Amit Les Paul

Know the 5 Pentatonic Shape to Solo & Improvise for Intermediate Guitarists

2012-12-15T21:10:00.001+05:30

I've been blogging for 10 months now and found one major problem with the guitarist who are intermediate . Intermediate guitarist are the ones who know every possible chord and can play every song but the problem is that they don't know the theory which backs up the chords , the solo and the song . So this is a simple tutorial for the guitarist who are stuck and bored by playing one or two songs over and over on the same chords .

If you want to learn how to solo and improvise in blues and rock you must know the 5 pentatonic scale shapes . Guitarists usually start with one of the patterns of the pentatonics and then don't go further . I recommend to thorough 5 patterns in your mind and practice them over and over building speed .

Major and Minor Pentatonic Scale
There may be two types of the pentatonic scale but you just have to learn the same pattern to learn them , they're just played in different locations on the fretboard. This can be tricky to understand at first, but will become clear with practice.

One string Pentatonic ( Major & Minor )
To learn the whole pattern you first have to understand the pentatonic scale on one string .
Here is the example of Minor Pentatonic Scale on one string :

This is just a pattern you have to follow suppose you want to play A minor pentatonic then just take the A note on the fret board at 5th fret low E string and follow above pattern .
Here is an example of A minor pentatonic on one string :
e:-----------------------------|
B:-----------------------------|
G:-----------------------------|
D:-----------------------------|
A:-----------------------------|
E:-5--8--10--12--15--17--------|

The same thing is with the major pentatonic scale but the only difference is that the major pentatonic scale starts from the second note of minor pentatonic and then follows same pattern .
Here is the example of Major Pentatonic Scale on one string :

So for playing A major pentatonic the pattern is as above starting from 5th fret .
Here is the example of A major pentatonic on one string :

e:-----------------------------|
B:-----------------------------|
G:-----------------------------|
D:-----------------------------|
A:-----------------------------|
E:-5--7--9--12--14--17---------|

The 5 Pentatonic Scale Shapes (with roots) :
Now that we have learned major and minor pentatonic one string here are the five pentatonic patterns :

Here is an example in the key of A to help you practice :

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #1:
e:------------------------5-8-5-----------------------------------------|
B:--------------------5-8-------8-5-------------------------------------|
G:---------------5-7----------------7-5---------------------------------|
D:----------5-7-------------------------7-5-----------------------------|
A:-----5-7----------------------------------7-5-------------------------|
E:-5-8------------------------------------------8-5---------------------|

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #2:
e:----------------------------8-10-8------------------------------------|
B:----------------------8-10----------10-8------------------------------|
G:-----------------7-9---------------------9-7--------------------------|
D:------------7-10------------------------------10-7--------------------|
A:------7-10-----------------------------------------10-7---------------|
E:-8-10----------------------------------------------------10-8---------|

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #3:
e:------------------------------10-12-10--------------------------------|
B:------------------------10-13----------13-10--------------------------|
G:-------------------9-12----------------------12-9---------------------|
D:-------------10-12--------------------------------12-10---------------|
A:-------10-12--------------------------------------------12-10---------|
E:-10-12--------------------------------------------------------12-10---|

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #4:
e:-------------------------------12-15-12-------------------------------|
B:-------------------------13-15----------15-13-------------------------|
G:-------------------12-14----------------------14-12-------------------|
D:-------------12-14----------------------------------14-12-------------|
A:-------12-15----------------------------------------------15-12-------|
E:-12-15----------------------------------------------------------15-12-|

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #5:
e:-------------------------------15-17-15-------------------------------|
B:-------------------------15-17----------17-15-------------------------|
G:-------------------14-17----------------------17-14-------------------|
D:-------------14-17----------------------------------17-14-------------|
A:-------15-17----------------------------------------------17-15-------|
E:-15-17----------------------------------------------------------17-15-|

PENTATONIC SCALE SHAPE #5:
e:------------------------3-5-3-----------------------------------------|
B:--------------------3-5-------5-3-------------------------------------|
G:---------------2-5----------------5-2---------------------------------|
D:----------2-5-------------------------5-2-----------------------------|
A:-----3-5----------------------------------5-3-------------------------|
E:-3-5------------------------------------------5-3---------------------|

Few Tips for Understanding :
The major and minor follow same pattern as i said earlier so if you are learning the first pattern above and playing in the key of A , then the the pentatonic scale is A minor . To play A major pentatonic with the same pattern move the whole pattern up two frets making the first note of the A minor second note of A major .
Here's an example to understand this clearly :
A minor pentatonic :
e:------------------------5-8-5-----------------------------------------|
B:--------------------5-8-------8-5-------------------------------------|
G:---------------5-7----------------7-5---------------------------------|
D:----------5-7-------------------------7-5-----------------------------|
A:-----5-7----------------------------------7-5-------------------------|
E:-5-8------------------------------------------8-5---------------------|

A major pentatonic :

e:------------------------2-5-2-----------------------------------------|
B:--------------------2-5-------5-2-------------------------------------|
G:---------------2-4----------------4-2---------------------------------|
D:----------2-4-------------------------4-2-----------------------------|
A:-----2-4----------------------------------4-2-------------------------|
E:-2-5-----------------------------------------5-2----------------------|

Thats all for this post . Feel free to comment if you have any query or suggestion's .

