7th Blues Pentatonic Drill: 2 Fattest Strings. Mode 1, Position 1. Root, flat 3, 5, flat 3.

Please note that in the following drill, one starts at the 12^th fret, works their way down to the 5^th fret, and then back to the 12^th fret, which is different from Blues Pentatonic Drills, which go below the 5^th fret.  This pattern can also be played above the 12th fret, resulting in a key change depending on what fret is the root.

Introduction to the Lesson

A.      1^st 1^st Position Pentatonic Soloing Drills: 903 Lesson Syllabus for 2 String Play of Single Notes

a.       1st Killing the 1^st Position Blues Pentatonic Scales in 4s on the 1^st and 2^nd Strings.

1.       1^st 27 Lessons for Mode 1 Blues Pentatonic Drills in 4/4 Time on String 1 and 2, Position 1

·         7^th Blues Pentatonic Drill:  2 Fattest Strings.  Mode 1, Position 1 Alternate.   Root, flat 3, 5, flat 3.

Note:  The original number of lessons was changed from 763 to 903.

Note1:  Please note, that I call the fattest string, the 1^st string.  Thus, the second fattest string would be the 2^nd string, and the skinniest string would be the 6^th string, and so on.

Note2: If at any time you are experiencing pain during the playing of this exercise or any other exercise I give, then stop immediately!  Please!  It doesn’t help me as a teacher to gain students with tendonitis, or other guitar injuries.

Note3: 1: Refers to the section of pentatonic drills.  In this case, 1 means that the drill is for 1 and 2 strings.  For example, the second section uses 3 strings.

Note4: 1:1  The 2^nd 1 of 1:1 refers to the position of the blues pentatonic scale that is used.  As a pentatonic scale has 5 notes, there are 5 positions.  These positions are all part of a scale.  One can switch between positions and not play any wrong notes.  1:1a-1:1e in its entirety can be raised/lowered as much as 11 half steps to result in modes with root notes in different keys.  Also, note that the pattern changes between the 1^st and 2^sn strings because the intervals between open strings when using standard tuning are not always the same.

1:1a  Position 1 in the key of E minor is as follows.  1^st string; 12^th fret and 15^th fret.  2^nd string; 12^th and 14^th fret.  3^rd string; 12^th and 14^th fret.  4^th string; 12^th and 14^th fret.   5^th string; 12^th and 15^th fret.  And the 2^nd string follows the same pattern as the 1^st string.

1:1b  Position 2 in the key of E minor is as follows.  1^st string; 3^rd and 5^th fret.  2^nd string; 2^nd and 5^th fret.  3^rd string; 2^nd fret and 5^th fret. 4^th string; 2^nd and 4^th fret. 5^th string; 3^rd and 5^th fret. And the 6^th string 3^rd and 5^th fret.

1:1c  Position 3 in the key of E minor is as follows.  1^st string; 5^th and 7^th fret.  2^nd string; 5^th and 7^th fret.  3^rd string; 5^th and 7^th fret. 4^th string; 4^th and 7^th fret.  5^th string; 5^th and 8^th fret.  6^th string 5^th and 7^th fret.

1:1d  Position 4 in the key of E minor is as follows.  1^st string; 7^th and 10^th fret.  2^nd string; 7^th and 10^th fret.  3^rd string; 7^th and 9^th fret.  4^th string; 7^th and 9^th fret. 5^th string; 8^th and 10^th fret. And on the 6^th string 7^th and 10^th fret.

1:1e  Position 5 in the key of E minor is as follows.  1^st string; 10^th and 12^th fret.  2^nd string; 10^th and 12^th fret.  3^rd string; 9^th and 12^th fret.  4^th string; 9^th and 12^th fret. 5^th string; 10^th and 12^th fret. 6^th string 10^th fret and 12^th fret.

Note5: 1:1:1  The third 1 of 1:1:1 refers to the mode of the pentatonic scale that is used.  There are 5 modes.  Though there is at least one major mode and one minor mode, to my knowledge, these modes don’t commonly go by names such as Lydian, or Ionian.

Note6: 1:1:1:7  The 4^th 1:1:1:7  refers to the specific lesson title.  That is that this lesson is a drill that uses the Root note, the 4^th note, and the 5^th note of the major scale in a pattern.

The Lesson Itself

1:1:1:7:1 A pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale.  Usually, for the blues pentatonic scale, scalar positions have 2 notes per string.  That is there are, 2 possible notes on the 1^st string, 2 possible notes on the 2^nd string, 2 possible notes on the 3^rd string, 2 possible notes on the 4^th string, 2 possible notes on the 5^th string and 2 possible notes on the 6^th string for any given position.  The notes for these exercises will all be played on the 1^st and 2^nd strings, which are the 2 fattest strings.  If your guitar is a standard 6 string with standard 6 string tuning then sometimes the 1st string is called the low E string, and the 2nd string is called the A string.

