Paul, thank you. After 2 weeks, i can now confidently improvise on the minor and major pentatonic scale. Ive learnt more about the guitar these past 2 weeks than i ever thought i would, what an amazing teacher. 👏👏
I have to say Paul, I've followed a bunch of guitar channels and the likes in the hope of learning how to play. I lost motivation and didn't find the time to play guitar, but I kept coming back to your channel. You have a presence, charisma even, and a knack for editing and teaching that just draws me in. Keep putting work in, the result is an absolute delight to witness, even though I don't play myself!
I ran into trouble with motivation 10 years ago. Now, 10 years on, I just purchased a new guitar and amp to give it another go. My appreciation for music has grown tenfold in the past ten years to the point of it becoming a passion and hobby of mine. I hope to return to this comment and reply sometime in the not-too-distant future with an update. If I can do it, you can do it too! Never too late to give it another try!
I came here for advance chords that people don't bother with. Guys like me scales scales. Never learned all the chords now I know all the 7ths its all about confidence fellas
I should’ve known this already, but him explaining the importance of knowing and playing around the root notes almost felt like some sort of hidden knowledge. I myself really have only been focusing on learning the patterns and shapes instead of the notes that are at center of the scale.
Paul, Paul, Paul! I barely understood a word you said except that I could play the scales in different order and...and... I did and I made beautiful music. With Am pentatonic I did like a 1-4-3-3-3-4-1. I repeated and played quarter, half and whole notes randomly until I was playing a beautiful song. Paul I’m a little over a month into playing, but because I learned the scales from the beginning, I did what I think you said and WHAT JOY! My guitar made a beautiful sound with my hands, shucks I’ve got tears in my eyes writing this. No wonder you have so many followers! Thx
5:43 "I don't think alot of us play that chord". That's such a good subtle joke. I heard the chord and I was immediately was taken back to my days of working in a guitar shop
Once you learn all 5 boxes, you just need to familiarize yourself with 33-222-33-222 pattern (which are minor thirds and major seconds). In every single box that pattern stays the same. For minor scale three seconds box in a row starts and ends with 4ths (which are bad to end lick on), but step up or down and you get perfect 5th or minor 3rd which are great semi-root notes. I am too lazy to learn that pattern for major scale (which is basically the same shape, but shifted) and play just by ear, but I know it would be fairly easy to figure. Right now out of my head I slowly calculated 33- box of that pattern as maj3rd-5th-6th-root. It took me whole 3 or 4 minutes (without taking guitar, which would speed up calculations by 10), but anyway, this is easy thing - basically just pair of easy patterns to learn and then know which steps are those 33-222.
Please tell me there is a video on YT that shows this. I believe this is what I’ve been looking for but haven’t found and unfortunately I’m not at a level that I’m grasping what this comment is conveying
I think he is is just talking about the full major scales, which is really the same as the pentatonic but with a few more notes. You can change from the box pattern to 3 notes per string, or even 4. Try googling the major scale shapes.
Man this is super awesome for someone like myself that has a pretty good understanding of chord structure but has no knowledge of music rhythms! I was only marginally aware of these scales and not playing them correctly so thanks so much!
This lesson really hits the target for me - and gives me the perfect material to work out on my new looper. Which I should have bought long ago. "Find...no, KNOW the roots." Well put.
I've been practicing these shapes for almost 20 years now, and when I'm jamming with my friends, all those patterns go out the window, forgotten, in the heat of the moment... lol
Paul you're simply the best. Your videos are funny, definetly not boring than many others and you're able to explain things shortly in such an easy way. please don't stop making videos. 🙂
Since you started the music theory series, Paul, I learned much more than I ever thought I'd be able to do by myself. I love how you are able to explain in these videos, in an effective way, the basics of theory. Everyone of you videos give me inspiration to play and also makes me a better player. I will always be grateful to you for this. Thanks again
Very helpful Paul, thank you. I realized that i find it best not to number the five boxes as "1,2,3,4,5" but instead to think "1,3,4,5,7" as being the note position from the minor scale which any box starts at. Then it is easier to count up around in that number loop, know where the root is and also be aware of which number combinations I am playing in any riff. Also, having a little knowledge of what piano scales look like in terms of black and white notes, I can picture that if I'm playing the third note of a C minor pentatonic then it must be Eb, without necessarily knowing that on the guitar directly. I suppose there are different variations for learning and everyone can find their own best way.
Necro posting here to thank you for this simple yet brilliant idea! (Like so simple I’m embarrassed it hadn’t occurred to me 😂) I find it difficult to number them or even think in terms of CAGED on the fly. But have been concentrating on really understanding what intervals I’m playing within the pentatonic and it really takes things to the next level. I can see how once these are absorbed, you can move from here to adding the M2 and m6 to fully grasp the minor scale.
I saw the notification and immediately grabbed my guitar while I watch your video Edit: Thank you for the love man, and also I had a problem the "root notes" for a long time so this video kinda give me some insight. The pentatonic scale itself is easy, but the applications to connect with the chords isn't. Godspeed Paul Davids!
