Level 2

Level 2

1. Chords: Triads
Play major and minor chords wherever and however you want

Triads – a recap
• Any major triad consists of these notes in the scale: 1 – 3 – 5.
• Any minor triad consists of these notes in the scale: 1 – ♭3 – 5.
• You have the freedom to play the notes of a triad in any order you like.

Guitar terms
Triad: A chord made up of 3 unique notes

First inversion: When the lowest note of the triad is the major third (for a major
chord) or a minor third (for a minor chord)

Second inversion: When the lowest note of the triad is the perfect fifth (the fifth
note of the major scale)

Goal
To know the 3 positions of the triads on the top 3 strings, and preferably on the D, G,
and B strings

Advanced goal
To know the triad positions on the A, D, and G strings
To know the triad positions on the E, A, and D strings

Exercise
2.1.1 More chord shapes
Practice the various chord shapes in the tabs by playing along with the backing track. Try
out different shapes of the same chord throughout the track

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 Level 2

Exercise 2.1.1 More chord shapes Lvl 2.1

             
Standard tuning

   
G chord these are all G major chords!


7 10 15 7 12 15

  

       

1     
  
  2
  
3
  43
7 10 15


8 12 15 3 8 12 15
7 12 16 4 7 12 16
5 9 12 17

           

  
harder level:

7 12 16 5 9 12

 
  

 

    

    
  
3 4

   



4 7 12 16
5 9 12 17 0 5 9 12
5 10 14 17 2 5 10 14
3 7 10 15

          

  
Am chord These are all Am chords!

8 12 5 9 13

 

 
        

       
  
 
5 6


0
 21
5 8 12


5 10 13 1 5 10 13
5 9 14 2 5 9 14
2 7 10 14

             

     
harder level


5 9 14 7 10 14

       

   
  
  
7 8

  
  



2 5 9 14
2 7 10 14 2 7 10 14
3 7 12 15 3 7 12 15
5 8 12 17

1/1

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 Level 2

2. Lead: Pentatonic scales

Unlock soloing skills with these essential scales

Guitar terms
Pentatonic scale: A scale made up of 5 unique notes

Relative keys: Keys that share the same notes but start on different notes

Notes in a pentatonic scale

Major pentatonic scales are made up of these notes (with 1 being the root note):

1–2–3–5–6

Minor pentatonic scales are made up of these notes (with 1 being the root note):

1 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭7

Goal
To know the major and minor pentatonic scales in at least two positions in any key

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 Level 2

Exercises
Down below we see five minor shapes and five major shapes. These are movable, so
the position always depends on the root of the scale (R). Do you notice that each minor
shape has a major shape that is exactly the same? So if you’re smart (and I know you are!),
you just have to learn five shapes and you’ll know them for both minor and major! Just
remember that the root note changes.

2.2.1 Minor pentatonic scale patterns

2.2.2 Major pentatonic scale patterns

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 Level 2

2.2.1 A minor pentatonic scale patterns

Lvl 2.2
5 shapes of Am pentatonic
   
       
          
Shape 1 Shape 2
1 2 3 4

   


5 8 8 10
5 8 8 10
5 7 7 9
5 7 7 10
5 7 7 10
5 8 8 10

   
      
     
Shape 3 Shape 4

   
    
5 6 7 8

10 12 12 15 17
10 13 13 15
9 12 12 14
10 12 12 14
10 12 12 15
10 12 12 15

    
  

Shape 5
9

    10 11
 12

15 17
15 17
14 17
14 17
15 17
15 17

2.2.2 C major pentatonic scale patterns

Lvl 2.2
5 shapes of C major pentatonic
         
      
     
Shape 1 Shape 2
 
1 2 3 4

 


8 10 10 12
8 10 10 13
7 9 9 12
7 10 10 12
7 10 10 12
8 10 10 12

     
        
 
Shape 3 Shape 4
   
    
5 6 7 8

12 15 17 15 17
13 15 15 17
12 14 14 17
12 14 14 17
12 15 15 17
12 15 15 17

   
     
Shape 5

9 10 11 12

  
 1/1

5 8
5 8
5 7
5 7
5 7
5 8

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 Level 2

3. Improvisation: Chords and pentatonic scales

Have fun adding licks between your chords

Combining chords and pentatonic scales

Chords and pentatonic scales from the same key sound great together.

