Pentatonic Scales

In keeping with this whole scale theme that I've been on lately, I want to talk about Pentatonic Scales next. There are two really simple scales we will learn, but I will also discuss how to implement them.

The Pentatonic Scale is a five-note scale that has been used all over the place. One particular popular song that comes to mind that uses the Pentatonic Scale is Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke. Especially during the instrumental section. The unison lines are all Pentatonic scales.

1. The Major Pentatonic Scale

This scale consists of the root, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes from the major scale.

2. The Minor Pentatonic Scale

The Minor Pentatonic Scale consists of the root, b3rd, 4th, 5th, and b7th.

The same way major keys and minor keys are related to each other, these scales also relate to each other. The C Major Pentatonic Scale consists of the same notes from the A Minor Pentatonic scale, and so on.

IMPLEMENTATION

Below is an example of how to implement Pentatonic scales in your improvisiation. I am purposefully choosing the same song in all of my examples these past few weeks to prove a point of the universal adaptability of these concepts. You can use these ideas over ANY song.

Legend:

FmP = F Minor Pentatonic

AbP = Ab Major Pentatonic

And so on.

Try these options and in your practice time try to limit yourself to only using Pentatonic scales. Have fun!