1:1:1:7:2  I will call the first mode of the blues pentatonic scale to be a minor scale.   5 notes of this pentatonic pattern follow the formula; root, flat 3, 4, 5, and flat 7, where the next note is an octave where the scale repeats itself.  Perhaps, it would be better to call it a hexave, but since intervals are told usually with respect to a 7 note major scale, the 8^th note of the Ionian mode, which is another name for a classical major scale is an octave.  An octave is the same note as the root note, only an octave higher. 

1:1:1:7:3   The root note will be the lowest note for this exercise.  The root note does not have to be the first note, nor the lowest note, but for this lesson it will be.  Laying out the pattern root, flat 3, 4, 5, on a fret board that has standard tuning will always follow the following pattern:  On the 1^st string, the root will be the first note, and the second note of the pentatonic scale ascends 3 half step on the same string, which is the 1^st string, and the 4^th is a whole step up from flat three, and is at the same fret as the root note, but on the 2^nd string.  Like the 4^th, the 5^th is also played on the 2^nd string.  This 4 note pattern represents a cross section of the blues pentatonic scale, where each drill will contain between 2 to 4 of this pattern of notes.

1:1:1:7:4  The time signature will be 4/4 time.  That means that it is to be counted in 4s.  Where the 1st note of the 4 note sequence is played slightly louder than the rest.

1:1:1:7:5  Time to play.  Make sure your guitar is in tune, and has standard tuning.  In another blog, I describe how this is to be accomplished through the usual methods.

1:1:1:7:6  With your index finger play the 12^th note of the 1^st string with a down stroke.  This place on the fret board is usually designated with a double dot marking.  This should be an E note.  Use your right hand to mute all the strings except for the string that is being played.  The next note to be played is a flat 3^rd from the E.  It is also an G note.  It is at the 15^th fret but on the 1^st string, and is fretted with the ring finger.  Play the 3^rd note, an A at the 14^th fret, on the 2^nd string with the middle finger, such that the transition actually causes the 1^st  string to be muted.  This note is played with an upstroke and is called a 5^th.  In this case the 5^th is an A note in the key of E.  The 2nd flat 3^rd is the 4^th note of the sequence.  It is to be played on the first string.  It is played with an upstroke at the 15^th fret with the ring finger.  Again, you want to try to mute all the strings, except for the one that you are playing.

1:1:1:7:7  Next repeat this pattern, always using a down stroke on the 1^st sting when playing the root note.  Play the pattern four times.  Later, sometimes I will indicate that you should use down strokes for each note that is played.

1:1:1:7:8  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  This steps of moving this pattern up and down the fret board cause key changes.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 11th fret using the index finger, 1st string 14^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 13^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 14^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:9 Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 10th fret using the index finger, 1st string 13^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 12^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 13^th fret using the index finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:10  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 9th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 12^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 11^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 12^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:11  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 8th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 11^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 10^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 11^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:12  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 7th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 10^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 9^th fret using the ring finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 10^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:13  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 6th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 9^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 8^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 9^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:14  Next, play the same pattern a half step lower.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 5th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 8^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 7^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 8^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:15  Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 6th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 9^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 8^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 9^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:16 Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 7th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 10^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 9^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 10^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:17  Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 8th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 11^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 10^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 11^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:18  Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 9th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 12^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 11^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 12^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:19 Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 10th fret using the index finger, 1st string 13^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 12^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 13^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:20 Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 11th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 14^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 13^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 14^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:21 Next, play the same pattern a half step higher.  It will follow the pattern, 1st string 12th fret using the index finger, 1^st string 15^th fret using the ring finger, 2nd string 14^th fret using the middle finger, and finish with the 4^th note on the 1st string at the 15^th fret using the pinky finger.  Play this four times, counting 4s.

1:1:1:7:22 Repeat 1:1:1:7 6-21, except play the pattern only 1 time instead of 4 times working on the fluidity of your playing.  You may decide to also play this patter about the 12^th fret.

1:1:1:7:33 Repeat 1:1:1:7 6-21 using all down strokes and palm mute with your picking hand the ring that you are playing.  You may decide to also play this patter about the 12^th fret.

1:1:1:7:34 Repeat 1:1:1:7 6-21 using all down strokes, except play the pattern only 1 time instead of 4 times, similar to verse 32, working on the fluidity of your playing.  You may decide to also play this patter about the 12^th fret.