Thank-you for your unique, friendly and informative style of teaching! One challenge I had in your courses was exemplified by your comment at 2:45 where you explain that people learn the five shapes up and down the neck without ever learning what they mean; and you then simply go on to Tip 2, without ever explaining what they mean.
as in which shape in which position is which scale, so if you play box 3 with a differnet root are you aware of the new scale you are in and arent just shifting through the ppatterns
This! Excellent job Paul! It took me a great deal of thought almost 30 years ago to come up with how it was say Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Page, Clapton flow so effortlessly through these dramatic technically challenging riffs and licks. Then, I had to master it many pieces I still woodshed today (after 15 yrs off). And here in 14 minutes you succinctly sum all my efforts. This is the core of any great lead and to be able to tap in emotively even better. The more mastery of this that you have, the further you apply this to all structures, the further you will inevitably go. Kudos sir, kudos! Fyi, I have never played a fully intact lead ever. I have always improved every last one with influences of course. I have played hundreds of live shows opening up for national acts to boot. Always got compliments and still do. Important lesson is this!
Good work man! And it s not just about Your skills... It s the way you make me feel confortable with Your lessons. It s like an old friend that shows you how to play. Respect. I m italian, so: 1) forgive my bad English 2) it s /ˈkapo/ (in italian "capotasto" )
I can’t be more grateful Paul for this treasure trove of knowledge. I’ve played for many years but never learned theory, I got by with a good ear and knowing lots of chord shapes but could never put it all together and still enjoy the process even thought I played semi professionally. I’ve come back to playing as my singular focus and love it. Could not be making progress like this without your help.
When it comes to music with you I take a step forward and 2 steps back incase I missed something. The results are never disappointing. Music as a whole in the future will thank you for the time you took to teach others.
Paul is definitely one of the best guitar teachers on the web. I like the simplicity and the natural way he paces his lessons...I should sit down with one of his lessons and my guitar for a half hour every day. I guarantee you will see results.
I like the subtle sense of humor you put in your videos. I have been learning guitar for 2 years and the fret board in quite obscure in the beginnings especially when you don't know much about music theory. I discovered so much possibilities on the guitar thanks to your videos. Your videos give me the right starting point to deep dive into music theory and passionately figure out how things connect together on the guitar. But in the meantime, I tend to explore everything in parallel and it can be really frustrating to see how easily you juggle between minor/major/positions/chords inversion/voice leading and do so... what an exercise for the mind ! You could make a video to clear the path in this jungle of knowledge for passionate beginners, the steps to take, the order in which you learnt guitar concepts, a bit of history of your musician career ! Thank you again for sharing so much.
I've been playing for 20 plus years Paul, and it amazes me how much I still learn daily! The guitar has been such a beautiful stress relief for me. Ty for being such a great teacher my friend 🙏👊
Mr. Davis, I Admire the way you present your case. All my life (off and on), I've been a want to be player. Now that I've retired, I've learned more about music(theory), than I ever thought I could. It's all thanks to you,
Wow! I was stuck in my playing, made up my mind to break that "roof" and then I found your videos. I have known this scale for years but I never could make it sound so pleasant until now - just within the first two minutes and then playing around with it as you said. Truly, there's no need to learn another box if you don't know the root of the first box and how to apply it. It just makes you know that "do what you like but follow timing and land here (the root) at that time. Understanding this is way better than trying to copy someone's lick note by note. Thank you, Paul Davids.
You are a great editor. I like your video skills as much as your guitar skills. It really engages you and keeps you interested in what you are trying to teach in the lesson. You should have more subs. Do you have a photography or video channel too? Your skills are right up there with Peter Mckinnon.
Dude, love the channel! Coming from playing piano, I understand a relatively decent bit of theory, but it can be difficult to translate everything to guitar. You explain things in a way that just makes everything click, and suddenly I have a bunch of different avenues to pursue with my playing. I’m excited to spend some time putting all of this together!
Thank you Paul. You have indeed open up the fret board to me. I didn't see it before. I've been playing for many years. Not knowing much about the boxes and then erasing them and playing and going back to the root note! Thank you.
Clear and helpful (as usual). Related to your advice about finding the roots and dissolving the boxes, I like to notice that, from any root there are always 3 main octaves available: one toward the nut (in a C or G shape, say) ...one toward the bridge (in an E shape, say), and another toward the bridge that’s more like 3nps. Each of the boxes for pentatonic or any scale, contain one toward the nut and one toward the bridge octave. Sounds complicated when written out like this, but it’s dead simple ...just three mini octave shapes to see...not even 5 boxes or all of CAGED necessary.
Love your teaching. Just wanted to mention that the way the picture of the scale box on screen looks backwards against the guitar is confusing. Keep up the awesome work.
I have been playing guitar for 13 years and I can say you have a way of making more out of the knowledge I already know even from the most basic ones! Love your videos. They've encouraged me to break my plateau as I've been quite stuck to what I know in the past 2 years.
I have to say I have explored multiple videos regarding the pentatonic scales, the caged system and I have to say, this video explains these in the clearest and most easy to understand ways. I have played guitar for 18 years and am relearning and rediscovering ways to play the guitar and I have learned a lot with playing along with songs while really just listening to what is played and figuring out which notes fit, until learning the song. Thanks for these clear videos. They really make you understand some core and key understanding
That is an understatement, kinda not easy is right.. how much I dont know. Bodisafa (spelliing?), I think means 'teacher' , & can't remember the language. Good tune by Steely Dan, well, thanks for the comment. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself because of how true it was. Cheers Sir. Time?
I started playing guitar then I was 15 years old. After 6 months I played that first box of a minor pentatonic scale for the first time. Well, I’m 28 now, still stuck in that first box 🙈. Whenever someone asked me to play lead I refused saying I’m a rhythm guy, but that’s not true I do play lead whenever I’m on my own but I don’t feel comfortable playing lead with a band. This really inspires me to change that and I think your 5 steps may be the way I was looking for. Thanks again! Keep it up!
