Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: The Professor Jun 11 2013, 04:06 PM

Usually the first scale that pops to mind when you see a 7#11 chord symbol is the Lydian Dominant Scale, the 4th mode of Melodic Minor. While this is a great first-choice scale to use when soloing over 7#11 chords, sometimes you want a smaller scale shape to play with over this chord in your improvisations.

This is where the 7#11 Pentatonic Scale comes in.

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at the theory behind the 7#11 Pentatonic Scale, how it is built, how to apply it to your soloing and a few common fingerings that you can explore in the practice room.






The 7#11 Pentatonic Scale is built from the following interval pattern.

Root - 2 - 3 - #4 -b7

You can see these notes laid out in tab and notation for an C 7#11 Pentatonic Scale here.






You can also think of the 7#11 Pentatonic Scale as being a fragment of the corresponding Lydian Dominant Scale.

If you have a C Lydian Dominant Scale, C D E F# G A Bb, and you take out the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and b7th notes, C D E F# Bb, you now have a C 7#11 Pentatonic Scale.

To apply this scale in a soloing situation, you can use the 7#11 Pentatonic Scale over major, 7th, 9th and 13th chords.






To help get you started, here are two common fingerings for the C 7#11 Pentatonic Scale, one with a 6-string root, and one with a 5-string root.

Try memorizing these scales in the key of C first, then take them to the other 11 keys around the neck as you expand on these scale shapes in your guitar practice routine.








To finish up, here are a number of ways that you can practice 7#11 Pentatonic scales in order to get the fingerings, and theory, behind these scales under your fingers and into your guitar playing.


1. Sing the root note, C for example, and play the corresponding 7#11 Pentatonic Scales over that root.
2. Play a root note on the guitar, C for example, and then sing the corresponding 7#11 Pentatonic Scale over that root note.
3. Say the note names, or interval numbers, such as C D E F# Bb or 1 2 3 #4 b7, as you play and sing the notes in the above exercises.
4. Put on a static vamp, C, C9, C7 or C13 for example, and practice soloing over those chords using the related 7#11 Pentatonic Scale as the basis for your solo.
5 .Repeat any/all of the above exercises in all 12 keys.



Do you have a question or comment about 7#11 Pentatonic Scales? If so, share them in the comments section below this thread.