Here are 5 intermediate pentatonic scale licks that use a variety of popular guitar techniques and patterns.
All of these licks are played using the A minor pentatonic scale.
Pentatonic best practices: Use your index finger (1) to play fret 5, ring finger (3) to play fret 7, and pinky finger (4) to play fret 8.
Table of Contents
5 Intermediate Pentatonic Scale Licks Tab
Lick 1
The first lick uses a series of descending groups of 6. Play these using pull-offs.
Lick 2
The second lick uses double stops. Play them using alternate picking, which means you’ll pick “down-up” throughout the lick.
Lick 3
The third lick is a series of triplets. The picking pattern for each string is: down, hammer-on, pull-off.
Lick 4
The fourth lick uses string skipping. Use hammer-ons on each string.
Lick 5
Lick 5 uses a 6-step picking pattern: Down-Hammer-Up-Down-Down-Hammer.
Alternatively, you can play lick 5 with hybrid picking.
Those are my recommendations, but you can use any picking pattern that feels most natural for you.
Just remember: always use the same picking pattern when you practice a guitar lick because that builds muscle memory, making it easier for you to play the lick.
