Understanding Pentatonic Scales
It is a 5-note scale hence the name penta-five.
The cool thing about the pentatnoic scale is thatit can be used with almost all chord types, which makes it an easy scale to fall back on in just about any solo situation.
There are 2 different pentatonic scales: major and minor
Major pentatonic scale
this is the most familiar one.
the intervals between the notes in the major pentatonic scale:
W W W+H W W+H
C D E G A
If you play the major pentatonic scale can be had by playing all the black notes on a piano starting with Gb. It is a Gb pentatonic scale.
The resulting sound is a trifle oriental.
If you alter the order of the notes, you get a very versatile tool chest to use in your solos.
for this reason, the pentatonic sale is one of the secret weapons of skilled improvisers, it can be used in any number of musical situations.
You can play pentatoinc scales with major chords, minor chords, and dominant 7th chords — and they all sound great.
Here’s something cool about the major pentatonic scale.
In any major key — there are actually 3 major pentatonic scales you can employ in your solos
— starting on the tonic, 4th, and 5th of the key.
For eg. In C major, you can play:
- C major pentatonic: C D E F A
- F major pentatonic: F G A C D
- G major pentatonic: G A B D E
Each of these pentatonic scales has a much different feel when played against the underlying key; try soloing on each of the 3 pentatonic scales to hear the differences.
Tip: I prefer the sound of the major pentatonic scale that starts on the 5th of the underlying scale; it fits well with both the I and the V chords.
Minor Pentatonic Scale
Even though this 5-note scale is used less frequently than the major pentatonic scale, it is still a useful tool.
The intervals between the notes int he minor pentatonic scale:
W+H W W W+H W
1 b3 4 5 b7
C Eb F G Bb
Interestingly, the minor pentatonic scale contains the same notes as the major pentatonic scale starting a minor 3rd up.
So C minor pentatonic scale contains the same note as the Eb major pentatonic scale — and the A minor pentatonic scale is reserved for use with minor chords and on occasion, dom 7th chords.
Tags: pentatonic