The Pentatonic Scale and its uses
The Pentatonic Scale and its uses
Pentatonic Scale BasicsThe Pentatonic Scale may be one of the oldest scales ever used by mankind on the creation of melodies. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found all over the world, including Celtic folk music, Hungarian folk music, West African music, African-American spirituals, Jazz, American blues music and rock music, Sami joik singing, children’s songs, the Greek traditional music and songs from Epirus, Northwest Greece and the music of Southern Albania, the tuning of the Ethiopian krar and the Indonesian gamelan, Philippine Kulintang, melodies of Korea, Japan, China, India and Vietnam (including the folk music of these countries), the Afro-Caribbean tradition, Polish highlanders from the Tatra Mountains, and Western Classical composers such as French composer Claude Debussy. So, it seems quite natural to use them in improvisation.
Part I: Pentatonic Introduction
This month’s topics:
Download the video: Basic Pentatonics Introduction
Part Ia: Pentatonic Basics
In this video, I demonstrate the use of major and minor pentatonic scales.
Download the video: Basic Pentatonics demonstration
Major and Minor Pentatonics (Bb saxes)
Major and Minor Pentatonics (Eb saxes)
Download the play-along track!
Part II: More Pentatonic Options
In this video, I discuss and demonstrate more pentatonic scale choices.
Download the video: More Pentatonic Options
Pentatonic from the 5th degree (Eb saxes)
Pentatonic from the 5th degree (Bb saxes)
Pentatonic from the 2nd degree (Eb saxes)
Pentatonic from the 2nd degree (Bb saxes)
Part II: sus4 chord to dominant 7th chord
Pentatonic on sus4 chord to dom 7th (Eb saxes)
Pentatonic on sus4 chord to dom 7th (Bb saxes)
Download the play-along track!
Part III: Altered Pentatonics
Major pentatonic at the tritone (Eb saxes)
Major dominant pentatonic at the Tritone (Eb saxes)
Major pentatonic flat 9th (Eb saxes)
Major pentatonic sharp 9th (Eb saxes)
Altered dominant choices (Bb saxes)
Part IV:
Jazz & Sax Monthly – October 2009
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