So, we’ve covered the Minor Pentatonic Scale, aka “The Box”. The sound of “The Box” can be described as “dark”, or “sad”. Well, what if the tune you are playing over is not a dark or sad song? That is where the Major Pentatonic Scale comes in! The Major Pentatonic Scale, aka “The Happy Box”, can be described as “light” or “happy”. There are very, very deep musical reasons for this, but for our purposes, we’ll keep it simple. Just remember: Minor = dark or sad, Major = light or happy.
The “3 Frets Down” Method
One of the great things about “The Box” is that it is a “2 for the price of one” shape. Check this out. All of our “The Box” licks from the previous section are in the dark key of A minor. What if we want to play in the happy key of A major? All you do is move “The Box” down 3 frets to F#. Instead of starting the scale on your first finger (F#), start on your pinky (A). You have just played the A Major Pentatonic Scale, or “Happy Box”!!! Even though the A Major “Happy Box” is exactly the same shape and location as the “The Box” in F# minor, it sounds different because it focuses on A as its root note, not F#, and it’s played in the happy key of A major.
In case this is confusing, just follow this simple formula…
ROCK SHORTCUT
1. To play in a Major key, locate the root note of the song’s first chord on the low E string.
2. Count down 3 frets.
3. Play “The Box” in that position, starting on your pinky.
4. This creates “The Happy Box”.
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