Below is the G (pentatonic) scale pattern. It's in open position.

You'll notice that all six open strings are notes in the scale.

To play this scale, start with the lowest note and play each note,
one at a time in ascending order, and then back down again.

The numbers are the suggested fingerings. Since half the notes in the
scale pattern are open strings, fingerings are quite simple.

I call it the G scale pattern because it is built around the G chord. On the right is the open G chord. On the left is the scale pattern with the fretting notes of the G scale in black. The "R" marks the root note. The root note is the "main" note for which the chord is named (G).

Okay, that's enough theory. How do we use the darn thing?

Below is a little exercise. The G chord is followed by the G scale pattern. It then goes back to the G chord. Play through this a few times until you get the swing of it.

So what will this scale work with? Obviously you can play it over the G chord, but you can play it in any song that is in the key of G.

The key of G means that the primary chord will be G.

Here is a song in the key of G to practice the G scale pattern with. It has a chord progression of G, D, Em, C:

Here I am improvising over the progression with the G scale pattern I showed you above: