Boost your chops with pro scale patterns

Sam demonstrates another pentatonic sequence, this time focussing on a pattern of 4.

Lesson aims -

• Learn the pentatonic sequence and focus on feeling the beat when shifting through subdivisions

• Think about the different pentatonic scale position 5 and it's location in relation to pentatonic position 1

Exercise - Use different scale positions and subdivisions

This exercise is built on a pattern of 4, which uses 8th notes and 16th notes. The 8th note pattern starts on pentatonic position 5 and the 16th notes starts back on pentatonic position 1. The key to executing the 16th note pattern effectively is to feel and then accent each beat (1-e-and-a-2-e-and-a). The next bars repeat the same patterns but in a different part of the scale, so the fingering will be different each time.

The final part of the sequence is based on position 1. Descending in 16th notes (4 notes at a time), in a step-wise fashion. So after each 4 notes is played, return to the note after the start of each pattern to keep descending through the scale.