Alternative Pentatonics
The minor pentatonic is one of the most expressive scales on the guitar. It’s also the one most guitarists never move beyond. Once the minor pentatonic starts to sound like the same five notes in the same familiar patterns, the usual advice is to learn the modes — which is a leap that not everyone wants to make.
There’s a middle ground. Pentatonics with a different five notes.
I wrote Alternative Pentatonics as a practice guide for myself. I wanted new sounds over common chords — something outside the standard minor pentatonic and major scale options, but still five notes, still playable with good phrasing, still musical. What I found was that 28 alternative pentatonic scales cover a huge range of harmonic territory, from slightly exotic to genuinely outside, and they work over the chords you encounter 90% of the time.
What the book contains
- 28 alternative pentatonic scales organised by chord type — so you know exactly which scales work over major, major 7, minor, minor 7 and dominant chords
- Each scale presented as a practical improvisation tool, not just a pattern to memorise
- New sounds that sit between an arpeggio and a full scale — five notes is the ideal number for musical phrasing, as you discovered the first time you played the minor pentatonic over a blues
- Exotic, outside and unusual sounds that will immediately give your playing a different character
Who it’s for
For intermediate players: This book gives you a large set of new options for soloing over common chords and forces you out of the standard pentatonic and mode patterns you’ve been using. Each scale is a fresh palette for improvisation.
For advanced players: Think of this less as learning patterns and more as exploring harmonic territory. Use the scales to investigate new sounds, let them settle into your subconscious, and allow them to surface naturally when you’re improvising. The goal isn’t to memorise 28 new shapes — it’s to expand your harmonic instincts.
If you’re stuck in a soloing rut, looking for outside sounds, exotic sounds, or just something different — this is the book for you.
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