In the late 1930s, Charlie Christian elevated the electric guitar to an essential solo instrument, paving the way for the electric blues of T-Bone Walker and rock pioneers Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore. These players in turn inspired blues rock icons such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page.
All of these players made extensive use of the minor pentatonic scale because it is flexible over many chord progressions, with a bluesy sound that is intuitive for guitarists to play. Certainly, combining fast minor pentatonic sequences with expressive licks is a hallmark of many great guitar solos.
