Pattern Two of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale

By now you should be very familiar with pattern one starting at the fifth fret. If not please review it here, pattern one-A minor pentatonic scale.

Onto pattern two of the A minor pentatonic scale. This second pattern starts on the end part of pattern one with the eighth fret as our starting note, “C”. Start with your second finger on C and then the fourth finger goes on D at the tenth fret. The fifth string is next using your first finger for E, and the fourth finger again for G at the tenth fret. On the fourth string, it is the same fingers for notes A and C. The third-string will use first and third fingers on the seventh and ninth frets for D and E. The last two strings will copy the same fingering as the sixth string, second and pinky fingers on the eighth and tenth frets. Second-string notes are G and A, and the first string notes are the same as the sixth string note names, C and D.

How to Practice

Practice pattern two of the A minor pentatonic scale the same way as pattern one. Now you can add this pattern to give you an extended range playing the A minor pentatonic scale. Practice going up and down patterns one and two. You could also go up pattern one and down pattern two or vice versa.

Two Notes Per String

The two notes per string can lend itself to playing the notes as eighth notes pretty well. If you don’t know how to do this, set a metronome at a comfortable tempo and play your first note, for example using this pattern with C, and on the offbeat when you don’t hear a click with the D note. Then on the click, you would play the next note E, following to G with the offbeat, and so on. When you reach the first string play the D note twice, this will put the click starting on D, and then C will be on the offbeat continuing down the scale. Combine this with pattern one as well.

Till Next Time

Memorize the note names on each string. Notice the A’s. They are the root notes of this scale. You can move this scale around (no open strings). If you do and you know where the root notes are, you will know what the new key will be. For example, if you move both patterns up one fret, you will be playing Bb minor pentatonic scale. If you move both patterns up again one fret, you will be playing B minor pentatonic scale. Do this after you have the patterns well memorized and know the root note patterns of each minor pentatonic position.

Until next time, have fun practicing and learning!