Play With Each Video Two Times

To get the optimal benefit from this lesson, I recommend that you play with each video all the way through two times.

The Open E Minor Pentatonic Scale is the basis of many guitar parts in rock, blues, country and folk music. If your specialty is blues, or any blues-based music, then this scale is a must. There are thousands of blues songs based on this open scale shape.

Open Position   'Open position' means that it uses open strings (no fingers on the frets), along with fretted notes.

Half Open - Half Fretted   Half of the notes in this scale are open, half are fretted at the 2nd or 3rd fret. Playing the notes in order from lowest to highest means playing an open string, then a fretted note, open string, fretted note, and so on.

This scale is a special case.   Techniques for playing open scales are different from techniques for playing scales anywhere else on the neck. A lot of good lead players fall apart when they get into open position, so they just avoid it.

Experiment with left-hand fingerings.   As you watch the videos, pay close attention to which string and which frets we're playing on. Don't worry about using the same fingerings I use.

You can, if you want to, use only one finger to play every note in this lesson. Some people will play all of the examples with their index finger first, then go back and play them again with their middle finger. This approach is fine since it helps you get used to placing your fingers at different places on the neck, and strengthens and conditions your fingers.