Thanks
Amit Kothiyal

Guitar Chord Software for Windows

2012-08-28T00:05:00.001+05:30

For a long time i'm searching for a perfect guitar chord software which can give me notation for every chord as well as variations and movable bar chords so as to broaden my knowledge of one or more chords . Luckily, I found a perfect software for guitar chords but before downloading and using the software read this post :
How to read chords & tabs ? (recommended)

Here is the download link for the software : Download Now

Screenshot of the Software

Chord Construction & Exploring Open Chords On Fret Board For Any Chord

2012-07-02T08:43:00.000+05:30

The open chords are a delight to use and sound beautiful when used correctly . Some of the guitarists may argue that barre chord sound's more right but this actually depends on the feel of the song . At some point barre chords sound too warm and heavy but if you're playing a song on a cheerful note then you need something that sound's gentle , cool and happy . The open chords provide all the qualities which a song with special feel needs .

Chord Construction
Before continuing towards chord construction I would recommend that if you don't know about the fret board notes then refer to my earlier post : Memorize Your Guitar Fret Board & Basic Music Theory . I'm giving a complete fret board with all notes here for a reference and reminder of the earlier post .

Complete Fret Board with all notes

If you know where all the notes reside on the fret board then its half way towards construction of a chord . Here's how every chord is made on your fret board :

Step 1 : Chord Formula
Every chord that is designed to be played has a formula . This formula can be said similar to the one's we find in our science books but the major difference is that here we have roman numerals instead of elements of the formula . Here's a chart for the formula for every chord like major , minor , diminished etc .

Chord Formulas : (b=flat , #=sharp)

You don't need to learn this whole chart but this will be helpful when your finding some chord on the fret board .

Step 2 : Scale Note & Degree
This is a chart for the scale notation for every note from I to I(octave) . Here also you don't need to understand the chart to make chords it's just a reference for Step 3 .

Scale Note and Degree Chart

Step 3 : Finally, how to make the chord ?
In this step we will use the charts from step 1 and 2 two make a chord . So , Here's what you need to do

From the Formula chart find which type of chord you are looking for ( like major , minor , minor 6 etc ) .
Now remember the formula ( the roman numerals ) for the chord you are looking for .
Go to the second chart now and find the chord then write down the corresponding note according to the formula .

Here's an example how to do this :

Say we choose G major chord to start with so the formula for major is I-III-V.
Now we go to the scale chart and find G scale . Then according to the formula on G scale at I-III-V the note are G-B-D .

Now you just have to find combination of these three notes on the fret board and the chord will always be called G major .
Here's an example of simple G major which we use :

As you can see above that when we construct the chords the only notes that come in the chord are G-B-D .

Exploring Open Chords
After you know the theory to construction of a chord it's time for you to have some fun exploring your guitar's neck for alternative of the open or barred chords .
Say, If we take E major chord the formula corresponds E-G#-B and the various formation across fret board are :

001220
4542xx
799970
12 12 13 14 14 12
45467x
12 9 9 9 11 12

To know how to read guitar chords refer to :

How to read the chords and tabs on the blog?

You can still find many shapes by tuning the guitar to a specific tuning . The whole theory remains the same all the time . So best of luck finding the correct sound for your songs . Experiment a little and you may come up with your own brand new chord . If you were unable to understand anything please comment that is always appreciative .

Thanks,
Amit Les Paul

Theory Behind Every Barre Chord You Play

2012-06-07T15:29:00.000+05:30

Yeah that's right every barre chord has been derived like a formula from a theory of music . And these chords are sewn on your fret board such that you can find each and every barre chord very easily .

For those of you who know some barre chord this article will be a deep study of barre chords . But the beginners can also start their journey into the world of barre chord from here . So without wasting anymore time .

Basic Music Theory

The visitors who are following my blog may have read my previous article Memorize Your Guitar Fret Board & Basic Music Theory. So I'll be really quick on this this time cause we probably gonna need this theory in our barre chord campaign .

For this lesson you just need to remember the seven notes in music7 natural notes : Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
If we see this in english the 7 notes are : A B C D E F G A

For more details about music theory follow the link :

Memorize Your Guitar Fret Board & Basic Music Theory

The Barre Chord Theory

There are mainly two types of barre chords around the neck of your guitar which you can play very easily . They are :

1. 'A' Barre chord (barre chords following the A major pattern)

2. 'E' Barre chord (barre chords following the E major pattern)

'A' Barre Chord

These are the barre chord which follow a 'A' major pattern . As

every barre chord is played by barring a fret and playing 'A' major .