Hi. Your vidéos was the first that is saw. And I told myself that it was a good idea to see others. All roads lead to Paul Davids. You are serious, clean, and you started your videos straight away without "hello, welcome to bla bla" (I definitly know where I am;)). I love it. The sound is excellent and the viewing angles are perfect. Your explanations are clear, speak to you slowly and each video makes me laugh each time even if my mother tongue is French. Thanks Mr Davids to be your work. Thank you for doing your job with so much professionalism and passion, it's contagious. Mayby my sentenses are not perfect (use Reverso translator and my knowledge ;)). Think that I would translate all of this whit my guitar, but I want to be understood clearly all at once. I will eagerly follow your channel and watch all 366 videos. Thank you from a nowhere from Quebec.
Im probably guilty of some of the things you mentioned , ouch But you make sense , ill try to incorporate your suggestions, i like the same riff in every box excersise for example. So thanks, c u soon
You sir, just blew my mind! i've been playing for year and a half on my own and constantly searching for the right information about scales and how to play them. Now you just answered all of my questions about pentatonic scales in 1 vid! I literally thought every note had it's own pattern, and you just wiped that away by saying it's all in the same pattern, just played different (around the note). Now i only have to memorize every note on the board. Thanks!
I personally BELIEVE : That you’re a natural in front of the camera, You have a sense of humor, and a touch of artistic in the videos That you can deliver the weather report better than those meteorologists on the Weather Channel That you can deliver the news with more authority and authenticity than those on the regular newscasts Hell, if you talk to the grass, they might even listen to you and grow faster And on top of that, you know music and also how to teach it. So thank you P.D
@@yurimartins1455 Ive been playing for just over 2 years, and it finally clicked for me today. If you need any help, Ill try and do my best to explain it in a simpler way.
@@yurimartins1455 The thing that really brought it all together was understanding that pattern 1 of the "Minor" pentatonic, is actually pattern 5 of the "Major". And that is due to the fact that every "Major" chord has a relative "Minor" chord associated with it. Meaning, you can use the Em "E minor" Pattern 1 (1-4, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-4), over a G "Major" open chord. Thats why you see some people play a G "Major" with the two fingers on the bottom, because its in the scale of both Em and G "Major". The only difference being is what root note you start/end on. But that goes for every 5 Pentatonic pattern. (Em=G) (Dm=E) (Cm=D) (Am=C) (Gm=A). If you understand the CAGED system, start by looking up the "Major" pentatonic shapes, and go from there. If you dont know about the CAGED system, I highly recommend learning that, that was another topic that made so much more click for me! If you have any other questions, just reply to this comment and ill try and help ya out. Thanks :)
@@haydenashland5256 Oh wow 😲, thanks my man, I learned about caged a time ago, but I started scales just now, I'm still confused about the boxes, like, I can play box 1 in any root note on the 6 string? Like he played the box 1 at the 5 fret and made the pattern, I can play the same pattern on the 10 and 12 fret on the 6 string?
@@yurimartins1455 It depends on what you want your starting note to be is. If you start on the 5 Fret, 6th string, and play pattern one like he is on the video, then you are going to be in A Minor Pentatonic. If you start on the 10th fret, and play pattern 1, that is going to be the D Minor Pentatonic. So yup, whatever note you pick to start on you can use that shape! Here is something I didnt notice till a lot later, but the rest of the patterns, use the same format. 1-4, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-4 *it might be switched up slightly due to what pattern you are in but its the same idea. So if you are in still in A Minor Pentatonic, and use pattern 2 this time. If you look at the "A" note, 7th fret, 4th string (Octave of 5th fret, 6th string). And look at pattern 2, its using the same 1-4, 1-3, 1-3, etc. I hope that made sense, a bit hard to type out clearly but I hope you got the idea. Just look up on google, "Minor Pentatonic shapes, and it should be a bit easier to understand. I hope that cleared up any issues you had!
I'm just picking up guitar again after an 8 year layoff. I stopped playing in part because I wasn't taught how to use the Pentatonic scale positions in a musical sense. This video shed a lot of light on the shapes and how to approach them in a much more useful way. Thanks for making this video. I'm glad I found it.
Paul I'm captivated by your playing a teaching style, please make more videos about learning music. The way you think about music is the right way man.
Before watching this video, this is the plan I am in the middle of executing, as far as how I want to learn the pentatonics: 1. Print out the 5 shapes for the Minor Pentatonic scale. 2. Learn the Am Pentatonic scale shape in Shape 1. 3. Repeat step #2, but focus on all of the A notes in the shape. 4. Improvise within this one shape. 5. Repeat steps 2-4 for Shape 2. 6. Move back and forth between Shape 1 and Shape 2. 7. Repeat step 5 for shape 3. 8. Move back and forth between all of the shapes I know. 9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for shapes 4 & 5. 10. Add in the rest of the shapes in higher or lower octaves (where I can find them). 11. Play "find the root note" across all shapes. 12. Move on from Am and work on the other 11 minor pentatonic scales. 13. Repeat (hopefully faster) for the Major Pentatonic scales.
good plan. when I was learning the scales I took on 1 shape per week. every week I would learn the new shape and connect it with the other(s). it worked, I know them inside and out. good luck. hats off to a great teacher. Paul is one of the best without doubt.
Professor Davids, I feel like I've seen the lights over a long tunnel. Now I started playing with 3 different positions. I feel I play better than yesterday. Thank you.
10:45 BOOM thats what all the CAGED haters need to understand. You don't get "stuck in a box" unless you decide not to put the work in to fully understand the concept.
I don't know where you find your boxes. If you Google Pentatonic boxes, each and everyone is like this. This is pretty much the standard. Maybe you've been playing them backwards haha!
