Well hello there Premier Guitar readers and welcome to this month's Lethal Guitar! You know, most of the time rock guitarists use the pentatonic major or minor scales when soloing or improvising. In this month's lesson we’re going to look at the dominant pentatonic or mixolydian pentatonic scale for soloing/improvisation. This scale is a mixolydian with the 4th and 6th tone omitted. The examples used here are considered anhemitonic because they contain no semi-tones (half-steps). Our scale formula is 1, 2, 3, 5, b7 and works well over dominant 7th or major chords. Technically we’re dealing with two notes per string, relatively easy fingerings coupled with excellent challenges for picking development. Also, we’re busting out of the typical pentatonic idea and giving the pentatonic approach a breath of fresh air.
Another interesting idea is to use the dominant pentatonic scale a whole step up from the backing chord. So, for example over an A7 chord, we could use the B dominant pentatonic scale. The notes in the B dominant pentatonic add an "outside" feel while they are played over the A7 chord. Here are five different fingerings for the dominant pentatonic, so go for it…
Remember to practice these slowly at first, with a metronome and a clean tone! For starters pick one of the five scale patterns and implement it over a common scale for you. Over time you’ll become more comfortable with the scale and it will “bleed” its way into your typical soloing ideas giving them new color. The two note per string approach can also greatly improve your picking skills. Feel free to contact me with any questions at
guitarsource3.com. See you guys next time here in Lethal Guitar!