Beyond the Minor Pentatonic: What scales to Play Over "Isn’t She Lovely" on guitar

If you’re like most intermediate guitarists, your go-to soloing approach over Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely probably involves the C# minor pentatonic. It’s a classic, soulful scale — and it works. But what if you want to expand your sound and add more flavor, color, and musicality to your solos?

In this post, I’ll break down some of the concepts I used in a recent solo over this tune, and walk you through how to move beyond the minor pentatonic without losing the vibe that makes the song so joyful in the first place.

Let’s dig in.

The Starting Point: C# Minor Pentatonic

This is the most common approach, and for good reason. The C# minor pentatonic sounds great over Isn’t She Lovely, especially given the tune’s groove and overall harmonic feel. Many of my students learn this scale across the neck, get comfortable with it, and then run into a wall:

“I feel like I’m playing the same stuff over and over.”

Sound familiar?

Expanding Your Palette: Scales That Work

So let’s expand. Here are some other scales and approaches I use in the solo that open up new territory while still keeping the vibe intact:

🎵 Major Pentatonic

It strips the major scale down to its most singable elements, and it still sounds super “in.” A great scale when you want melodic simplicity but don’t want to rely on minor tonality.

🎵 E Major (Ionian) / C# Natural Minor (Aeolian)

The major scale outlines the harmony directly, and when used melodically, it keeps your solo aligned with the tune’s vibe. It also translates to natural minor when played over that C#m7 chord.

🎵 Mixolydian

A great mode to bring out dominant chords — especially helpful when you want a bit more harmonic clarity and jazz-funk flavor. Sounds great over that F#7 chord.

🎵 Lydian Dominant

A great way to lift your lines with some dreamy brightness over that F#7 chord. I touch on this briefly in the solo to add some surprise.

🎵 E Minor Pentatonic

We talked about the C# minor pentatonic, but adding a little touch of the E minor pentatonic over the Emaj7 adds some nice spiciness. You can check out how I used that in my example as well.

🎵 Diminished Arpeggio

Used sparingly, these work wonders as connectors between ideas — especially when moving chromatically. I sneak one in toward the end of the solo for added tension.

🎯Chromaticism for Soul & Groove

Don’t underestimate chromatic passing tones. In funk, soul, and R&B, chromatics aren’t just decoration — they’re part of the sound. Sliding into chord tones from a half-step above or below gives your solo a greasy, expressive quality.

Try these approaches first:

• use blue notes

• understand the chord tones and try to slide into them from a half-step below

  
  

These micro-movements make your lines feel vocal and intentional.

Pro Tips for Applying These Sounds

It’s one thing to know the scales — but making them sound musical is the real goal. Here’s what I recommend:

Don’t just run scales — instead, let the melody guide your phrasing.

Use voice leading to connect chords and make your solos feel intentional.

Create motifs — short rhythmic or melodic ideas that you can repeat and develop.

Work through the groove — feel is everything in this tune.

When you approach your solo with these things in mind, you won’t just sound like someone who knows theory — you’ll sound like a musician.

Arpeggios: Play the Changes

Want to really hit the harmony? Practice arpeggios built from each chord in the progression.

By weaving arpeggios into your phrases, you emphasize the harmony directly. This is the best way to get out of “running scales” and into melodic soloing. The chord tones are going to be the notes that your lines ultimately anchor to. If you're able to visualize where they are on the fretboard as you play, this makes your phrasing much more easy.

Pro Practice Tip: Try Limiting Yourself

Set a timer and practice only one or two bars switching between two scales (e.g., switching from C# natural minor to F# Mixolydian) for 5 minutes. Then add the next two bars of the line, etc. This forces your ear and hands to explore new shapes and sounds without defaulting to the pentatonic box.

These ideas aren’t about showing off — they’re about sounding more musical. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll be surprised how fast your playing opens up.

🎥 Watch the Breakdown

In the full video, I demonstrate how these ideas come together over a live solo of Isn’t She Lovely. You’ll hear how the tension, release, and melodic phrasing all play off the groove — and how you can start applying these same techniques to your playing.

🖥️ [Watch the solo and breakdown here]

📄 [Download the tabs and backing track here]

🎸 Want Personalized Feedback?

I offer one-on-one and group guitar lessons here in Tokyo (Takadanobaba), both in English and Japanese. Whether you want to dive deeper into jazz, funk, or R&B soloing — or you’re just getting started — I’ll help you build the skills you need to express yourself.

Check my availability here to book a free trial lesson!