Cool and unusual applications of the minor pentatonic scale. For many students, when starting out with blues improvisation, its very easy to get locked inside the notes of the blues scale and never deviate away from 6 tones. Cool and unusual applications of the minor pentatonic. Pat martinos the nature of guitar music theory online. Use your 3rd finger to shift positions on the way up.
In this video rich explains the concept of hexatonic scales and offers three different ones. Mar 06, 2012 below is a pdf of the scales for each chord in all 12 keys. As a member, youll receive access to exclusive members only content, comprehensive video lessons, transcriptions, notation, tab, playalongs, downloads, forums, discounts and email updates whenever new material is added. Easy 251 jazz improvisation with pentatonic scale youtube. Like volume 1, this book shows how these scales can be applied in both vertical and horizontal improvisational applications. The exercises in this book use the major scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and chromatic scale. Pentatonic scales for jazz improvisation the ramon ricker. Improvising with various pentatonic scales jazz improvisation.
This is one my favorite jazz education videos on youtube the perspective of is. Scales are not the hidden key to improvisation if only it were that easy. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the versatility of the pentatonic scales in improvisation. Weve talked about pentatonics on ljs in the past both on the blog and on the podcast in this post, i want to build on the concepts surrounding pentatonic scales and talk about a useful hexatonic, or 6note, scale after introducing the hexatonic scale, ive included a 1chorus pentatonic hexatonic workout over the chord changes to dolphin dance by herbie hancock. If youre interested in exploring what goes into this beautiful modernist sound, read on. In the key of g the notes will be g, a, b, d, and e. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Hexatonics provide streams of notes out of the ordinary and are very effective in bridging the contemporary and the jazz guitar styles. Other pentatonic scales this lesson is available to jazzguitarlessons. Below is a download link for the pentatonic scale pdf. Learn jazz piano improvisation using only the pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales trumpet pdf the following article is an excerpt from my book, recycling in jazz improvisation which can be downloaded as a pdf in my books section of. Oct 11, 2016 the full version of the pentatonic patterns for improvisation ebook includes an in depth explanation of the music theory you need to construct major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. Mix pentatonic exercises for improvisation all instruments youtube.
The first section identifies 4 modal pentatonic scales which include the characteristic scale step of a mode. There is really nothing wrong with using pentatonic scales in jazz improvisation. How to use the pentatonic scale like mccoy tyner in your. At this point in our study of the blues, now its time to introduce the blues scale. Pt over dm7 remember this is the same thing as a minorised version of d major pentatonic. It explores the uses of pentatonic scales and how they can be applied in both vertical and horizontal improvisational applications. Here is a link to a pdf doc with all sheet music exercises shown in this. In this lesson we are going to look at the construction of the pentatonic scale and discuss what gives it such a unique sound. However, i find that many musicians think about using this scale with a limited perspective. Over the ii chord, use a minor pentatonic a perfect 4th down from the root of the ii chord dm7a minor pentatonic.
Aug 25, 2017 sure, at base level the pentatonic scale is simple. The focus in this lesson is to apply that information to play through the progression of the tadd dameron composition lady bird only using pentatonic scales. Chapter 1 construction of pentatonic scales pentatonic scales, as used in jazz, are five note scales nade up of major seconds and minor thirds. And if you use the pentatonic scale the way a lot of musicians do, its as simple as a scale can get. Sometimes these scales can be used also in an independent way compared to the chord that is they can be used freely without thinking to melodic rules above all in the improvisation. One of the other inherent dangers of the abuse of the pentatonic is making improvisation scalelike or what jazz musicians refer to as just blowing scales.
The problem really, is what we have been taught to do with them, and how we just limit our possibilities. How to use the pentatonic scale in jazz progressions guitar. Probably the most obvious example of a commonly used hexatonic scale is the blues scale. The minor pentatonic scale is a sequence of five penta notes tonic. The improvisation uses therefore the same scales from which the original melody and underlying chord progression were created.
