Learn this easy ascending and descending pentatonic lick from Guitar Control instructor Darrin Goodman. Be sure to get the free tabs to go along with this easy lick.
Introduction
Hey everybody how’s it going? This is Darrin with GuitarControl.com bringing you this video lesson. Today I’ve got another legato lick for you and this one will be based out of the pentatonic scale and we’re going to do a version of it ascending and then a version of it that is descending. So be sure to click on the link in the description for the tabs and let’s get close up and take a look.
Scale Pattern
All right so for this one for the demonstration I’m doing this in the key of A so I’m starting here on pentatonic pattern number one so this one is very easily transposable to a different key. So once you learn the sequence you can just kind of move it around wherever you want and hopefully you know this pattern. So starting on the low E string we’re at the fifth fret and then the eighth fret and then on the A string it’s the fifth fret to the seventh fret, then on the D string its fifth fret to the seventh fret, then on the G string its fifth and seventh fret again, then on the B string its fifth fret to the eighth fret and then on the high E string its fifth fret to the eighth fret…
Ascending Lick
All right so with this we’ve got this kind of a triplet feel going so we’re going to start off here, we’re going to pick the fifth fret and then we’re going to do a hammer-on to the eighth fret. Now you do want to use your pinky; you don’t want to try to do this with your third finger, I mean I know it can be done and lots of people play that way, but in my opinion it’s a total advantage if you’re if you’re utilizing your pinky. So we’re going to pick that pick the fifth fret and then hammer-on to the eighth fret and then we’re gonna go to the A string and we’re gonna pick the fifth fret and hammer-on to the seventh fret and then pull-off and then do a hammer from nowhere back to the 8th fret of the of the low E string… So that’s like basically the sequence right there and that’s actually the first six notes and it’s like triple it, triple it, which is also half of the first measure. So then starting on the second half we’re just going to start that same sequence over again starting on the A string; so we’re going to pick the fifth fret and hammer to seventh fret and then we’re gonna go to the D string and pick the fifth fret and hammer-on to the seventh fret and pull back off to the fifth fret and then hammer from nowhere back to the seventh fret of the A string… all right so that’s the first measure. Then going on to the second measure again the same sequence, but now we’re going to start on the D string and it’s that same pattern that we just did; fifth fret and hammer-on to the seventh fret on the D string and then go to the G string and pick the fifth fret and hammer-on to seventh fret and then pull-off and then hammer from nowhere back to the seventh fret of the D string… Then the second half we start on the G string and we’re picking the fifth fret and hammering to the seventh fret. Now we’re going to go to the B string and we’re back to the fifth fret to the eighth fret with our pinky; so pick, hammer, pull and then back to this hammer from nowhere back to the seventh fret of the G string… And then finally on the third measure, the last measure, we’re going to pick starting on the B string the fifth fret and hammer to the eighth fret and then the high E string; pick the fifth fret and hammer to eighth fret and pull back off to the fifth fret and then hammered from nowhere on the eighth fret of the B string and then just end here on the fifth fret of the high E string to make it resolve… So that whole sequence…
Descending Lick
All right, so now let’s look at the descending version of this. So for this we’re also going to be doing it in A and we’re going to start here at the top of the scale. So my first finger is going to be on the fifth fret of the high E string and then my pinky is going to be on the eighth fret and we’re going to pick the eighth fret and pull-off to the fifth fret and then do a hammer from nowhere to the eighth fret of the B string and then back to the fifth fret of the high E string. Then we’re gonna move to the B string and we’re gonna move both of our fingers together so our first finger is moving to the fifth fret of the B string and our fourth finger to the eighth fret and then we’re gonna pick and pull and that’s the sequence right there… And then starting this and it’s the first half just like on the other one so now we’re going to do that same pattern, but starting on the B string. So my first finger’s on the fifth fret and my fourth finger is on the eighth fret and I’m gonna pick and pull and then a hammer from nowhere to the seventh fret of the G string, back to the fifth fret of the B string and then now move to the seventh fret of the G string with your third finger in the fifth with your first finger and pick pull. Now starting on the second measure of this we’re going to start on the G string and we’re going to pick the seventh fret pull to five hammer from nowhere to the seventh fret of the D string back to the fifth fret of the G string and then pick the seventh fret of the D string and pull to five and now we’re going to start the pattern on the D string. So pick seven pull to five hammer from nowhere to the seventh fret of the A string, back to the fifth fret of the D string and then back to the A string pick seven pull to five… And then finally the third measure the ending we’re gonna start on the A string pick seven pull to five hammer from nowhere to the eighth fret of the low E with your pinky, back to the fifth fret of the A string and now pick the eighth fret of the low E and pull to five and that’s where it ends… So we ended here on the low E and on the ascending one and we ended here on this high E string. So that whole sequence
Changing Keys
So like I said you can transpose this into another key very simply. So if you wanted to do it in the key of E you just come up here the 12th fret because that’s an E… it’s very easy to move this one around.
Conclusion
All right so there you have it… a fairly easy ascending and descending legato lick using the first position of the pentatonic scale. So if you like this lesson be sure to give me a thumbs up and leave me a comment down below if you have any questions about this or other guitar related topics. If you’ve not already done so please subscribe to the channel and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss any of the content we upload throughout the week. Well that is all I have for you today. Thanks for watching and have a great day.