The diagrams are as they should be, but it gets confusing when you see a guy playing beside it.... because the neck in the diagram is now opposite to Paul's neck in the video..... Even threw me off for a second....some beginners are probably confused right now.
Paul Davids Yes you are correct Paul but I have the same problem. Visually your guitar has the bass string at the top of the image and the nut to the right, but the diagram has the bass string to the bottom and the nut to the left. This means a mental rotation of 180 degrees or a shift from top to bottom and right to left.
I have tried to master that for many years. When I play the pentatonic it sometimes sounds boring. When Hendrix played pentatonic it always sounded great.
wow just amazing av always wanted to learn the easiest way to learn pentatonics . Paul's videos av really helped me alot with guitar. he has even mortivated me to open my own channel. visit it and see my progress. Thanks Paul . keep giving us more amazing videos .
this totally works and what you said about "learning the shapes too early." I guess that was actually my case and in the end it made me think I had already learned enough up until I started to tap into the intricacies of music theory.
The resemblance to Ligeti's musica ricercata for 1 note in different octaves is so cool. If he is aware of applying Ligeti's idea in a different concept or not it doesn't matter. It's awesome and very musical
You're good at guitar and most other things.
the only difference between you and paul is You crave for moneyy and views.
@@kripeshlama6827 Why do you say that?? I think his videos are good and I don't understand why you said he craves for money and views...
You too! !
It's becuz of the beard
Beard = tone
Can we take a moment to appreciate how CLEAN that fretboard is at 4:10
My guitar necks looks absolutely disgusting, like a saturday night whorehouse alleyway.
What a shame.
wow
@@caioaugusto6819 are you British, just asking
@@bluesyace9564 hell no, why?
@@caioaugusto6819 that reply is quite British, but why's you go hell no
No wonder there’s a million subscribers. An utterly brilliant tutor.
Plus they usually buy advertisement time.
utterly butterly
ive been watching his videos for ahilw but never subscribed....this video did it for me. Subbed for sure. Thank you Paul!
Now 2.4 million 😀
I dont play guitar. I just watch these videos to unwind
Paul, thank you. After 2 weeks, i can now confidently improvise on the minor and major pentatonic scale. Ive learnt more about the guitar these past 2 weeks than i ever thought i would, what an amazing teacher. 👏👏
I have to say Paul, I've followed a bunch of guitar channels and the likes in the hope of learning how to play. I lost motivation and didn't find the time to play guitar, but I kept coming back to your channel. You have a presence, charisma even, and a knack for editing and teaching that just draws me in. Keep putting work in, the result is an absolute delight to witness, even though I don't play myself!
This channel is great but just visit guitar mastery channel that will be as good as this
You can do it Kristian! I have faith!
I ran into trouble with motivation 10 years ago. Now, 10 years on, I just purchased a new guitar and amp to give it another go. My appreciation for music has grown tenfold in the past ten years to the point of it becoming a passion and hobby of mine. I hope to return to this comment and reply sometime in the not-too-distant future with an update. If I can do it, you can do it too! Never too late to give it another try!
@@joojoosasa Alright i'm gonna give it a shot as well and cementing my next attempt in a comment to look back on in the future and laugh at.
I came here for advance chords that people don't bother with. Guys like me scales scales. Never learned all the chords now I know all the 7ths its all about confidence fellas
I should’ve known this already, but him explaining the importance of knowing and playing around the root notes almost felt like some sort of hidden knowledge. I myself really have only been focusing on learning the patterns and shapes instead of the notes that are at center of the scale.
Paul, Paul, Paul! I barely understood a word you said except that I could play the scales in different order and...and... I did and I made beautiful music. With Am pentatonic I did like a 1-4-3-3-3-4-1. I repeated and played quarter, half and whole notes randomly until I was playing a beautiful song. Paul I’m a little over a month into playing, but because I learned the scales from the beginning, I did what I think you said and WHAT JOY! My guitar made a beautiful sound with my hands, shucks I’ve got tears in my eyes writing this. No wonder you have so many followers! Thx
5:43 "I don't think alot of us play that chord".
That's such a good subtle joke. I heard the chord and I was immediately was taken back to my days of working in a guitar shop
The starting of a forbidden riff😅
Im surprised no one commented the forbidden name of it
GD stairway
@@scorchedearthdj Sssshhhh!!! ;-)
@@scorchedearthdj to
Bob Ross of the Stratocaster... Love this channel man...
Once you learn all 5 boxes, you just need to familiarize yourself with 33-222-33-222 pattern (which are minor thirds and major seconds). In every single box that pattern stays the same. For minor scale three seconds box in a row starts and ends with 4ths (which are bad to end lick on), but step up or down and you get perfect 5th or minor 3rd which are great semi-root notes.
I am too lazy to learn that pattern for major scale (which is basically the same shape, but shifted) and play just by ear, but I know it would be fairly easy to figure. Right now out of my head I slowly calculated 33- box of that pattern as maj3rd-5th-6th-root. It took me whole 3 or 4 minutes (without taking guitar, which would speed up calculations by 10), but anyway, this is easy thing - basically just pair of easy patterns to learn and then know which steps are those 33-222.
thank you
Ok
Didn't really get it, but probably because of my bad english. Can somebody explain it in other words? This seems helpfull :D
Please tell me there is a video on YT that shows this. I believe this is what I’ve been looking for but haven’t found and unfortunately I’m not at a level that I’m grasping what this comment is conveying
I think he is is just talking about the full major scales, which is really the same as the pentatonic but with a few more notes. You can change from the box pattern to 3 notes per string, or even 4. Try googling the major scale shapes.
