Don't understand scales

Hello,

I've been playing guitar for about 1 year and a half now and so have decided to start looking at scales but am struggling.

If we take the Am pentatontic scale as that is what i'm looking at. The first scale shape starts on the 5th fret. The next shape on the 7th, the next on the 10th etc down to shape 5 which starts at the 15th fret and ends at the 17th fret?

Well my problem is if i wanted to play in the Dm pentatonic wouldn't that mean that shape 1 started at the 10th fret. Surely then shape 5 will end at the 22nd fret? My guitar only has 20 frets so this seems odd. Would this mean that is i wanted to play in the Ebm pentatontic scale (does that even exist? the minor penta scale starting at the 11th fret anyway) would end even lower down?

Also, if i am playing for example, in the Bm pentatonic scale which starts at the 7th fret, what is happening to all the unused freboard space above? is none of this in the same scale?


I'm pretty confused. Cheers

Search for a program called "fretboard warrior" and learn the notes on the fretboard which will help you to understand all music theory. shape1 on 5th fret is, as you know A minor., because the 5th fret on the low and high e string is an A . On the 10th fret it would be Dm.

If you´re laying Bm you could play shape 5 starting on the 5 th fret, shape 4 on the 3rd, etc.....

The neck of the guitar repeats at the 12th fret, so for instance the 15th fret will be the same as the 3rd. So whatever scale shapes you play above the 12th fret can drop down to the lower octave.

BTW.if your playing A minor pentatonic the 2nd position of that scale will begin on fret 8, not 7.

dont just learn the shape of the scale but learn what notes,degrees and the formula for the scale so you wont have to memorize patterns and you wont sit their and wonder..hmm which pattern do I use hear
Learn the notes of the fretboard and learn to read music...Readin music to me makes it much easier to see the relationship between scales and chords..Plus its always nice to be able to read music in all of its positions