More than a pattern book, this lays out the theory behind the use of pentatonic scales in jazz, and follows with transcribed solos and exercises. Still a favorite after 14 years, this book has become a standard in the field.

In this book, Steve takes a potentially very complex subject -- the creation of new, different, and creative melodies -- and shows how using two very simple and very guitaristic pentatonic scales, you can unleash an inexhaustible supply of new colors and ideas. A recording containing most of the music examples, plus numerous play-along tracks is included. This is a must-have for any serious guitarist!

Jazz Pentatonics is for intermediate to advanced players wishing to expand their melodic and harmonic vocabulary. The music is in standard notation as well as tablature and audio is included in which the more difficult exercises are played at a slower as well as faster tempo. The audio was recorded with live drums, acoustic bass and guitar. All the exercises are included on the audio recording as well as play-along tracks that enable the student to play with a rhythm section. The book covers the minor 7, dominant 7, minor 7(b5) and major (b6) pentatonics and gives the student many etudes and exercises from which to draw improvisational ideas. Includes access to online audio.

I actually wrote this book as a practice guide for myself because I wanted a way to get different and outside sounds using pentatonic scales, as well as to improve my chops and have a huge variety of new sounds at my fingertips to play over the chords you see 90% of the time such as major/major7, minor/minor7, and dominant chords, among others. As well as being a scales book Alternative Pentatonics is also a method to practice improvising over common chords using uncommon groups of five notes. Five notes are somewhere between an arpeggio and a scale, as well as being the ideal number of notes to craft some really nice phrasing (in my opinion), as I’m sure you realized when you first learned your minor pentatonic scale and started jamming over a 12-bar blues. This book contains 28 new pentatonic scales divided into chord types so that you’ll know exactly what chords you can use them over. For the intermediate player: this book will give you plenty of new and interesting options for playing over common chords and force you out of standard pentatonic scales and/or the major scale modes. For the more advanced player: this book could be more about exploring possibilities than learning scale patterns; in fact, I would suggest that advanced players avoid even remembering the patterns in this book. Instead, they can be used to explore the improvisational terrain and find new sounds, then filed away in your subconscious and allowed to seep into your playing while you’re in the throes of improvisation. So, if you’re stuck in a soloing rut or are looking for new sounds, outside sounds, exotic sounds, or even a few downright weird sounds, this is the book for you.

More than a pattern book, this 80-page spiral-bound book lays out the theory behind the use of pentatonic scales in jazz, and follows with 12 pages of transcribed solos and 40 pages of exercises. Still a favorite after 14 years, this book has become a standard in the field.

Learn modern jazz guitar and theory with virtuoso Jens Larsen

A lot of students ask me how they can take their improvisation skills to the next level and move beyond pentatonic scales and into modes and arpeggios. My response is to tell them not to abandon pentatonic scales in favor of modes and other soloing devices, but to use them as a springboard and a solid foundation from which to expand their harmonic awareness. If you play rock, blues and even jazz, you’ll be using pentatonic scales for the rest of your life, so there’s no need to discard them! In this book, we’ll be using the much-loved minor pentatonic scale as the basis for learning and having a quick way to access the modes of the major scale, as well as the basic seventh chord arpeggios. This means that when you go to improvise, you'll have a vast array of options with which to go beyond pentatonic soloing. Work through this book daily and I guarantee you a smooth and painless transition from pentatonics to incorporating modes and arpeggios into your playing.