“Pentatonic ideas are always the best way to reach an audience. Those tend to be the notes they feel even if they don’t even know why”: Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram on why the pentatonic scale is still the GOAT
The pentatonic scale has been used many times in many ways, but Ingram insists that it's still the cornerstone of great guitar solos
(Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Crossroads Guitar Festival)
Blues guitar wunderkind Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram has become one of the defining blues voices of his generation and is one of the leaders of the contemporary blues resurgence. His secret to a good guitar solo? The humble pentatonic scale.
“As simple as the scale is, pentatonic ideas are always the best way to reach an audience. Those tend to be the notes they feel even if they don’t even know why,” he tells Guitarist. “The secret to pentatonic playing is finding as many licks as you can.”
However, it's not just about playing the pentatonic scale as it is. “You have to be inventive so it doesn’t sound like a scale,” reveals Ingram.
In a 2023 Total Guitar interview, Ingram talked about Eric Gales' influence on how he approaches pentatonic-driven solos.
“I learned a lot of my faster pentatonic runs from Eric,” he said. “There’s one I call ‘the pentatonic staircase’ because I saw a video of Eric Gales when I was younger where he called it his ‘up the stairs, down the stairs’ lick. It’s where he crosses positions and comes back down the same line.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Hard Times (Official Live Video) - YouTube
“I try to emulate that for certain runs. Eric’s so amazing, I love all his chord voicings. When I’m learning, I sit down, listen and try to play along.”
Elsewhere in that interview, Ingram revealed his preference for improvising solos on stage, rather than playing the recorded version note for note.
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“When I’m up on stage, I improvise to avoid playing the same exact solo every night. There may be certain licks here and there, but I prefer to just make it up and feel it.
“It’s better to not overthink it or place too much emphasis on perfection. That stuff can be a distraction. Sometimes us guitar players can get caught up in our heads. I just want to go out there, have fun and do my thing, you know?”
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.