question about pentatonic scale

[MichaelSM]

Hi Danny,
I am really impressed by high quality of your CD-course.
I passed all the stuff on the CD, just being reading and listening. I understood almost everithing. Something that is unclear for me I left for further analysis, when I start doing exercises.
But there is one thing that I'd like you to explain me now. It is related to pentatonic scales. In "Pentatonic Scales/Explained" you define it as 1,2,3,5,6 notes of a scale, in most of cases. Meanwhile, in the beginning of "Minor Pentatonic 1-5/Have a Play", you name 1-st pattern played with open strings as "in the key of E", given that demonstrated sequence of tones is Am's pentatonic. Might be I confuse name of the scale with name of the position where the patten is played?
Could you please tell me where I am wrong.
Thank you,
Sincerely yours
Michael.

[Danny Poole]

I'm not 100% sure on your confusion but i think it's about naming and placement. Yes all examples up to the point of "Have A Play" on the Minor Pentatonic 1-5 are in the key of Am Pentatonic. Then the example is in the key of Em.

I am about to add narration audio to the Pentatonic scale pages and this means they get a good revise, I think I may have to add an example in the key of "A"

Might be I confuse name of the scale with name of the position where the patten is played?

You can get information on placement and naming here ?????? OH MY GOD! I don't have that in there (there's something I'll add in on the revise). Until then just use the same theory as Bar Chords, where ever the 1st scale starts from that is the name of the key you are playing in.

P.S. thanks for posting this in the forum and I hope to hear more questions soon.

[MichaelSM]

Hi Danny,
The example in the key E, placed under "Have A Play" on the same page, is exactly what I am asking about. Right under the title "1st Pentatonic Scale in the key of "E"", when we play the scale on 0-3 of 6th string, 0-2 of 5th one and so on, there is a sequence of tones E-G,A-B,D-E,G-A,B-D,E-G. This looped sequence is built on G Pentatonic scale, i.e. G,A,B,D and E, produced from G diatonic major scale (I mistakenly named it as Am in my original question).
I do not see how it can be E key. This is my concern.
Thank you,
Michael.

[Danny Poole]

I see now!

Do you understand the idea of Relative Minor & Major? if not then follow the link.

I should have stated that the scale is an E Minor Pentatonic Scale. Both G Major Pentatonic & Em Pentatonic scales share the same notes but just have different root notes.

[MichaelSM]

Hi Danny,
I finally understood it, thank you.
The confusion was sourced by absence of explicit definition of a Minor Pentatonic Scale, which is 1st, 3rd flat, 4th, 5th, 7th flat. When I did not know it, I applied the only definition you gave us (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th that are defining a Major Pentatonic) to your examples and I got lost.
Relative scales is very good thing, but it was not obvious for me that it works also for pentatonic.
Thank you again,
Michael.

[Danny Poole]

The 2 pages in question...Pentatonic Scales

1. Explained
2. Minor Pentatonic 1-5

Have been updated are being uploaded as I type this. You can review them if you like to see if all confusion could have been saved.