PRESENCE - Volume 15
Inspiration For Guitarists
Small keys open big locks
When I was just out of college, I spent a summer at the Berklee School of Music. At the end of the program, every class had to perform at a recital.
One of the tunes we had to play was the R&B classic "Feel Like Makin’ Love" by Roberta Flack. It was in Eb Major.
There was this one guy in the class who could really play. Before class, I’d hear him ripping through some minor pentatonic licks—he sounded great. Confident. Musical.
But when it came time to solo over that Eb Major groove… he was completely lost.
It was clear to me what was going on:
He didn’t know how to solo in a major key.
And I recognized it because I’d been there too—growing up playing rock, I had no idea how to approach major keys either.
The breakthrough for me came when I realized something simple but powerful:
You can use the exact same pentatonic shapes for major soloing—you just need to shift your starting note.
That was a small key that opened a big lock.
In this case, the “key” was knowing that:
Eb Major and C Minor are relative keys
If you put your pinky on Eb (11th fret of the low E string) and play your familiar minor pentatonic box, you’re actually playing the Eb Major Pentatonic scale
The shape stays the same—your mindset shifts
I wasn’t super confident back then, and I didn’t feel like it was my place to jump in or correct anything—especially in front of the instructor. So I kept quiet.
But I’ve never forgotten that moment.
The guy ended up quitting the class. He just stopped showing up.
To this day, that bothers me.
A one-minute explanation could have completely changed his experience.
But this Berklee instructor—like many great players—wasn’t a great teacher. The opportunity was missed.
And that’s one of the reasons why I make YouTube videos.
I want to be the teacher I wish that guy had in that moment. Someone who gives you those small keys that unlock the next level—whether it’s understanding a scale, navigating the fretboard, or finally soloing with confidence.
Making videos is a lot of work. Between scripting, filming, editing, thumbnails, titles, descriptions… I easily put in 10+ hours per video, on top of teaching and gigging.
But it’s worth it—because I know that every video I put out might be that missing key for someone.
And that’s the most satisfying part of what I do.
-Dustin
My “Landmark Pentatonic” video course is almost done. I’ll be letting you know about it soon!