Improvisation — rock in E minor, variant
The same position 1 of the E minor pentatonic as on the base grid (Em-C-G-D), but applied here to the Em-Am-D-G variant: the root doesn't change, the improvisation stays in the same fretboard box, only the chords around it are different. It's a chance to check that improvising doesn't depend on one memorised grid — the same scale, the same fingering, sound different depending on which chord receives them.
Tips
Replay your favourite phrases from the base grid over this one first: the same ones work, listen for what changes colour, especially over the Am chord.
Lean on the E root through the chord changes: it's the note that stays stable while the harmony moves around it.
If a phrase sounds less right here than on the base grid, it's the Am chord to listen to more closely — it's the only one that really differs between the two versions.
Understanding this type of exercise
The chords change, not the scale
The same E minor pentatonic covers this variant (Em-Am-D-G) as well as the base grid: changing the surrounding chords doesn't change the scale as long as the root, E, stays the same.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- Compare by ear with the improvisation over the base grid: the same phrases work, the harmonic colour changes mainly over the Am chord.
- Over that Am chord, the note A becomes more stable — you can land a phrase on it without it sounding wrong.
- Don't switch position on every chord: stay in position 1 and listen to how each note reacts to the current chord.
- Playing both grids back to back is the best harmonic ear-training exercise.
Chord progression — Em
Fretboard position
root note other scale note
Chords
The same exercise in other keys
Related sheets
- Wide exploration riff — G minor (Level 4)
- Rock in A minor (basic version) — syncopated muted strums (Level 4)
- Rock in D (Drop D) — arpeggios (Level 4)