Guitar DNA: Pentatonics

Pentatonic scales are at the core of most guitar players’ improvisational vocabulary for blues, rock, funk, fusion and even country. While there are 5 moveable pentatonic shapes, players tend to use only 1 or 2 of them. There are also many ways to embellish a pentatonic scale, and many other pentatonic scales to choose from, yet most players stick to the typical 5-note minor and major pentatonic only.

David Walliman’s Pentatonics edition of Guitar DNA will expand your pentatonic universe exponentially.”I’ll start by showing you all five moveable shapes of the minor and major pentatonic scale so that you can stay in a single position to play over any chord changes. You’ll also learn how to add color to your pentatonic lines by using chromatic passages.

Adding just two notes to your minor and major pentatonic scales help you create expressive modal lines in your improvisations. In addition to minor and major pentatonic scales, I’ll show you how to create and apply your own custom pentatonic scales derived from the modes themselves.”

Born in France, David Walliman is a multi-talented composer, recording artist and educator. He earned a full scholarship to the CMA School of Modern Music and also won first place in the Tal Farlow French Jazz Contest. A passionate teacher with a massive YouTube following, David is extraordinarily gifted at conveying sophisticated concepts in a very accessible manner. We’re excited to welcome David to the family with his first TrueFire course, Guitar DNA: Pentatonics.

David organized the course into three main sections. In the first section he describes the minor and major pentatonic formula, demonstrates all 5 shapes and positions, shows you how to fill your pentatonic lines with chromatic notes, and more: The Minor Pentatonic Formula, Positions 1 & 5, Positions 3 & 4, Position 2, Getting Comfortable in the Positions, The Major Pentatonic Formula, Sliding Minor Pentatonic Paths, Filling with Chromatic Notes, Chromatic Notes in Position, Narrow Modulation Zones, Selecting Positions for Soloing: 1, and Selecting Positions for Soloing: 2.

In the second section, David presents Pentatonic Scales & Modes: The Major Modes, The Minor Modes, The Secret Modal Order, Traditional Pentatonics & Modes, Ionian Jamming, Lydian Jamming, Mixolydian Jamming, Dorian Jamming, Phrygian, and Aeolian Jamming.

In the third section, David shows you how to build your own custom Pentatonic Scales and how to solo with them: Custom Dorian Pentatonic, Custom Phrygian Pentatonic, Custom Aeolian Pentatonic, Custom Ionian Pentatonic, Custom Lydian Pentatonic, Custom Mixolydian Pentatonic, and Custom Mixolydian Pentatonic.

In the fourth and final section, David demonstrates musical applications using many of the key learnings from the previous three sections: Dorian Floyd Overview and Performance, and Major Sweetness Overview and Performance.

David will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way.  You’ll get standard notation, tabs, and diagrams for each example, AND all of the rhythm tracks to work with on your own. In addition, you’ll be able to loop or slow down any of the performances so you can work with the materials at your own pace.

So grab your guitar and let's expand our pentatonic prowess with David Walliman!