1 Pentatonic Scale over 8 Chords - Jazz Guitar Lesson

In this guitar lesson I will take one pentatonic scale and show you how it you can improvise over 8 different chords with it.

All the examples in this jazz guitar lesson are using the E minor pentatonic scale, and it is quite amazing the wide range of guitar chords you can use a simple pentatonic scale on.

Even if you already know how to play over chords, you should always be looking for new ways to come up with melodies and chances are that in this lesson you might find new inspiration to add some jazz scale sounds to your vocabulary that you don't already use!

If you want more freedom with pentatonic scales on guitar you can cehck out my lesson: Do you really know the pentatonic scale?

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[GatecrashGuitar]

Awesome tuition...never learnt so much in such a short time

[kendevries]

Fantastic lesson. I have been playing rock for 30+ years and am always looking for something to boot my knowledge. Lately it's been jazz. Very cool.

[Jasadatao]

Jens, you are the man!!! Thank you so much for all of your videos

[ParsevalMusic]

you make every time some incredible lessons. So practical and easy to understand explained in this way.

[rubenmorales]

Hi Jens, thank you very much for the lesson.
Great idea for the improvisation.
The penta-scale it´s a wonderfull sound over the eight different chords.
Greatings from Germany

[drothberg]

Excellent lesson! I learned long ago that minor pentatonic is identical to relative major pentatonic (identical notes, but each note is a different scale step), so Em pent = G major pentatonic. That explains a few of these uses, and it makes more sense to me to think of the G and G7 chord uses as G major pentatonic.

[leolee]

I like that you understand the way that Jazz is to sound and that you can teach it in a way that can help a beginner in Jazz. Thanks....Acts 2:38, 1 John 2:12

[NikolayDorokhov-sp]

There are a couple more chords, where this scale may be easily applied:
1) the same pent from the 5th of the chord used over m7 chord (E minor pent over Am7), functions being 5, 7, 1, 9, 11;
2) minor pent from the 9th of a minor chord (E minor pent over Dm7 or Dm6), functions: 9, 11, 5, 6, 1, and because there is no 3rd, it may also work for dominant chord.

[lionofzion]

great lesson, it's that kind of stuff people teach theoretically but this is very practical, thanks

[GJSsongsmith]

Another great lesson Jens, will pass on the ideas to my guitar students .

[markwhalen]

Thanks J, Always a pleasure and so informative

[pjokivuo]

Many thanks Jens! A very usefull and excellent lesson!

[haus]

Man you know your stuff.. relatively new to guitar here ... all these modes etc are quite confusing to a 38 yr old n00b ... but you make some sense to me when you describe these techniques ... I try to learn a bit more every day but its so hard with the overload of information available to me online ... I just want to learn how to play blues and solo over said blues HELP! lol! awesome video sir.. liked and subbed ! cheers from Canada

[juanicastillo]

Jens, i love your videos, you are basically my teacher. I have a little question: Are there more ways of comping like quartal harmony? I hope you and your band gets really famous i like your tunes!

[Pleiadiansoul]

Been viewing many of your videos and the are very informative but way too hard for us that are beginners. I would love if you could take some time to make some more basic-beginner-lessons so we could understand the rest of your videos.
Keep up the good work and hat off to all who master and understand all this!

[drrodopszin]

I have a little lick before a chorus in pentatonic and I'm trying out some of these chords as the last chord before the change. And then I'm planning to work backwards to get the other harmonies.

[lucafranzosi]

Ehi Jens great ideas. I like especially the connections with the Dominant alt chord. Were you using your amp distortion or a pedal? Thank you very much!

[MagicMusicSchool]

Super Lesson ! Greeting from French Polynesia, i'm 1year away from finishing my jazz diploma in a french conservatory, and i keep coming back to your video ... really helpful stuff and motivating.
I have a question, im looking for some practice routine to develop fluidity in chords phrasing. what lessons of your webstore would you recommend ? thanks ans sorry for my poor english. -Michael

[nonamed_]

Hello there, Jens.

So. Let me see if Im getting this right.
There are 6 pentatonic scales in every major scale.
This is, 3 minor pentatonics coming from each minor degree (2, 3, 6) and 3 major pentatonics coming from each major degree (1, 4, 5).

So the uses of a minor pentatonic are as follows:

- 6th degree's pentatonic over the 6th degree - or 3rd's over teh 3rd, or 2nd's over the 2nd, for what it matters ... - (example 2).
- 6th degree's pentatonic over the 1st degree, which equals to 2nd's pentatonic over the 4th (example 4).
- 6th degree's pentatonic over the 5th degree (example 5).
- 6th degree's pentatonic over the 4th degree, which equals to 3rd's pentatonic over the 1st (example 6).

- 3rd degree's pentatonic over the 4th degree (example 7).

- 2nd degree's pentatonic over the 5th degree (example 10).

So far so good?
But I've got a few questions, if you dont mind...

1. What's the logic behind example 3 and example 9. I think in ex.9 you might be using a pentatonic over a tritone of the scale. But I cant figure out the relationship in ex.3 between E minor7th over E7th scale-wise (of course I understand the pentatonics add extensions to the chord, ... but why?).

2. What about all the other combinations??
- 2nd degree's pentatonic over 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 7th.
- 3rd degree's pentatonic over 2nd 5th, 6th, and 7th.
- 6th degree's pentatonic over 2nd, 3rd, and 7th.

3. So you don't use a minor pentatonic over any other minor degree that is not its own?.

I hope this doesnt bother you too much.

Finally : Thank you!! you do a terrific job with these videos.

[GaryLet]

Enjoying the penta videos! On a swing tune like Jersey Bounce, the chorus walkdown is
(F7-Eb7-Db7-C+7), do you have a pentatonic video that covers this progression or advice?