Two Things You Must Practice to Master Pentatonics

Chances are if you use the minor pentatonic scale frequently, you might take your method of playing it for granted. And it’s possible that your technique could be holding you back from getting the most out of the standard two-note-per-string pentatonic shapes.

In this video, Claus Levin offers two handy fingering techniques that will help you master pentatonics all over the neck and move smoothly between positions.

“The pentatonic two-note-per-string shapes really require you to use an unorthodox fingering,” Claus says. “When I started out, I came from classical guitar and was used to putting one finger per fret, so each finger was designated to each fret.”

Claus says he used this method for the minor pentatonic scale for quite a while, but says “it was not until I opened up for a new way of fingering the shape that I was able to utilize it in all positions and go back and forth between positions and play all kinds of sequences within the shape.”

In the video, Claus demonstrates fingering methods—including some helpful techniques for your ring finger—as well as thumb placement—when to use it behind the neck and when to grip it over the top of the fretboard.

There’s a lot of good advice in here, so have a look.

Check out Claus’s YouTube channel for more.