They also sound great with their relative keys – e.g., A minor and C major; E minor and G
major.

Goal
To gain confidence adding licks that use notes from pentatonic scales between any
major or minor chord

Exercises
2.3.1 Improvise licks over Am and C
Use any A minor pentatonic shape over any A minor chord.
Use any C major pentatonic shape over any C major chord.

2.3.2 Improvise licks over Am and G

Use A minor pentatonic over the A minor chord, and the G major pentatonic over the G
major chord using the backing track.

Pro tip: Relative keys can help you find patterns quickly: A minor equals C major; and G
major equals E minor.

2.3.3. Improvise licks over C and F

Try improvising over C major and F major using the backing track.

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 Level 2

4. Technique: Bending
Ways to improve your bending style

Bending tips
• Keep the tip of your thumb on top of the neck, pointing forward.
• Don’t bend your wrist.
• Position your fingers at about a 45-degree slant.
• Use your ring finger to bend the string.
• Use your middle and index fingers to help.
• Don’t slide your fingers under the adjacent strings.
• Use your index finger to prevent nearby strings from ringing when you release your
ring finger.

Goal
To be able to bend a string to the desired pitch without other strings ringing

Exercise
2.4.1 Melody in the Key of A minor
This melody gives you a chance to practice your bending technique while playing over a
backing track.

Pro tip: Try recording yourself when you play this exercise to really hear if you’re nailing
the intonation of your bends.

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 Level 2

Exercise 2.4.1 Melody in the Key of A minor

Lvl 2.4
 = 95
full = whole tone bend (2 frets) 1/2 = semitone bend (1 fret)

Am G Am G
full

 
full

 
 ½

 
full

 
 

 
1 2 3 4

full full full


½
   

  15 15 13 13 12 12 10 10



Am G Am G
full

 
full
 full

 
 ½

 
 
5 6 7 8
 
full full ½ full
   

8 8 6 6 5 5 3 3

Am G Am G
full

 
full

 
 ½

 
full

 
 
9 10 11 12

full full ½ full

   

19 19 17 17 16 16 14 14

Am G Am G
full

 
full
 full

  
 ½

 
 
 

13 14 15 16

full full full


½
   



12 12 10 10 9 9 7 7

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 Level 2

5. Solo: “Feeling Blue in B Minor”

Play over a backing track using the skills you’ve learned

Guitar terms
Pick-up bar (or anacrusis): A note or series of notes before the first measure (the
first bar) of a song

Goal
To be able to keep up with the backing track, bending the notes with good technique

Exercise
2.5.1 Solo: “Feeling Blue in B Minor”
Have some fun practicing the solo with the backing track.

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 Level 2

2.5.1 Solo: “Feeling Blue in B Minor”

Lvl 2.5
Standard tuning

 = 96
Bm
  
¼
full  full

    
      1      
  full

  


    
2 3 4

 
full full full


¼
   

  10
10 7 7 12 10 7
7 10 7 10 10 7 7 12 12 7 7 10 7 10


9


         7  
Em Bm
      
(optional)

    
5 6 8

 
7

8 8 12 8 7 7 7 7 7
9 7 9 9 9 7 7 7 7 7 7
9 9 9 9 (9)
(9)
(7) (10)

F m Em Bm f 7 ½

      
     
full
 


full

   
¼

   
 

      
9 10 11 12

full full


¼ ½
   


7 7 9 9 9
8 7 7 7 10


11 9 11 9 9 7 7 9 9 9
11 9 11 9 7
9 12 10 7

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 Level 2

Advancing to Level 3
Are you ready to move on? Answer the following questions to help you decide. For the
answers, go to Advancing to Level 3 in the members area.

Level 2 Self test

Grab your guitar, and a pen to write down your answers.

1. Notes in a triad
Major triads (or just “major chords”) are made of which notes from the scale?

2. Pentatonic scales
Can you play at least one pentatonic scale pattern up and down fluently and from
memory?

3. Relative keys
What do two relative keys share, and in what way are they different?

4. Bending technique
Are you able to keep up with the backing track and bend the strings to the correct pitch?

5. Improvise and play solos

Name 2 pentatonic scales to use when improvising over C and F chords.

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Level 2

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