I have run across recomendations lately to learn/practice pentatonics. Why? I looked it up in my music dictionary and it appears to be the dropping of the 4th and the 7th in the scale. Is this a way for beginners to learn shorter scales as they get started, or is there a valuable application of pentatonics in the whole scheme of Jazz?
Why Pentatonics?
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All of music is composed of either a major or minor pentatonic. A Blues scale is a minor pentatonic with an added #4. If you can play pentatonics and dorian minor and regular major scales, then that's 2/3rds of the battle to improvise. Music is only 12 notes, it just knowing which ones at the right time!
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Brad,bradshawm said:
I assume that you a beginning jazz student. When you enter into ever exciting, but challenging world of improvising, the pentatonic scale is a "learning vehicle".
If there is a major chord in the music, all five notes of the corresponding penta-scale sound pretty good (or right) when played over it.
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I helps a lot with improvising if you remember them when looking at the chord prgressions.
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Part of what makes pentatonic scales useful is they can be played over a series of chords and sound good because all the notes "fit." The down side is they can get a bit stale if overused, and they leave the harmony a bit ambiguous. Still, they are very useful. Beginners can use them to sound fairly good without worrying too much about the chord changes. More advanced players can use them when they want that particular sound, and can also play different pentatonic scales over different chords. Coltrane used them a lot, actually.
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Don't get the wrong Idea that Pentatonics are just a beginners scale. Maybe in the wrong hands, but listen to what guys like Brecker, Bob Berg, and others do with pentatonic scales. Amazing things!!!
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I think the importance of pentatonic scales also comes from their place in musical history - they are the closest the the African scales used by the slaves and in a sense are the true 'jazz' scale (in the sense that they weren't imported from European harmony).
For practical proof listen to as many blues tunes as you can and you will find that 3/4 of them are built around the pentatonic. They are also important in blues, rock, gospel etc.
For practical proof listen to as many blues tunes as you can and you will find that 3/4 of them are built around the pentatonic. They are also important in blues, rock, gospel etc.
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I say this to all my music students: if you play badly using 5 notes (bad phrasing, bad resolution etc) what makes you think that an extra 2 notes will suddenly fix all of your improv problems.
The great thing about pentatonics is that they are KEY NEUTRAL.
An Am Pentatonic scale will function over a Dorian progression in G, an Aeolian Progression in C, and a Phrygian progression in F.
It's a great "safe haven" at a jam when no one has told you the chord sequence and you have to listen and analyse the chords as you're playing.
When you've worked out the parent Tonal centre and Key centre you can always add the extra notes.
Don't write pentatonics off as "beneath you"
The great thing about pentatonics is that they are KEY NEUTRAL.
An Am Pentatonic scale will function over a Dorian progression in G, an Aeolian Progression in C, and a Phrygian progression in F.
It's a great "safe haven" at a jam when no one has told you the chord sequence and you have to listen and analyse the chords as you're playing.
When you've worked out the parent Tonal centre and Key centre you can always add the extra notes.
Don't write pentatonics off as "beneath you"
I call the major pent scale, with 2# the "major blues" scale.
As mentioned, add the blue #4 to the minor pent and you have the minor blues scale. You can sit in with any blues band and they'll think you're great.
If you add 2 and 6 to the minor pent scale you have the dorian.
As mentioned, add the blue #4 to the minor pent and you have the minor blues scale. You can sit in with any blues band and they'll think you're great.
If you add 2 and 6 to the minor pent scale you have the dorian.
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1) Five notes at a time is easier to get under the fingers (as opposed to 7, 8 or more).
2) The five notes of the pentatonic scale (and their intervallic content) sound musical and accessible to most listeners.
3) The pentatonic scale is the foundation of most of the all time greatest melodies ever -- classical, blues, funk, R&B, Motown...
But yeah, don't dismiss 'em. Your friends might now know, but Dave Liebman definitely will if you leave this 'hole' in your playing.
2) The five notes of the pentatonic scale (and their intervallic content) sound musical and accessible to most listeners.
3) The pentatonic scale is the foundation of most of the all time greatest melodies ever -- classical, blues, funk, R&B, Motown...
But yeah, don't dismiss 'em. Your friends might now know, but Dave Liebman definitely will if you leave this 'hole' in your playing.
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Spot on! I'm going to write that one on my whiteboard.bobmeredith said:
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Try to think of keys as finger patterns with pentatonics as tonal finger patterns for the key you are in. Making simple melodies while improvising is easy for me because, I play using those concepts, and I let my ear be my guide. I also improvise more around the 7th and 3rd in minor keys, and play patterns with inversions of chords, listen to Cannonball: "Jeanene" Paris 1960. He sounds like that is where his endless ideas are coming from, to me, on that recording. Grover Washington's "Winelight" is almost all pentatonic and it just sounds good.
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That is probably a good exercise to practice, I might just try that. Might get a tip in the tip-jar 
Spiderman is a minor blues.
Spiderman is a minor blues.
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That's true. It has the 2nd (or the "9th") in there. And what a sweet note that is, in a minor key, as has been pointed out before. And of course once you start soloing on it, there are other notes available from the chords.NitroJoe said:
I am just starting to apply myself to Jazz as I mostly read music. I just finished memorizing my major scales and almost have my chord tones down(1,3,5,7) as I go around circle. I am just starting to work on my dorian minors. Should I be starting out by learning the pentatonics first, or is that something I work on later? As I learn to improvize, will it make it easier? If I focus on pentatonics now, is there a danger of it becoming a crutch and not moving on to the full scales and other options?
Thanks,
Thanks,
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