When it comes to great soloing, the pentatonic scale is something you must master. The pentatonic is the easiest scale to learn, and it’s the basis for 90 percent of the licks you can do.

There are only five basic notes in the pentatonic scale, and you don’t have to know them to play them.

This particular scale is movable — it can go all over the fretboard, be used in any key and in any playing situation. But that’s not all.

The pentatonic scale has a “box” shape that guitarists are familiar with, but it’s the pentatonic modes that I want to tell you about.

Essentially, no matter where you are on the fretboard, you can launch into a solo using these modes. Once you get control of the pentatonic’s various shapes, you will have unlimited soloing ability, and your fretboard will take you to brand new places.

I will guarantee that if you practice these shapes every day for a week, your guitar skills will improve.

If you aren’t accustomed to reading tabs, do this: imagine that your guitar is laying face up in your lap. You’ll have a bird’s eye of the fretboard, and you’ll know which fret to play based on the numbers on the strings.

Let’s get started.

In the key of G, for example, the minor pentatonic standard box shape would look like this:

-

E|———————3-6—————————————–|
B|—————–3-6———————————————|
G|————-3-5————————————————-|
D|———3-5—————————————————–|
A|—–3-5———————————————————|
E|-3-6————————————————————-|

Continue to practice and expand your understanding, getting to know the modes of the G minor pentatonic. As soon as you master the fingerings, it will be easy to transpose the modes to other keys.

E|———————6-8—————————————–|
B|—————–6-8———————————————|
G|————-5-7————————————————-|
D|———5-8—————————————————–|
A|—–5-8———————————————————|
E|-6-8————————————————————-|

E|—————————–8-10——————————–|
B|————————8-11————————————-|
G|——————7-10——————————————-|
D|————8-10————————————————-|
A|——8-10——————————————————-|
E|-8-10————————————————————|

E|——————————-10-13—————————–|
B|————————-11-13———————————–|
G|——————-10-12—————————————–|
D|————-10-12———————————————–|
A|——-10-13—————————————————–|
E|-10-13———————————————————–|

E|——————————-13-15—————————–|
B|————————-13-15———————————–|
G|——————-12-15—————————————–|
D|————-12-15———————————————–|
A|——-13-15—————————————————–|
E|-13-15———————————————————–|

And when you do that you’ll be back to the first “box” shape octave, on the 15 fret.

With these patterns in your skill set, you’ll find that you can play better and faster than you ever have.

Anyone who has spent a lot of time playing solos knows it is quite easy to find yourself in a pentatonic rut. There is a reason why the pentatonic scale is referred to as a box scale.

There are only five core notes, which have been being played in every combination thinkable, so there is no wonder why finding fresh solo ideas is so difficult.

Due to this, many people try to find other scales or modes to use for a fresh approach. Unfortunately, it is hard for a guitarist to learn something new.

In my opinion there has never been a class of people more devoted to their art, yet so unable to change.

It is very hard for a person who knows how to play great to be able to go back to the basics and start over again. This is what is required to learn a new scale and a new theory.

This is the precise reason I developed my style of playing.

As I have said over and over again, a person will learn more from a one hour jamming session they he/she will in an hour of practicing alone.

With this in mind, I do the following anytime I want to play outside of the box or learn new playing styles and techniques:

I find a master.

I locate someone who already plays the way I want to learn, and I copy how they play. I take time to fully understand their solos.

Doing this helps me in two ways. First, it helps you to build a collection of songs you are able to play; and you can use this to widen your musical horizons.

Anytime you find yourself in a pentatonic rut, try the following:

1. Obligate yourself to playing melodic. Only allow yourself to play the melody of your song. Doing this makes you concentrate on writing a solo that is angled toward the tone of your piece, and not simply a replica of all your other solos.

2. Put some music on that you have never heard before. Find some music that has never been played around you before. You may even want to find some that is in a totally different genre than you typically listen to. Go to a music store and look through the world sections of music. This will give you the opportunity to find a piece that makes you think outside your music box.

It is true that what you listen to has an effect on what you play. Every song you hear is stored in the back of your mind as a musical idea. With this in mind, make yourself listen to a totally new and original song at least once a week.

Don’t limit yourself to simply listening to it, try to play it. This method can help you to break through your typically thought process when playing your guitar.

Anyone who is new and desires to have a new element added to his/her play quickly, it is wise to take the time to listen to and learn to play the two songs listed below.

I advise people that if they want to become a great guitarist, it is vital to learn these two songs. They will allow you to learn how to use melody, timing, and careful phrasing outside the normal pentatonic scale, while allowing you to fully master playing the pentatonic scale.

The two songs I am referring to are:

1. Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and 2. Europa by Santana.

Anyone who can learn to play these two songs accurately is on the right path to becoming a wonderful guitar player.