Of all the videos i've watched, this the most understandable. Thanks Paul
but u play piano lol
I do. But I love music
Your videos are always a pleasure to watch Paul.
Paul the time has come to hug you in a brotherly way.
Man this is super awesome for someone like myself that has a pretty good understanding of chord structure but has no knowledge of music rhythms! I was only marginally aware of these scales and not playing them correctly so thanks so much!
This lesson really hits the target for me - and gives me the perfect material to work out on my new looper. Which I should have bought long ago.
"Find...no, KNOW the roots." Well put.
Yepnlooper is reeealy good for learning scales or making your own backing track.
A looper can realy boost you forward
Ah, thanks for the tip. Now I know what to ask for my birthday in a few weeks!
I've been practicing these shapes for almost 20 years now, and when I'm jamming with my friends, all those patterns go out the window, forgotten, in the heat of the moment... lol
Same here, why do you think this is the case sometimes?
@@TheLillypad101 nerves lol
@Rahul Mondal can anyone tell me what he meant by 5 Box.shapes rn I just know the f# minor penta scale so I'm new at this😅.
Can you help me,how is that a minor scale i found on google be em shape? I am begging you to tell me
@@Fakmat0129I hope you figured that out
Paul you're simply the best. Your videos are funny, definetly not boring than many others and you're able to explain things shortly in such an easy way. please don't stop making videos. 🙂
Since you started the music theory series, Paul, I learned much more than I ever thought I'd be able to do by myself. I love how you are able to explain in these videos, in an effective way, the basics of theory. Everyone of you videos give me inspiration to play and also makes me a better player. I will always be grateful to you for this.
Thanks again
Very helpful Paul, thank you. I realized that i find it best not to number the five boxes as "1,2,3,4,5" but instead to think "1,3,4,5,7" as being the note position from the minor scale which any box starts at. Then it is easier to count up around in that number loop, know where the root is and also be aware of which number combinations I am playing in any riff. Also, having a little knowledge of what piano scales look like in terms of black and white notes, I can picture that if I'm playing the third note of a C minor pentatonic then it must be Eb, without necessarily knowing that on the guitar directly. I suppose there are different variations for learning and everyone can find their own best way.
Necro posting here to thank you for this simple yet brilliant idea! (Like so simple I’m embarrassed it hadn’t occurred to me 😂)
I find it difficult to number them or even think in terms of CAGED on the fly. But have been concentrating on really understanding what intervals I’m playing within the pentatonic and it really takes things to the next level.
I can see how once these are absorbed, you can move from here to adding the M2 and m6 to fully grasp the minor scale.
I saw the notification and immediately grabbed my guitar while I watch your video
Edit: Thank you for the love man, and also I had a problem the "root notes" for a long time so this video kinda give me some insight. The pentatonic scale itself is easy, but the applications to connect with the chords isn't.
Godspeed Paul Davids!
Thank you for that ‘PEN TA TO NIC SCALE’ intro complete with ‘BOIIIIIIING’ sound.
You're welcome
Daniel Gisborne it wasnt you!!!!
Thank-you for your unique, friendly and informative style of teaching! One challenge I had in your courses was exemplified by your comment at 2:45 where you explain that people learn the five shapes up and down the neck without ever learning what they mean; and you then simply go on to Tip 2, without ever explaining what they mean.
as in which shape in which position is which scale, so if you play box 3 with a differnet root are you aware of the new scale you are in and arent just shifting through the ppatterns
First ever video about pentatonic scale that make sense and I can uderstand!
Thank you Paul for all the hard work and passion you put into your lessons - you are helping so many people. You are brilliant my friend!
This! Excellent job Paul! It took me a great deal of thought almost 30 years ago to come up with how it was say Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Page, Clapton flow so effortlessly through these dramatic technically challenging riffs and licks. Then, I had to master it many pieces I still woodshed today (after 15 yrs off).
And here in 14 minutes you succinctly sum all my efforts. This is the core of any great lead and to be able to tap in emotively even better. The more mastery of this that you have, the further you apply this to all structures, the further you will inevitably go. Kudos sir, kudos!
Fyi, I have never played a fully intact lead ever. I have always improved every last one with influences of course. I have played hundreds of live shows opening up for national acts to boot. Always got compliments and still do. Important lesson is this!
Good work man! And it s not just about Your skills... It s the way you make me feel confortable with Your lessons. It s like an old friend that shows you how to play. Respect.
I m italian, so:
1) forgive my bad English
2) it s /ˈkapo/ (in italian "capotasto" )
I've been playing for 10 years, mostly by ear, your channel opened a lot of previously locked "doors" and "paths" in my mind.
Big thanks from Brazil!
he seems like he would be an awesome person to hang out with
I can’t be more grateful Paul for this treasure trove of knowledge. I’ve played for many years but never learned theory, I got by with a good ear and knowing lots of chord shapes but could never put it all together and still enjoy the process even thought I played semi professionally.
I’ve come back to playing as my singular focus and love it. Could not be making progress like this without your help.
Holy shit this is perfect. Hot beverage time. And double watching. Thanks a lot :)
When it comes to music with you I take a step forward and 2 steps back incase I missed something. The results are never disappointing. Music as a whole in the future will thank you for the time you took to teach others.
Apart from being a very good guitar tutor, you should have your own TV show man! You're an amazing communicator!
Paul is definitely one of the best guitar teachers on the web. I like the simplicity and the natural way he paces his lessons...I should sit down with one of his lessons and my guitar for a half hour every day. I guarantee you will see results.