Improvising with various pentatonic scales blues scale. The 4 basic scales in jazz improvisation the 8 basic pentatonic scales the 4 basic scales in jazz improvisation their modes and scale voicings pentatonic and scale relationships basic exercises on pentatonics advanced exercises on pentatonics exercises on scales exercises on hexatonics application of pentatonic scales to chord progressions application. We can think of these notes as a set taken from the major scale, with a few alterations. I have written a book, jazz guitar soloing concepts. Jun 22, 2011 scales are not the hidden key to improvisation if only it were that easy. The scales are used often for composing melodies and for improvisation. Pentatonic scales for jazz improvisation the ramon ricker jazz improvisation paperback june 1, 1983 by ramon ricker author 4. This is basically just a simple pentatonic scale with an added b5 for a bit of. Needless to say, i stumbled through about eight bars of what some might have mistaken to be a guitar getting its strings yanked off before my teacher stopped playing and moved on.
The scale is often used in situations where you want kind of an upbeat bright sound like the solo for a pop country or a country blues song. The pentatonic scale is use primarily used for soloing. There are several varieties but here were just looking at the two most common. A counterintuitive approach to modern jazz improvisation in six parts. This was definitely no slow blues in a that i considered the pinnacle of guitarimprovisation canvases. Here, george shows how to play the f minor pentatonic scale.
For example, the blues scale is predominantly derived from the minor pentatonic scale, a very popular scale for improvisation in the realms of blues and rock. Pentatonics part 1 maj7 chords and pentatonics part 2 ii v progressions i discussed how to apply the scales to different types of jazz chords. Jazz guitar lessons pentatonic scales jazz guitar lessons. Contrary to what many method books or jazz educators will tell you, learning all your scales will not guarantee that youll be able to improvise in all 12 keys or that youll be able to solo successfully over any standard. Similar to the pentagon, which has 5 sides, the pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale which can be used in any key for improvisation. How to use pentatonic scales in music improvisation. R m2 m3 p5 m6 and here is a c minor pentatonic scale. Master your groove let mark lettieri teach you the art of playing in the pocket rhythm and lead duration. The most important of these are both major and minor pentatonic. More than a pattern book, this lays out the theory behind the use of pentatonic scales in jazz, and follows with transcribed solos and exercises. For an improvisation is the instant composition of a new melody over the chord progression of an existing song. And, just like any other preexisting scale, you can create modes out of the major pentatonic scale by selecting a different root note. Jazz is an experimental genre and guitarists are constantly exploring new scales and modifying old ones in their improvisation.
Hexatonic scales are simply scales that have six different notes. G major pentatonic scale and jazzy cool improvisation. Major blues c d eb e g a c used with major 69, dominant 4,7, chords, characteristic of swing and rock styles of the 40s and 50s. Lets check out which intervals make up these scales, and what that equates to in c. Although playing the five positions up and down as in the pdf above is a good way to memorize the concept. Any 5note scale can be called a pentatonic scale, however, when people discuss pentatonics, they generally refer to 2 basic ones.
It is as if pentatonic scales were the cheaters way to improvise, or just a way to fake it. Volume 2 explores less commonly used pentatonic scales and their versatility in improvisation. These are the four most common scales in pop and rock music. Pentatonic scales are the oldest musical scales in the word. Pat martino, jazz theory, neoriemannian theory, guitar. Moving up one direction too long is hardly interesting, and it can wear on the ears. Unfortunately, i could never unravel its mysteries and had, quite honestly, given up trying to understand its use. Finally, well see how to apply pentatonic scales on chords and chord progressions in major, minor. There are a total of 430 finger exercises in this book. The full version of the pentatonic patterns for improvisation ebook includes an in depth explanation of the music theory you need to construct major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys.
Minor pentatonic can be used over minor chords and certain minor key progressions. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar. This tonal focus is something you can hear in the standard pentatonic scales and not in sevennote scales. Pentatonic scales are useful for improvisers in modern jazz, pop, and rock contexts because they work well over several chords diatonic to the same key, often better than the parent scale.
