7 Pentatonic Tricks That Will Make You Play Better Jazz Solos

You might be getting Pentatonic scales wrong, and it is a really great and powerful Jazz sound even when you are using a very basic version of it. In this video, I am going to talk about how to come up with great pentatonic scale jazz licks and go over 7 ways to use pentatonic scales over chords I will start really simple and go pretty far out.

This pentatonic scales guitar lesson takes a look at how you can get some solid jazz licks using for the biggest part very basic pentatonic scale shapes and positions that you already know. For most guitar players the pentatonic scale is one of the first things we learn.

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Content:
0:00 Intro - It is More Than Just an Easy Scale!
0:52 What is Pentatonic Sound?
1:10 #1 Minor Pentatonic   - Difference between bop sound and pentatonic melodies
2:02 Comparing Bop and Pentatonic melodies
3:05 #2 Minor Pentatonic 3rd of Maj7
4:06 #3 Lydian pentatonic
4:26 #4 Minor 6 pentratonic on Altered Dominant
6:40 #5 Minor 6 pentatonic on Dominant
7:30 #6 Altered scale (maj b6 pentatonic)
9:30 #7 Lydian Augmented
9:53 Like the video? Check out my Patreon Page

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My name is Jens Larsen, Danish Jazz Guitarist, and Educator. The videos on this channel will help you explore and enjoy Jazz. Some of it is how to play jazz guitar, but other videos are more on Music Theory like Jazz Chords or advice on how to practice and learn Jazz, on guitar or any other instrument.

The videos are mostly jazz guitar lessons, but also music theory, analysis of songs and videos on jazz guitars.

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[disfibulator]

You are incredibly generous providing this for free on YT. Thanks as always.

[jackmeginniss]

Hi Jens, this is just a note of thanks. Thanks for your daily jazz guitar posts. Great stuff. I look forward to viewing your latest everyday.

[randygomez]

Great lesson! I've been practicing using these pentatonic ideas in solos in my own practice time this past week and I'm really liking this approach. I feel like it's opened up another realm of possibilities for what I can play and it's easy to do because it's pentatonic scales and patterns I already know. Thanks for making this video!

[MichelleHell]

I've been watching you for years now, but with increasing frequency as of late. Starting to realize you have a lot of these intuitive understandings of things that have always gone over my head. I grew up with computer software and have come to see composing a lot like painting, but with a steady tempo. You have a great way of showing how sound is shaped with time through rhythm, harmony and melody. I'm creating exercises for myself based on yours, and I'm hearing things with clarity and playing with intention. Now, 15+ years later jazz is starting to feel a little more accessible to me as a player. Anyone can play around with a DAW and synth, but playing jazz is so freeing because you begin to feel yourself become the master of self-expression.

[philipmentzingen]

I´m a metal dude, but I could watch this all day, the clarity of it is astounding! Subscribed.

[randomstuff]

Excellent work again Jens. I have just added pentatonic riffs to the arpeggios you showed earlier. It is such a simple 'trick' and I swear it now sounds like I'm playing Jazz.. I may now get around to swapping my strings over to the flat wounds I bought earlier :) Thanks heaps for sharing.

[joepiecora]

Incredible! Jens cuts through the BS and gives you the info that immediately opens doors for your soloing.

[laodamasdimopoulos]

Fascinating lesson. Those pentatonic patterns sound like something completely different this way. That's mindblowing

[jamessidney]

A lot of times I find it really helpful to take a new strategy like the ones you demonstrate in this lesson, and find a really good place to use it in a tune I already play, then do it right there every single time for a while. (As an exercise, of course!). Here is a good one that years ago helped me get the sound and fingering of your Lydian pentatonic substitution into my playing, and now it has become a bonafide go-to approach on the song: on Girl From Ipanema, at the top of the BRIDGE, throw down an F minor pentatonic on that big F#major7 chord. It just works like a charm every time, and best of all you get two full measures in which to play with it. Do this every time the bridge comes around for a week or two, and you will totally own this cool pentatonic substitution. Thank you for another great lesson, Jens. Now I have to find a few tunes with perfect spots to throw in that major b6 pentatonic idea. Any suggestions?

[shitmandood]

These are some great shapes I need to practice. I like seeing new shapes like the pentatonic b6 and onward in the video. Great shapes and great sound too.

[dillpickle]

This is a solid and rewarding introduction to pentatonic usage over ii v i's Thanks Jens.

[wpdoyle]

This is incredible. I know all of these scales but haven't applied them like this. It's like someone telling you to speak English in a foreign country, and having it all work!

[ricklaino]

Once again, a very informative lesson. Jens!

[GregoryPearsonMusic]

Great lesson - the way the pentatonic scales can bring out some of those colorful extensions from the major scale is a powerful strategy, wow.

[willytralara]

man i just discovered your channel. i suck at improvising, also my flamenco guitar (the one i started learning with, after the old one i found in my garage) broke today and i have no money to buy other one. im just here to tell you that the work you do is AMAZING and im so so grateful with you because you choose to share it to us mere mortals, just f****g sharing it and thats the most kind and amazing thing to do. thanks for sharing maestro! monstruo!

[TheSlovenianguy]

You've gotten so good at making your lectures appealing without compromising on content! Thank you for all your shared knowledge :)

[thomasyoung]

been going through a lot of the videos on your channel and I gotta say thank you for explaining things in a very easy-to-digest manner. Cheers!

[god]

This is so so good you are a gift Mr. Larsen

[ObedZeme]

Thank you Mr. Larsen for this brilliant concept! I got to try them out.

[paulsenn]

I love your videos so much Jens . I must admit I have to watch most of them over and over again, like this one, because there is so much there and you move very fast. But I would not want it any other way!