937 --> 00:07:06.174 but not one that I wanna get into use just yet. 00:07:06.174 --> 00:07:08.971 So, possible to bend but unlikely. 00:07:08.971 --> 00:07:12.946 We get up to the second string (plays), 00:07:12.946 --> 00:07:16.980 we've got the notes G and A, A of course being the root note. 00:07:16.980 --> 00:07:19.694 Now, that note is a very, very dangerous one to bend, 00:07:19.694 --> 00:07:23.272 cos if you don't bend that enough, you're gonna get into real horrible note 00:07:23.272 --> 00:07:26.352 like the A# or B♭ which is possibly the worst note 00:07:26.352 --> 00:07:28.020 that you could play in a blues. 00:07:28.020 --> 00:07:30.158 So, if you gonna do a bend on this note, 00:07:30.158 --> 00:07:33.217 on the note A with a third finger on the second string, 00:07:33.217 --> 00:07:35.820 you have to make sure that you either bend it a tone 00:07:35.820 --> 00:07:41.038 up to the note B, which gives you a ninth (plays), 00:07:41.038 --> 00:07:44.260 but it's a little bit weird note to bend, to be honest, 00:07:44.260 --> 00:07:46.488 bending to the ninth you have to be a bit careful with, 00:07:46.488 --> 00:07:49.288 or you have to bend it the minor third up to the note C 00:07:49.288 --> 00:07:52.818 . . . 00:07:52.818 --> 00:07:54.565 which sounds cool, but it's quite a big bend. 00:07:54.565 --> 00:07:57.020 So those of you that are just starting out on your blues guitar 00:07:57.020 --> 00:08:00.260 I'd recommend again may be just not doing a bend with that note, 00:08:00.260 --> 00:08:03.171 rather than risking bending a funny one. 00:08:03.171 --> 00:08:06.223 So, possible but unlikely. 00:08:06.223 --> 00:08:07.592 Next on the thinnest string,, 00:08:07.592 --> 00:08:09.012 the last string that we gonna look a bending 00:08:09.012 --> 00:08:11.432 because we're not really gonna talk about bending on the thickest two strings, 00:08:11.432 --> 00:08:13.322 cos it's very, very rare. 00:08:13.322 --> 00:08:17.275 We've got here the notes C and D (plays). 00:08:17.275 --> 00:08:21.580 Now, if you remember, C is the note that it's very likely with put a curl on. 00:08:21.580 --> 00:08:24.386 So, you gonna be to practice here doing a first finger curl 00:08:24.386 --> 00:08:27.174 which should be the first finger on the eighth fret. 00:08:27.174 --> 00:08:32.025 . . . 00:08:32.025 --> 00:08:33.875 So just doing a little curl up there, 00:08:33.875 --> 00:08:38.746 it's like a little quarter tone bend, if you like (plays). 00:08:38.746 --> 00:08:41.205 Now, the other note on the thinnest string 00:08:41.205 --> 00:08:43.900 is the note D, with a third finger on the tenth fret, 00:08:43.900 --> 00:08:46.518 and that's a very good note to bend up a tone. 00:08:46.518 --> 00:08:53.045 . . . 00:08:53.045 --> 00:08:55.817 Now, I'm gonna go through and show you some licks in the next lesson, 00:08:55.817 --> 00:08:58.638 but to start of with, we wanna be playing that scale 00:08:58.638 --> 00:09:00.565 up and down, just straight up and down, 00:09:00.565 --> 00:09:02.291 making sure you're using your alternate picking, 00:09:02.291 --> 00:09:04.131 starting with the down pick of course 00:09:04.131 --> 00:09:07.214 and being aware that there's these other fingering options, 00:09:07.214 --> 00:09:10.229 that's really important, because lot of the licks you gonna use 00:09:10.229 --> 00:09:12.291 fingers that are kinda the "wrong" fingers, 00:09:12.291 --> 00:09:14.789 but remember when it comes to playing your actual solo 00:09:14.789 --> 00:09:18.358 the fingering doesn't really matter so much, it's just the notes that matter. 00:09:18.358 --> 00:09:23.285 And also being aware that (excuse me) that we've only got the 00:09:23.285 --> 00:09:28.186 really that big bend there on the thinnest string with a third finger, 00:09:28.186 --> 00:09:29.528 that's a good one to bend 00:09:29.528 --> 00:09:33.002 and the other ones you have to treat with a little bit of caution, 00:09:33.002 --> 00:09:34.758 you know, it's possible to bend them, 00:09:34.758 --> 00:09:36.845 but I don't recommend you start learning to bend them, 00:09:36.845 --> 00:09:40.866 because they might lead you to a bad place, bad notes. 00:09:40.866 --> 00:09:44.980 So, next stage for you, make sure you got that scale down, 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:46.758 you know where it is, you know the different fingerings 00:09:46.758 --> 00:09:49.435 and then I'll see you for the next lesson where we'll learn some licks 00:09:49.435 --> 00:09:53.767 and actually learn how to use this scale to make up some solos.