Here's an Example :

An Open A major Chord

Now , If we remember the Basic Music Theory then after A the note that follows is B . Thus , a 'B' major chord is played by barring the 2nd fret and then playing 'A' major on 4th fret .

B major barre chord

After this we just have to move this pattern down the neck to find our chords . But as we know there are also sharps(#) and flats(b) in between these notes thus we move this pattern two frets to find another major chord and if we want the sharps and flats we just move this pattern one fret.

So if we see the notes with sharps it is :

A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A

As you can see after B there is no sharp(#) thus we will move the pattern above only one fret .

Yeah this is that simple . Just hold the 'B' major chord above and follow the notes shifting the pattern one fret . And here's the result :

Likewise if we change this pattern and replace A major with Am then we get the minors for every chord like for

C major to make Cm :

Here we just changed the A major shape with Am on 3rd fret .

'E' Barre Chord

Similar to the 'A' barre chord E major chord can be applied with the same concept . Here I'm just giving the chart :

Similar like the A major if you play Em on a bar then you can make out the chords Am , Bm etc .

So hope you enjoyed reading this article on the Barre chord. Stay tuned to Amit Les Paul for more of guitar information and guitar chords .

Facebook : facebook.com/amtlespaul

Twitter : @amitlespaul

Leave a comment anytime you want . I appreciate it .

Thanks ,

Amit Les Paul

Memorize Your Guitar Fret Board & Basic Music Theory

2012-06-03T18:39:00.002+05:30

Learning the fretboard is like the most important thing an advance guitarist should do , It makes you understand the bigger side of the music theory over your entire fretboard. And knowing all the notes on the fingerboard will help you to open a whole new world.

When learning the fretboard I must tell you that its not for the total beginners . This is for the one's who have learned almost every barre chord and know where to play them or you must know atleast two or three barre chords to start with.

For those of who, who does'nt have any idea about barre chords i'll soon be writing an article for that and will also give reference here.

So let's start with the most basic thing .....

Basic Music Theory

As Im writing this article for most of the indian viewers i would probably rely on the indian style teaching this thing i.e. by giving the seven music notes.

In music we have 7 natural notes : Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
If we see this in english the 7 notes are : A B C D E F G A

Within these natural notes there are sharp notes:
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G
OR flat notes :
A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G

Yeah , I know its going above your head . So let me take simple definitions to show whats sharp and flat.

When you raise a natural note , for example: A by half step(1 fret) it becomes a sharp note: A#

When you lower a natural note, for example B by a half step (1 fret) it becomes a flat note: Bb

This applies to all of the natural notes except for B & C and E & F.
There are no sharps or flats between B & C and E & F.

In other words if you raise a E by a half step it becomes F (and not E#). If you lower a F by a half step it becomes a E (and not Fb). The same applies to B & C.

Example 1: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A

Example 2: A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A

As you can see A# and Bb are the same notes
as well as:
C# and Db,
D# and Eb,
F# and Gb,
G# and Ab.

So the natural notes follow the alphabet from A to G.
After that it starts all over again: A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C… etc.
Natural, sharp and flat notes: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C D D# E F F# G G# A A#… etc.

Now let’s take a look at the notes on the fingerboard:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
e:|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|
B:|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|
G:|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|
D:|-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|
A:|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|
E:|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|

Memorizing Your Fret Board :

After the long Music Theory the main thing comes to memorize your fretboard . Here are a few execise and tips to memorize your fretboard quickly :

Step 1 : Start by memorizing only the natural notes on every string :

like on low E string :

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
e:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| high E-string
B:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| B-string
G:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| G-string
D:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| D-string
A:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| A-string
E:|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---| low E-string

then on the A-string :

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
e:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| high E-string
B:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| B-string
G:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| G-string
D:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| D-string
A:|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---| A-string
E:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| low E-string

and so on...

Step 2 :Memorize all single notes on the fingerboard .

Like for A note

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
e:|---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---| high E-string
B:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-A-|---| B-string
G:|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| G-string
D:|---|---|---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---| D-string
A:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| A-string
E:|---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---| low E-string

and same for B,C,D,E,F and G

Step 3 :Memorize the Octates ( Yeah this seems tricky !!!)

