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Luca Mantovanelli
20 Essential Pentatonic
Licks: Beginner

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Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Essential Pentatonic Licks: Beginner 2

INTRODUCTION

In this Beginner section, we’re going to use two backing

tracks in the related keys of A minor and C major.

These two keys are so closely related, we can actually use the same
group of notes, in two different ways. For the A minor backing we’ll use
A minor pentatonic (A C D E G) anf for the C major backing we’ll use C
major pentatonic (C D E G A). As you can see, the notes are the same,
but the root note (the tonal centre) is different.

Here’s a breakdown, lick by lick…

Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Essential Pentatonic Licks: Beginner 3

CHAPTER 1

LICK BREAKDOWNS
In this section I’ll explain my thought process behind each
and every lick.

LICK 1: We’re starting with the A minor backing, and therefore A minor
pentatonic (A C D E G). This lick is mostly based around Shape 1, but it starts
in Shape 2 and ends below in Shape 5. I’m using slides to move smoothly
between the shapes. Notice how I start on two strong notes: E and A (5th
and root). Also remember that it’s good to choose notes to fit the chords – I
target the D note over the G and D chords.

LICK 2: Here’s a classic blues line. It’s mostly based in Shape 1, but I shifted
up to Shape 2 for that higher D-E bend. This is the same bend as I play on the
very first beat, but an octave higher.

LICK 3: Here I play a repeating open E string string together with a sliding
line on the B string, running through A minor pentatonic. The final phrase
descends through Shape 3.

LICK 4: We’ll introduce a few more chord changes in the next few licks.
Check out the little details in this lick – I’m using quick “grace note” slides to
add interest to the notes. There’s also a quarter-tone bend on the E/C double-
stop in bar 3. This gives a bluesy sound and it works in major and minor
keys.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Essential Pentatonic Licks: Beginner
CHAPTER 1 4

LICK 5: The first bend here gives us an E target note over the F chord. This is
the major 7th of E, a potentially dissonant note, but it works fine as long as
you return to a more “inside” note soon after. What I do is to release the first
bend, then tap the 20th fret and bend the string again (while holding the tap).
This gives us an A note, the major 3rd of F.

LICK 6: Almost the whole lick is in Shape 1. The first phrase is reminiscent of
Eddie Van Halen’s ‘Panama’ solo.

LICK 7: Start with a C-D bend in Shape 3. I then play that same bend another
two times with different phrasing.

LICK 8: This one is all in Shape 1. The double-stop slide in bar 2 introduces a
brief F# note. This is from the Dorian scale (A B C D E F# G) but it will work in
a lot of A minor pentatonic situations. Note the two 7th-fret harmonics at the
end.

LICK 9: Here we use tapping again. For the first three bars, I’m mostly just
bending D to E on the G string, adding other notes with taps at higher frets…
the 12th, the 15th and then a tapped harmonic at the 19th fret. In all cases,
the string is pre-bent, so the actual note is a wholetone higher (A ,C, E). The
final phrase descends through Shape 3.

LICK 10: Here’s a sliding pattern, moving from Shape 5 in the high position to
Shape 5 in the low position.

LICK 11: Now we’ll use the second backing track. We’re now in C major, so
we’ll use the C major pentatonic (C D E G A). Remember, the notes are the
same as A minor pentatonic but the root is now C, so all the notes have
different functions. I start here with a diagonal pattern, repeating the first
phrase one octave up.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Essential Pentatonic Licks: Beginner
CHAPTER 1 5

LICK 12: It’s always a good idea to find little melodic ideas and then move
them through the scale. Here I’m using a series of two-fret slides. The final
double-stop features a quick “grace-note” hammer-on to the E (major 3rd)
from the Eb (minor 3rd) giving a bluesy sound.

LICK 13: I sneaked another “bonus note” into this lick. It’s the F – hold the
D-E bend at the 15th fret and then reach up and adding the 16th fret with
your pinky (holding the bend).

LICK 14: This descending pattern is very common in A minor Shape 1, but
of course this is now C major Shape 5, so the line has a different melodic
“meaning”. Notice how I end with a slide up to the E note, the major 3rd
of the underlying C chord. Always remember to build your phrases around
chord tones for maximum melodic impact!

LICK 15: This lick is all about the rhythm lick. The melodic content is very
simple, so concentrate on getting the timing absolutely tight.

LICK 16: This one moves between Shapes 2 and 3 of C major pentatonic
(Shapes 3 and 4 for A minor pentatonic). Notice the two bends, connected
with a slide – try to play this phrase smoothly.

LICK 17: When practising, it’s a good idea to set tasks for yourself. Avoid
certain notes, include certain notes, play only in one position or… play only on
one string. Apart from a couple of notes, this is all played by sliding up and
down the G string.

LICK 18: Here’s a diagonal pattern taking us through two octaves of C major
pentatonic. Again I added a cheeky F note for some melodic variation over the
G-F chord change.
Luca Mantovanelli / 20 Essential Pentatonic Licks: Beginner
CHAPTER 1 6

LICK 19: This one uses a kind of “call & response” approach, playing a
phrase in Shape 5 and then answering it with a similar phrase in Shape 1. We
then have the bending trick from Lick 13: while holding the 10th-fret bend (D
to E) reach up with your pinky and play the 11th fret (giving an F note). We
end with a series of double stops in parallel 4th intervals.

LICK 20: To give a bluesy sound, I added the minor 3rd (Eb). This note
only creates a temporary moment of tension, as I quickly resolve it to the
expected major 3rd (E), by hammerring on or by bending. The bend is
actually ony a quarter-tone bend, so the target note is somewhere between
Eb and E, for maximum blues!

I hope you enjoyed learning a few of my favourite pentatonic licks! If you’re

ready to move onto more difficult material, I’ll see you in the Intermediate
section.

Luca M
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Luca Mantovanelli
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