Great vid! But then again they are always great! Way to go.
That is right. I found another great video about that subject: th-cam.com/video/-4c_Yv23l0M/w-d-xo.html
I like the subtle sense of humor you put in your videos. I have been learning guitar for 2 years and the fret board in quite obscure in the beginnings especially when you don't know much about music theory. I discovered so much possibilities on the guitar thanks to your videos. Your videos give me the right starting point to deep dive into music theory and passionately figure out how things connect together on the guitar. But in the meantime, I tend to explore everything in parallel and it can be really frustrating to see how easily you juggle between minor/major/positions/chords inversion/voice leading and do so... what an exercise for the mind ! You could make a video to clear the path in this jungle of knowledge for passionate beginners, the steps to take, the order in which you learnt guitar concepts, a bit of history of your musician career !
Thank you again for sharing so much.
Each time i hear "easy" in this video makes me feel sad...
Same
Agreed, so far this is very difficult for me to follow, though it might be that I'm just an idiot.
LeHadriel just wait till you see the slap guitar tutorial Rob scallon
Me too...sad
Difficulty is relative, you're not an idiot
Putting the capo on really just turned a light on for me with chord shapes and scales and gave me something to practice. Great lesson!
I've been playing for 20 plus years Paul, and it amazes me how much I still learn daily! The guitar has been such a beautiful stress relief for me.
Ty for being such a great teacher my friend 🙏👊
Mr. Davis, I Admire the way you present your case. All my life (off and on), I've been a want to be player. Now that I've retired, I've learned more about music(theory), than I ever thought I could. It's all thanks to you,
Paul Davids- makes playing the same notes sound amazing :'D
This guy needs to move to the 🇺🇸 ...to my state..... to my town.... he is brilliant. Much respect. Only teacher on you tube imo. Perfect videos..
6:45 "City of stars..."
Wow! I was stuck in my playing, made up my mind to break that "roof" and then I found your videos. I have known this scale for years but I never could make it sound so pleasant until now - just within the first two minutes and then playing around with it as you said.
Truly, there's no need to learn another box if you don't know the root of the first box and how to apply it. It just makes you know that "do what you like but follow timing and land here (the root) at that time.
Understanding this is way better than trying to copy someone's lick note by note.
Thank you, Paul Davids.
You are a great editor. I like your video skills as much as your guitar skills. It really engages you and keeps you interested in what you are trying to teach in the lesson. You should have more subs. Do you have a photography or video channel too? Your skills are right up there with Peter Mckinnon.
This was by far THE most helpful video I’ve encountered so far 🎉
I see paul davids in my notification.i click.i enjoy😊
I appreciate your effort in doing this video. I have played guitar for over 50 years and I found this mostly incomprehensible from step two onward.
"Can't teach an old dog new tricks"
Dude, love the channel! Coming from playing piano, I understand a relatively decent bit of theory, but it can be difficult to translate everything to guitar. You explain things in a way that just makes everything click, and suddenly I have a bunch of different avenues to pursue with my playing. I’m excited to spend some time putting all of this together!
Thank you Paul. You have indeed open up the fret board to me. I didn't see it before. I've been playing for many years. Not knowing much about the boxes and then erasing them and playing and going back to the root note! Thank you.
Classic cool edit! Love the effects and sound on Paul's videos 😌
Clear and helpful (as usual). Related to your advice about finding the roots and dissolving the boxes, I like to notice that, from any root there are always 3 main octaves available: one toward the nut (in a C or G shape, say) ...one toward the bridge (in an E shape, say), and another toward the bridge that’s more like 3nps. Each of the boxes for pentatonic or any scale, contain one toward the nut and one toward the bridge octave.
Sounds complicated when written out like this, but it’s dead simple ...just three mini octave shapes to see...not even 5 boxes or all of CAGED necessary.
Ya just know as soon as Paul uploads a video your gonna Lear something regardless of how long you been playing, cheers buddy
I love this guy's accent and sense of humor AND the fact that he appropriately brought up my favorite band to make the distinction! 😁💙👍🏻
Love your teaching. Just wanted to mention that the way the picture of the scale box on screen looks backwards against the guitar is confusing. Keep up the awesome work.
I have been playing guitar for 13 years and I can say you have a way of making more out of the knowledge I already know even from the most basic ones! Love your videos. They've encouraged me to break my plateau as I've been quite stuck to what I know in the past 2 years.
That is right. I found another great video about that subject: th-cam.com/video/-4c_Yv23l0M/w-d-xo.html
Me: Playing A,A,A Like him
Paul Davis: It's an amazing SONG
I have to say I have explored multiple videos regarding the pentatonic scales, the caged system and I have to say, this video explains these in the clearest and most easy to understand ways.
I have played guitar for 18 years and am relearning and rediscovering ways to play the guitar and I have learned a lot with playing along with songs while really just listening to what is played and figuring out which notes fit, until learning the song. Thanks for these clear videos. They really make you understand some core and key understanding
Awesome lesson! I like your system!
I'm working on three octave pentatonic scales. Kind of not easy
That is an understatement, kinda not easy is right.. how much I dont know. Bodisafa (spelliing?), I think means 'teacher' , & can't remember the language. Good tune by Steely Dan, well, thanks for the comment. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself because of how true it was. Cheers Sir.
Time?
@@ralph40... Bodisattva. Sanskrit is the language.
That is right. I found another great video about that subject: th-cam.com/video/-4c_Yv23l0M/w-d-xo.html
Works nice on the violin. Went from guitar to violin, then back to guitar (and still enjoying the violin). Eye opening.