To find octates on fingerboard :

- Play a random note on the low E or A-string, then move up 2 half steps (2 frets), move up 2 strings and you’ll find an octave. (See example #1 )

- Play a random note on the D or G-string, then move up 3 half steps (3 frets), move up 2 strings and you’ll find an octave. (See example #1 )

- Play a random note on the high E or B-string, then move up 2 half steps (2 frets), move down 3 strings and you’ll find an octave. (See example #2 )

- Play a random note on the G-string, then move up 3 half steps (3 frets), move down 3 strings and you’ll find an octave. (See example #2 )

Example #1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 e:|---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---| high E-string B:|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|---|---|---| B-string G:|---|-A-|---|-B-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| G-string D:|---|-E-|-F-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| D-string A:|---|-B-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| A-string E:|-F-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| low E-string

Example #2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 e:|-F-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|high E-string B:|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|---|---|---| B-string G:|---|---|---|---|---|---|-D-|---|---|---|---| G-string D:|---|---|-F-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| D-string A:|---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|---| A-string E:|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-D-|---| low E-string

So get the most out of your fret board . Pick your guitar and discover it ..

Leave a comment anytime you want , I appreciate it.

Thanks,

Amit Les Paul

How to Read Guitar Tabs ??

2012-05-29T15:10:00.002+05:30

Guitar tablature only works if the player already knows the solo or the chords sound like, since TAB usually doesn't allow you to count beats.

A guitar tablature staff consists of 6 lines that represent the 6 strings. The low E is at the bottom, the high E at the top :

We can put numbers on the lines.Each number represents a fret on the guitar neck. A 0 means open string, a 1 first fret, a 2 second fret, ...

Here is the tablature for the chord shape of C :

e|----0----

B|----1----

G|----0----

D|----2----

A|----3----

E|---------

If all numbers are on one line above each other, meaning all notes should be played at the same time as a chord.

When the numbers are next to each other on the staff they should be played after each other. Advancing from the left to the right on the staff = advancing in time.

In the following example you first play the 5th fret on the E string, then the 3rd fret, again the 5th, then the 3rd fret on the A string...

e|--------------------------------------------------

B|--------------------------------------2------------

G|----------------------------2----5------------------

D|--------------------------------------------------

A|--------------------3----5--------------------------

E|-----5----3----5------------------------------------

Various notations are used to denote the guitar techniques like slide can be denoted by s or \ OR a hammer on can be denoted by h and pull offs as p .

Slide : A slide is the sliding of a note up or down from one fret to another.

Hammer On : A hammer on is a slight hammer on a string while playing a note above it.

Pull Off : A pull off is like a hammer but it differs as the finger is hammered on a fret while playing an immediately removed.

How to read the chords and tabs on the blog???

2012-02-20T08:42:00.000+05:30

How to Read Guitar Chords

It is important to learn how to read guitar chords in order to learn how to play guitar chords. Just about the only way out there to learn all guitar chords, from beginner guitar chords to guitar power chords is to read them from tab or from chord diagrams. Below shows examples of the D and F chord diagrams and their equivalent in tab.

In the above image as you can see a D chord on a guitar fretboard . To read a chord start from the lowest string and give it a number according to the fret on which that string is held .

Like on a D chord the lowest string is held on 2nd fret , then 2nd string on 3rd fret and the 3rd string on 2nd fret again . The frets which are not being held are called open and are represented with a 0. * represents mute that is you don't have to play that string. So by the above theory the tabulature for

D chord is 23200*

Similarly any open or barre chord can also be read . Here are a few examples :

A chord : 022200

F# barre chord : 112431

For details on How to read tabs follow this link : How To Read Tabs ??

Strumming Lesson

2012-02-20T00:51:00.000+05:30

Basically Strumming is the thing we do by our right hand (if you are a right hand guitarist) to produce sound on any chord or just open for practice . This lesson here is for both the people who know some basic chords or don't know any , So how to start :

Step 1 : Starting to strum is just picking the guitar and plying it on any chord and if you dont know any chord then just play the guitar following these pattern :
Here U represents one Up stroke on guitar and D means one down stroke.....

1st Pattern : DDDDD
2nd Pattern : UUUUU
3rd pattern : UDUDUD
4th and universal pattern which would go with any song you like : DDUUD

The secret to strum guitar correctly is to know the pattern in quads or triads like for every pattern you must count from 1 to 4 and the strum pattern should end by that time......So its like tapping 1 ,2 ,3 ,4 with your feet on the ground with equal intervals between every count.

If you still can't understand how to strum then , I will soon upload some audio's for every strum pattern listen it carefully it would help you.

Guitar Introduction for Beginners

2012-02-19T21:40:00.006+05:30

Here's a basic guitar stuffs for the beginners who are just starting to sore their fingers . I wanna tell you friend that sore fingers is just a beginning in the vast depth of guitar playing . You can't be perfect in just few days , months or years but its the hours or just minutes you give to practice guitar every day ...

Here's a step by step guide from everything to everything :

Step 1 : Strumming : A complete guide to a novice who don't have any idea how to strum a guitar ......

Step 2 : How to read the chords ???

Step 3 : How to read the tabs??

Step 4 : Beginner Open guitar chords