Turn Your Minor Pentatonic Scale into Major Pentatonic Scale

If you have learned all the patterns to the minor pentatonic scale, you can turn your minor pentatonic scale into major pentatonic scale patterns by changing your root notes. Check out my minor pentatonic scale patterns here if you have not learned all five patterns to the minor pentatonic scale.

Change Your Root Note Perspective

This is a change of perspective and listening. If we change the A minor chord to playing a C major chord, all your A minor pentatonic scale connections will become five major pentatonic scale connections.

First, find all your C notes in the minor pentatonic scale patterns. These now become your root notes for the scale patterns. Next note which C notes fall on the sixth string and the fifth string.

For this, I like to use the home base pentatonic pattern or the 1st minor pentatonic scale pattern everyone uses as my first pentatonic scale. (You could just as well use the 2nd pentatonic pattern since the C note is on the sixth string). For example, if my chord is an A chord I can move my A minor pentatonic scale back 3 frets putting my fourth finger as the root for an A major pentatonic scale.

When doing this the other four patterns follow moving them back 3 frets as well. Basically, instead of using the first finger as my root, I am using the fourth finger. This makes the scale look like an F# minor pentatonic scale, but I am using it as an A major pentatonic scale instead. So you are getting more mileage out of using the same patterns you already use for two different uses. One for minor sounds and a second for major sounds.

How to Use the A Major Pentatonic Scale

Try to apply the A major pentatonic scale on a twelve-bar blues backing track on the A7 instead of A minor pentatonic on the fifth fret, also called the fifth position. This would look like you are using the F# minor pentatonic at fret two or second position, but instead of using the first finger as a root, you are now using your fourth finger as the root. Also, note wherein the pattern your A notes are. These are also possible good starting and ending notes when first playing this scale.

When the chord changes to D7 go back to the A minor pentatonic scale at the fifth fret. Here you will definitely hear a change in scale sound.

When the chord changes back to A7, go back to A major pentatonic.

For the E7, just keep it simple and play A minor pentatonic. For the turnaround, also keep this simple by playing A minor pentatonic. When the chord progression starts again since we have implemented the major pentatonic sound, stay with A major pentatonic.

Playing the Chord Changes

This is a start to playing the chord changes. This means using the appropriate scale for the chord that is playing at the same time. Instead of using one scale for a progression, you are outlining the chord with the scale. If all the chords are from the same scale, then there is nothing wrong with staying with one scale, but a dominant 7th chord only happens once in the major scale.

Not to get too in-depth on this my example is when you are playing the 12 bar blues with A7, D7, and E7, you would change scales over these chords to play the right scale since a Dominant 7th chord only happens once in a major scale, not three times. On the A7 chord, you should play a D major scale since A7 is the fifth chord from D major. D7 is the fifth chord from G major and E7 is the fifth chord from A major. More about this in a future article.

For now, practice playing A major pentatonic scale over the first chord in a 12 bar blues in A.

Turn your minor pentatonic scale into major pentatonic scale patterns by moving your minor pentatonic patterns back three frets to start. Change your root note perspective. Instead of having your first finger as the root note, your fourth finger will become the root note at the fifth fret using the first or home base minor pentatonic scale. As always have fun practicing!