Beginner Friendly: Learning the Pentatonic Scale
What's a Scale? Why do we learn them? Fun ways to practice with FREE Learning Tools!
About Ukulele Joy!
My intent here is to create a place for ukulele learners of all levels and backgrounds to discover the boundless possibilities that the diminutive ukulele holds. Beginners will find some actionable ways to grow their skills and gain confidence in making music. Intermediate players can get some much needed plates-busting tips to add definition, depth and feeling to their playing. Advanced players will get to try their hand at some tricky arrangements that are sure to both challenge and reward. Whether you are a high-G strummer, Low-G finger style player, you play to accompany singing or if you play in an instrumental ensemble, I promise that you will find some gold here at Ukulele Joy!
What is a Pentatonic Scale?
Derived from the Greek language Penta means 5 and tonic means notes or tones. Pentatonic scales are literally 5-note scales. The most common pentatonic scales include major and minor versions. We will look at the C Major Pentatonic Scale in this installment of Ukulele Joy!
Why we learn Scales
Now that we know what pentatonic means, why should we learn this scale? Western music is divided into 12 tones or notes. Songs tend to include a smaller sub-section of these notes rather than ALL of the notes. The major pentatonic scale is unique in that it is likely the most universal scale globally and crosses continents, eras, and cultures. Learning these 5-note scales can give you access to a lifetime’s worth of tunes. Working with these notes increases coordination, dexterity and knowledge of the fretboard. As I will demonstrate in future writings, there are a large number of famous melodies that include ONLY these 5 notes.
Let’s try it!
By Name, these 5 notes are C D E G A C.
You might count 6 notes here, but, we only count each note name once. Let’s get our fretting hand organized for a moment before we begin. We’ll number our index finger as 1 and our pinkie as 4. See below:
We will align our finger number with the frets in this scale. 2nd fret D note should be played with the 2nd finger. 3rd fret G and high C should be played with the 3rd finger. The open strings or 0 fret require no fretting at all!
As. you can see below, C & D are on the C or 3rd string, E & G are on the E or 2nd string and A & C are on the A or 1st string. The notes are below in standard notation and tablature. Try repeating the note pairs on each string and say the note names to get a good sense of the sound of the notes while using the proper fretting hand digit.
Here’s the Audio version:
Let’s try it again with new rhythms and note combinations!
Use these 2 different rhythms to practice moving up and down the scale. For each measure of music, play one note of the scale, then repeat the rhythm until you’ve played all the notes. See the image below if you read music, tablature or are a visual learner. Scroll further for the audio version.
Audio Version of Pentatonic Practice 2:
Let’s try it once more-with feeling!
This is where I encourage you to play with this scale in your own way. The track below offers background music that is a sonic canvas onto which you can paint your “happy little clouds” of musical expression. As it plays, finger different notes on the scale, experimenting with different rhythms. There is no wrong way to do it! Just have fun, embrace the process! Have no worries of confusing your pets or annoying the people in your household.
Backing Track:
How’d it go?
What worked? What didn’t? How did it feel? Any questions? Drop those in comments below.
Until next time……