For this chapter we will be considering minor pentatonic only. Nov 16, 2018 one thing i did have going for me, though, is that the pentatonic scale could have workedand will workover virtually any jazz progression. The term hexatonic doesnt get used that often, except in the context of quite advanced jazz improvisation. In this video, george offers up another great tool for your jazz improvisation toolboxthe pentatonic scale, a great sounding fivenote scale that can be an interesting alternative to the bop scales. Buy pentatonic scales for jazz improvisation the ramon ricker jazz improvisation by ramon ricker isbn. The pdf is for members only, so youll need to login to download it. I like to mix up the major pentatonic scale with the. Special edition open now detailed step by step lessons. A whole tone scale is composed by 6 notes in intervals of one whole step. Standard pentatonic scales have as little dissonance as possible. Click here for a iiv7ivi7 play along to practice these ideas.
For years, all i heard was that the pentatonic scale was the scale to use for jazz soloing and improvisation. There are over 60 patterns and 12 backing tracks like the one used in this video representing the 12 keys. How to use the pentatonic scale in jazz progressions. Ramon ricker pentatonic scales for jazz improvisation. A book like exotic scales would have been a great timesaver in my own musical journey. Special edition open now a comprehensive step by step course on soloing and improvisation. A pentatonic blues guitar scales all guitar chords. Pentatonic scales for jazz improvisation ramon ricker. Mar 07, 2017 master your groove let mark lettieri teach you the art of playing in the pocket rhythm and lead duration.
A pentatonic scale is a scale with 5 notes, while the blues scale is a scale with 6 notes, also known as a hexatonic scale. Aug 22, 20 minor seventh for example pentatonic bb on c min 7 or on cmin7. But, this is a huge oversimplification and underutilization of the vast depths that are the pentatonic scale. How to improvise jazz using the pentatonic scale from.
Minor blues c eb f gb g bb c use with cm7 i, c7 i, cm, cm11, g7 v in minor. Hexatonicpentatonic jazz improvisation workout learn jazz. Scales are not the secret shortcut to jazz improvisation. But it can also be positioned relative to major chords to outline specific chord tones. Pentatonic scale improvisation pentatonic scale soloing. Scale pentatonic blues 1,b3,4,b5,5,b7 fullth pattern root note a guitar tuning. In my two previous lessons on pentatonic scales in jazz. Often when this scale is used in improvisation, you can use your 3rd finger instead of your 4th on 1st, 2nd, and 6th strings. How to practice pentatonic patterns for improvisation. Next, the two most important types of hexatonic scales are described. It not only presents the use of modes other than the seven basic diatonic modes used in jazz, but also presents a basic introduction to the use of modes that would be valuable for a beginner with little music theory and for.
The minor pentatonic scale for guitar jazz guitar online. A pentatonic scale is, as the name suggests, a five note scale. Thus, for example, if we begin with note c, the following whole tone scale is obtained. But hexatonic scales are actually a lot more common than you might think. Despite the age and history of the pentatonic scale, it is used extensively in modern jazz improvisation. In this post, i want to build on the concepts surrounding pentatonic scales and talk about a useful hexatonic, or 6note, scale. Pentatonic scales pdf and instructional video guitar alliance. Playing a jazz standard with pentatonic scales jens larsen. Extract from pentatonic and hexatonic scales in jazz. The below table summarises all 5 modes of the major pentatonic scale, each using c as the root. The similarity of the notes leads to a coherence of the sound. And understanding the way these structures work will. Well introduce mixing the motion up and start these scales on a different note, the 3rd note of the key. It tabs out the pentatonic scales in all 12 major and minor keys.
The more halfsteps and tritones are contained in a scale, the greater the scales potential for dissonance. The pentatonic scale is one of the first things we learn on the guitar, and it makes a lot of sense to use this when working on how to play an. Jun 10, 2016 the minor pentatonic scale is a fairly wellknown scale, and i imagine many of you have used it before. Scales are listed on all 12 tone centers the first section is on vertical improvisational applications. As youll see in the video below, you just need a few adjustments to translate your knowledge to the sometimes intimidating genre that is jazz. Hexatonicpentatonic jazz improvisation workout learn. Minor pentatonic scales to introduce a novice guitar player to the world of rock music requires that he learn a series of scales, which we can call the tools of the trade. But rather than comparing it to the major scale, its easier to imagine this series of notes as a minor scale in which two notes are omitted. We start up very easy and then we put on more and more stuff as we go along. Wholetone scales the following scales may be used with the following chords.
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