Looking for cool country guitar licks to add to your playing? This lesson shows you how to use the E pentatonic minor scale over a G major chord progression—a classic country guitar technique that works beautifully even if you don’t know all the theory behind it.
The E Pentatonic Minor Scale
The E pentatonic minor scale (also called E blues scale) is a five-note scale that covers three octaves: low E, middle E, and high E. “Pentatonic” means five notes, and this scale pattern repeats across the fretboard.
This scale is incredibly popular in country guitar. Once you learn where all the notes are, country licks become much easier because so many of them come right out of this scale pattern.
Playing E Minor Over G Major
Here’s the cool part: you can play the E pentatonic minor scale over a G major chord. These two keys are relative—E minor is the relative minor of G major. This is why the combination sounds so natural.
When you’re playing this scale over a G chord, focus on the G note as your ending note. The G is the second note in the pentatonic scale (or third in the diatonic scale). You have three G notes available: one on the low E string, the open G string, and one on the high E string.
In the key of G major, you’re working with G, C, D, and E minor chords. E minor is the relative minor to G major, which is why combinations like G-C-D-Em are so common in country music.
The Country Lick Technique
This lick uses just the fourth and fifth strings—more of a bass note approach that works great for joining G and E minor changes. Here’s how it works:
Start by sliding up on the fourth string from the first fret to the second fret with your second finger (that’s an E note). Then play: open fourth string (D), fifth string second fret (B), open fifth string (A), then G.
The second time through, do the same slide and pattern, but instead of going to the open A string, go back to the open D. This change forces you into the E minor chord instead of G major.
The key is in that last note before the chord change. When you end on the A note (open fifth string), it leads naturally to the G chord. When you end on the D note (open fourth string), it pushes you toward E minor. This creates a smooth, professional-sounding transition between chords.
Want to learn more about the pentatonic minor scale? Check out Beginner Guitar Scales – Open E Pentatonic Minor for a complete breakdown of the scale patterns.
For even more country guitar lessons by Colin Daniel, visit RiffNinja.com or sign up for a 3 Day Free Trial at Riff Ninja Academy.
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