The Crossroads Pentatonic Scales

The Crossroads teaching method is a different approach to learning guitar scales than the popular five pentatonic box shapes. Getting comfortable playing anywhere on the fretboard and breaking out of the box shapes can be difficult. The goal of the Crossroads method is to make navigating the fretboard in all directions easier.

Crossroads revolves around pairs of notes instead of visualizing box shapes when you play scales. You start your playing at a pair of notes, think of the pairs of notes that are connected to that pair and then you move to one of those connected pairs.

The way you will know how the pairs of notes are connected is by memorizing the Crossroads vertical and horizontal fretboard patterns. The vertical and horizontal patterns are made up of five pairs of notes.

These five pairs will be called Pair 1, Pair 2, Pair 3, Pair 4 and Pair 5.

Every time you are at a pair of notes you are at a crossroads on the fretboard. The vertical and horizontal patterns will give you the freedom to decide which direction you want to go when you are at these crossroads.

Horizontal Pattern

The horizontal pattern consists of five overlapping pairs of notes. Each pair of notes share a note with the pair that is higher and lower in the horizontal pattern. For example, Pair 2 shares its high note with Pair 3 and its low note with Pair 1.

Pair 2 and Pair 4 contain two notes that are three frets apart.

Pair 1, Pair 3 and Pair 5 have two notes that are two frets apart.

The pairs of notes are arranged sequentially and they repeat up and down the fretboard.

Vertical Pattern

The vertical pattern has the same five pairs of notes as the horizontal pattern. The vertical pattern is arranged in odd numbered and even numbered pairs.

The vertical pattern repeats up and down the fretboard going from odd numbered pairs, to even pairs, to odd, to even and so on.

Vertical Pattern - G to B String Shift

When moving higher in the vertical pattern from the G string to the B string the vertical pattern needs to be shifted one fret higher.

The first example starts the vertical pattern with Pair 4 on the low E string. Pair 2 and Pair 4 have to be shifted up one fret when the vertical pattern moves from the G string to the B string.

The second example starts the vertical pattern with Pair 5 on the low E string. This time Pair 3 and Pair 5 have to be shifted one fret higher.

Root Notes

Playing a scale using the Crossroads patterns is centered on using the scale’s root notes to guide you. Moving up and down the fretboard revolves around knowing where the root notes are. You will need to memorize what pairs of notes contain the root notes for the scale you want to play.

The red note is the root note for the Minor Pentatonic Scale.

The green note is the root note for the Major Pentatonic Scale.

The Minor root note is found in Pair 3 and Pair 4. It is the high note of Pair 3 and the low note of Pair 4.

The Major root note is found in Pair 4 and Pair 5. It is the high note of Pair 4 and the low note of Pair 5.

EXAMPLE

This example shows the horizontal pattern with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale on the G string starting at the 2nd fret. You can play up and down any scale horizontally using the horizontal pattern.

This example shows the vertical pattern with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale starting at the 5th fret. The vertical pattern allows you to play up and down any scale vertically.

Remember the vertical pattern needs to be shifted up one fret when moving from the G string to the B string.

EXAMPLE

This example shows the horizontal pattern with the C Major Pentatonic Scale on the A string starting at the 3rd fret.

This example shows the vertical pattern with the C Major Pentatonic Scale starting at the 7th fret.

Remember to take into account the G to B string shift.

Movement Options

Every pair of notes has four other pairs of notes that are its movement options.

The movement options are determined by the horizontal and vertical patterns. If you have the horizontal and vertical patterns memorized and use the G to B string shift when it is needed you will always know what your movement options are.

EXAMPLE

This example shows the four movement options for Pair 4 with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.

  1. Pair 4 - Lower Horizontal Option: Pair 3

  2. Pair 4 - Higher Horizontal Option: Pair 5

  3. Pair 4 - Lower Vertical Option: Pair 2

  4. Pair 4 - Higher Vertical Option: Pair 1

SLIDESHOW

This slideshow goes through your movement options for Pair 3 with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.

As you go through this slideshow try to determine what the movement options are.

  1. Pair 3 - Lower Horizontal Option: ???

  2. Pair 3 - Higher Horizontal Option: ???

  3. Pair 3 - Lower Vertical Option: ???

  4. Pair 3 - Higher Vertical Option: ???

SLIDESHOW

This slideshow goes through your movement options for Pair 5 with the C Major Pentatonic Scale.

As you go through this slideshow try to determine what the movement options are.

  1. Pair 5 - Lower Horizontal Option: ???

  2. Pair 5 - Higher Horizontal Option: ???

  3. Pair 5 - Lower Vertical Option: ???

  4. Pair 5 - Higher Vertical Option: ???

EXAMPLE

This example shows how to use the G to B string shift on the higher vertical movement option for Pair 4 with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.

  1. Pair 4 - Higher Vertical Option: Pair 1

  2. Higher Vertical Shift Direction: One Fret Higher

EXAMPLE

This example shows how to use the G to B string shift on the lower vertical movement option for Pair 4 with the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.

  1. Pair 4 - Lower Vertical Option: Pair 2

  2. Lower Vertical Shift Direction: One Fret Lower

SLIDESHOW

This slideshow goes through the G to B string shift for Pair 3 in the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.

Try to answer these questions as you go through the slideshow.

  1. Pair 3 - Higher Vertical Option: ???

  2. Higher Vertical Shift Direction: ???

  3. Pair 3 - Lower Vertical Option: ???

  4. Lower Vertical Shift Direction: ???

SLIDESHOW

This slideshow goes through the G to B string shift for Pair 5 in the C Major Pentatonic Scale.

Try to answer these questions as you go through the slideshow.

  1. Pair 5 - Higher Vertical Option: ???

  2. Higher Vertical Shift Direction: ???

  3. Pair 5 - Lower Vertical Option: ???

  4. Lower Vertical Shift Direction: ???

SLIDESHOW

This slideshow goes through many pairs of notes in the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. Visualize the horizontal and vertical patterns as you go through this slideshow to know what your movement options are at each pair of notes.

The Blues Scale

By adding the “blue note” to the Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales the Blues Pentatonic Scales are created.

The “blues note” is located in Pair 1 for both the Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales. It is one fret higher of Pair 5 and it is one fret lower of Pair 2.

The “blues note” for the Major Pentatonic Scale is a b3 note. The “blues note” for the Minor Pentatonic Scale is a b5 note.

The “blues note” is a chromatic passing tone. It is used to move from one chord tone to another. You should not resolve on this note.

The Crossroads method should allow you to focus on playing melodies and creating music if it can make playing scales easier all around the fretboard.