4:10 Damn that guitar looks so delicious, that ebony fretboard looks so playable, so, so beautiful, very good looking guitar.
What guitar is it?
you lost me at the "box" part then i really zoned out when "caged" came in
i know this comment is old. But probably would be a good idea to read the first volume of fretboard logic before these concepts.
Paul, I see you arpeggiating the up-neck C-shape because it's a pain. I see it because I do it too. And I'm relieved. I'm not alone.
I started playing guitar then I was 15 years old. After 6 months I played that first box of a minor pentatonic scale for the first time. Well, I’m 28 now, still stuck in that first box 🙈.
Whenever someone asked me to play lead I refused saying I’m a rhythm guy, but that’s not true I do play lead whenever I’m on my own but I don’t feel comfortable playing lead with a band.
This really inspires me to change that and I think your 5 steps may be the way I was looking for.
Thanks again!
Keep it up!
0:08
This was exactly what my last two braincells needed at 4am😂
Hi. Your vidéos was the first that is saw. And I told myself that it was a good idea to see others. All roads lead to Paul Davids. You are serious, clean, and you started your videos straight away without "hello, welcome to bla bla" (I definitly know where I am;)). I love it. The sound is excellent and the viewing angles are perfect. Your explanations are clear, speak to you slowly and each video makes me laugh each time even if my mother tongue is French. Thanks Mr Davids to be your work. Thank you for doing your job with so much professionalism and passion, it's contagious. Mayby my sentenses are not perfect (use Reverso translator and my knowledge ;)). Think that I would translate all of this whit my guitar, but I want to be understood clearly all at once. I will eagerly follow your channel and watch all 366 videos. Thank you from a nowhere from Quebec.
Im probably guilty of some of the things you mentioned , ouch
But you make sense , ill try to incorporate your suggestions, i like the same riff in every box excersise for example.
So thanks, c u soon
Next can you do a video called “this is how you grow an awesome beard” that would be great thanks
You sir, just blew my mind!
i've been playing for year and a half on my own and constantly searching for the right information about scales and how to play them. Now you just answered all of my questions about pentatonic scales in 1 vid!
I literally thought every note had it's own pattern, and you just wiped that away by saying it's all in the same pattern, just played different (around the note).
Now i only have to memorize every note on the board.
Thanks!
Finally, after watching all these videos!
At 6:02 Paul botches a note.
Yes, yes, yes, he’s human after all.
Koen Delvaux no, that was a bit of jazz! ;)
I personally BELIEVE :
That you’re a natural in front of the camera,
You have a sense of humor, and a touch of artistic in the videos
That you can deliver the weather report better than those meteorologists on the Weather Channel
That you can deliver the news with more authority and authenticity than those on the regular newscasts
Hell, if you talk to the grass, they might even listen to you and grow faster
And on top of that, you know music and also how to teach it.
So thank you P.D
i'm still confused af
Same bro, wish I could ask some questions, and be answered
@@yurimartins1455 Ive been playing for just over 2 years, and it finally clicked for me today. If you need any help, Ill try and do my best to explain it in a simpler way.
@@yurimartins1455 The thing that really brought it all together was understanding that pattern 1 of the "Minor" pentatonic, is actually pattern 5 of the "Major". And that is due to the fact that every "Major" chord has a relative "Minor" chord associated with it. Meaning, you can use the Em "E minor" Pattern 1 (1-4, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-4), over a G "Major" open chord. Thats why you see some people play a G "Major" with the two fingers on the bottom, because its in the scale of both Em and G "Major". The only difference being is what root note you start/end on. But that goes for every 5 Pentatonic pattern. (Em=G) (Dm=E) (Cm=D) (Am=C) (Gm=A). If you understand the CAGED system, start by looking up the "Major" pentatonic shapes, and go from there. If you dont know about the CAGED system, I highly recommend learning that, that was another topic that made so much more click for me! If you have any other questions, just reply to this comment and ill try and help ya out. Thanks :)
@@haydenashland5256 Oh wow 😲, thanks my man, I learned about caged a time ago, but I started scales just now, I'm still confused about the boxes, like, I can play box 1 in any root note on the 6 string? Like he played the box 1 at the 5 fret and made the pattern, I can play the same pattern on the 10 and 12 fret on the 6 string?
@@yurimartins1455 It depends on what you want your starting note to be is. If you start on the 5 Fret, 6th string, and play pattern one like he is on the video, then you are going to be in A Minor Pentatonic. If you start on the 10th fret, and play pattern 1, that is going to be the D Minor Pentatonic. So yup, whatever note you pick to start on you can use that shape! Here is something I didnt notice till a lot later, but the rest of the patterns, use the same format. 1-4, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-4 *it might be switched up slightly due to what pattern you are in but its the same idea. So if you are in still in A Minor Pentatonic, and use pattern 2 this time. If you look at the "A" note, 7th fret, 4th string (Octave of 5th fret, 6th string). And look at pattern 2, its using the same 1-4, 1-3, 1-3, etc. I hope that made sense, a bit hard to type out clearly but I hope you got the idea. Just look up on google, "Minor Pentatonic shapes, and it should be a bit easier to understand. I hope that cleared up any issues you had!
I'm just picking up guitar again after an 8 year layoff. I stopped playing in part because I wasn't taught how to use the Pentatonic scale positions in a musical sense. This video shed a lot of light on the shapes and how to approach them in a much more useful way. Thanks for making this video. I'm glad I found it.
