Get started with guitar soloing and improvisation by using ‘Pentatonic Box’ patterns to easily play over any progression in any key.

In an earlier article, I provided an introduction to pentatonic scales and how they relate to major and minor diatonic scales. Pentatonics are also a great way to start playing lead guitar as they provide certain patterns that are extremely commonly used and are very versatile. Have a look at the following pattern which is referred to as ‘Pattern 1′.

Pentatonic Box pattern 1

If you were to play this pattern starting at the fifth fret, it would sound correct if played over any A blues progression or, any A minor progression and would include the notes: A, C, D, E, G, A. The Root note (A) would be found on the left most note on the bottom string (5th fret, 6th string).




If however you wished to play over an A major progression, you would shift the entire pattern 3 frets lower so that it started on the 2nd fret. The notes would now be A, B, C#, E, F#, A. Note that the Root note (A) would still be found on the 5th fret, 6th string, but this would now be the right most note on the bottom string.

To illustrate this, try recording progressions in A and use the pattern above to improvise over, remembering that the pattern will shift depending on whether the whether the progression is major or minor.

Example A Major Progression – Play Pattern 1 at 2nd Fret

Play these chords over 4 bars:  A – F#m -D – E7

Example A Minor Progression – Play Pattern 1 at 5th Fret

Play these chords over 4 bars:  A – G -F – E7

Example A Blues Progression – Play Pattern 1 at 5th Fret

Play these chords over 12 bars:

A – A -A – A – D – D -A – A – E – D – A – E

The Pattern 1 box can then be extended to all other keys. The following tableshows where to play pattern 1 on the fretboard to correspond with the correct progression.