Connect the Pentatonic to the Major Scale

This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series The Fundamental Mandolin Framework

How To Connect Major Scale Pattern 1 To The Pentatonic Pattern

Here’s What You’ll Discover:

How to connect the pentatonic scale pattern to “major scale pattern 1” as one single “unit” so you can explore a wider area of the fretboard while hitting the right notes
How to “slide” this connected “unit” of patterns up and down the fretboard to change keys
How to play each one of the different “scales” (pentatonic vs major scale) to get a different “sound” characteristic

(video)

Action Steps

Watch the video to see how to connect major scale pattern 1 and the pentatonic at the keynote. Assume you’ll play in the key of C Major (where “C” is the keynote). First play major scale pattern 1, then slide your ring finger down to the keynote and proceed to play the pentatonic pattern, still in the key of C Major (with your ring finger landing on “C” on the G string).
Go to YouTube and search for “C Major Backing Track”. Alternatively, use one of our C Major tracks included below. Choose a track that sounds interesting to you (I’d suggest a song at a SLOW tempo), making sure the song is in the key of “C Major”. Improvise (just explore and experiment – don’t worry about sounding great) using BOTH scale patterns, one at a time. Start with Major Scale Pattern 1, then after a couple of minutes, slide your ring finger down the G string so that it lands on the “Keynote”, then experiment with the pentatonic. Notice the difference in “sound characteristic” between the two scale patterns. Major scale pattern 1 may sound “fancier” while the pentatonic sounds “simpler”. Continue to improvise with the C Major backing track, switching between major scale pattern 1 and the pentatonic scale patterns until it’s clear to you how to switch between both patterns within the same key.
If necessary, review the section of the video on how to change keys by sliding both major scale pattern 1 and the pentatonic connected together as one unit. Make sure you’re clear on how to change keys (by simply sliding both patterns together up or down the fretboard – where major scale pattern 1 starts on the “keynote” depending on which key you’re in).
Repeat Step 2 (by searching for and playing both scale patterns over backing tracks), but this time in the keys of 1) B Major 2) D Major and 3) Db Major. Move on when you are clear on how to play BOTH major scale pattern 1 and the pentatonic in all three of these keys.

C Major Backing Tracks