I'm new at this but I wish the scale displayed was the same as when your looking at the neck, instead of upside down
Paul I'm captivated by your playing a teaching style, please make more videos about learning music. The way you think about music is the right way man.
Before watching this video, this is the plan I am in the middle of executing, as far as how I want to learn the pentatonics:
1. Print out the 5 shapes for the Minor Pentatonic scale.
2. Learn the Am Pentatonic scale shape in Shape 1.
3. Repeat step #2, but focus on all of the A notes in the shape.
4. Improvise within this one shape.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for Shape 2.
6. Move back and forth between Shape 1 and Shape 2.
7. Repeat step 5 for shape 3.
8. Move back and forth between all of the shapes I know.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for shapes 4 & 5.
10. Add in the rest of the shapes in higher or lower octaves (where I can find them).
11. Play "find the root note" across all shapes.
12. Move on from Am and work on the other 11 minor pentatonic scales.
13. Repeat (hopefully faster) for the Major Pentatonic scales.
good plan. when I was learning the scales I took on 1 shape per week. every week I would learn the new shape and connect it with the other(s). it worked, I know them inside and out. good luck. hats off to a great teacher. Paul is one of the best without doubt.
@Daniel Skrivan
I'm stealing your plan!! THANK YOU & THANK GOD >>>SOMEBODY
Thank you very much, for explaining the essentials of the pentatonic scale in sutch easy way.
00:10
Turn on the english (auto-generated) caption
PANASONIC SCALE
Root notes are vital after good thing I learned that right away. Like you say it really resolves the lick.
5:44 you're totally playing Stairway to Heaven!
Professor Davids, I feel like I've seen the lights over a long tunnel. Now I started playing with 3 different positions. I feel I play better than yesterday. Thank you.
That was awesome man. I have been a bit too focused on the theory aspect that I overlooked how much the shapes made it all click.
So easy for this to happen. At the moment, my "book smarts" is beyond my "street smarts" - I need to re-focus on street smarts :)
You have enlightened me easily ;your style or way of teaching is clear to understand with few words .... thank you
I’m a beginning guitarist and while I liked your video and teaching style, I found it a little too fast for me to use as a legitimate training tool
Being a beginner its hard bro...i know..
My advice.......take it SLOWLY
Agreed. However, I play it over many times and study it. I listen to it doing the dishes, even, that helps to hear and not see. Try that.
be kind. rewind. a lot.
Sam B did you get any better
1:57 made my day. I love the way you use humour in your lessons. Thanks for another great one.
10:45 BOOM thats what all the CAGED haters need to understand. You don't get "stuck in a box" unless you decide not to put the work in to fully understand the concept.
you have the most calming voice/way of teaching
All the box graphics were backwards to what I'm used to seeing. My brain hurts.
I don't know where you find your boxes. If you Google Pentatonic boxes, each and everyone is like this. This is pretty much the standard. Maybe you've been playing them backwards haha!
haha same here. Maybe it's because we didn't see these boxes in a long time and just play the thing on the guitar.
The diagrams are as they should be, but it gets confusing when you see a guy playing beside it.... because the neck in the diagram is now opposite to Paul's neck in the video..... Even threw me off for a second....some beginners are probably confused right now.
Paul Davids Yes you are correct Paul but I have the same problem.
Visually your guitar has the bass string at the top of the image and the nut to the right, but the diagram has the bass string to the bottom and the nut to the left. This means a mental rotation of 180 degrees or a shift from top to bottom and right to left.
I just rotated my iPad 180 degrees. Problem solved.
Brilliant!!! I've only been playing since the first of the year, but the "light" is starting to come on. Thanks!
The pentatonic scale is the base. The trick is to use it like it does not sound like the pentatonic scale hehehhe
I have tried to master that for many years. When I play the pentatonic it sometimes sounds boring. When Hendrix played pentatonic it always sounded great.
👍🎸 after mastering the technic, you have to put the soul in it
Thank you for the tip!
Is it necessary to start and finish playing the root note?
@@12mercyjhon I don't want to call it necessary but to start and finish on a chord note will make the solo sound less random.
Great explanations with the perfect blend of humour and humility. Thank you
wow just amazing av always wanted to learn the easiest way to learn pentatonics . Paul's videos av really helped me alot with guitar. he has even mortivated me to open my own channel. visit it and see my progress. Thanks Paul . keep giving us more amazing videos .
Indeed this video has made playing pentatonic scales so much easy and much interesting .
true that I can't agree less .Paul is just amazing. Thanks for making guitar learning and playing much easier. 😊😊😎
Beautiful tutorial. I did not tired to listen at all. You are professional video teacher!!! 10 points to you!!! Thanks!!
4:57 Who else heard Stairway to Heaven?
yup
just the first 2 notes lol
Theres a lady thats sure all that glitters is gold.
@@Verigo 5:44 and 6:36 too hahaha
That's why he said "I don't think a lot of us play this chord" because that's a forbidden song
this totally works and what you said about "learning the shapes too early." I guess that was actually my case and in the end it made me think I had already learned enough up until I started to tap into the intricacies of music theory.
Wthell is happening i think i should come back later 😂
the finger board on that acoustic looks pristine
The resemblance to Ligeti's musica ricercata for 1 note in different octaves is so cool. If he is aware of applying Ligeti's idea in a different concept or not it doesn't matter. It's awesome and very musical
Detail, relax, Clear n helpful. Tx bro Paul.🎸🇮🇩
You're amazing, Paul. Thanks for all you do throughout this community, your kindness and passion are humbling.
So much effort must go into making these videos so concise and presented in the digestible manner in which they are.