The pentatonic scale Lesson

[kambor]

Hello everybody!

I've been reading the pentatonic scale lesson (very useful by the way), but I don't get a detail about the list of pentatonic scales to play over chords.

There's a category called minor/major. Is this a minMaj7 chord, or means that the IV pentatonic can be played over any major and minor chord, or what else...?

My greetings for the lesson poster, I'm stuck trying to sound melodic with pentatonics and this lesson has opened sounds that I only could make with chords. Thanks!

[mr. beaumont]

I'd highly suggest analyzing what notes are in that scale and come to your own conclusion.

Sounds to me like you're learning more "boxes" and not looking for the "why."

[kambor]

Not really, just was looking for advice from the lesson poster, because on the note functions there's no 3rd, so I was just guessing what was the original intention.

Thanks anyway!

[mr. beaumont]

Could you link that post? Cuz now I'm in the same boat as you.

[kambor]

Sure, this is the lesson Free Jazz Guitar Lessons : Pentatonic Scales

At the end, there's the table I'm talking about. You can see the third row is for major/minor, but it doesn't say anything else, so I don't really know what it is intended there.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Here what I think is the intent:

Over a C major or C minor -type chord, you can play the major pentatonic scale based on the IV (F):

notes = F G A C D

These notes are the 11 5 6 1 and 9 of C. This also functions to the same extent over C dominant, as well, but that wasn't mentioned.

What also wasn't mentioned is that this isn't exactly the best thing since sliced bread. Looking at it statically, you'd want to avoid stressing the 11 over a normal major or dom chord (over minor is cool), and the note set is heavy on resolution tones (1 and 5) but missing colour (3 or 7).

Conclusion: on its own, meh.

EDIT: after staring at that chart some more, I have to change my mind and agree with Bako. This line is about the minMaj7 chord (C Eb G B). I don't see why they're even mentioning the Maj7 here: the pent scale avoids the seventh entirely -- maybe that's why?

[bako]

Yes Minor/Major is referring to mMa7.

CEbGB

The suggested pentatonic

FGACD

no b3 or 7 but no conflicts either
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modifying the major pentatonic to address those notes

EbFGBbC becomes EbFGBC

If you want a sound less tied to the root then replace C with D

EbFGBD

This is beyond the scope of the article which was suggesting multiple uses for the major pentatonic.

[kambor]

thank you!

bako: so you wrote the article? thank you! it's really useful. I wasn't critizicing or anything, just had that doubt. Thanks again

[bako]

No, I'm not the author.
I have yet to write any articles for this site, I just mouth off randomly in posts and hopefully say something helpful every now and then.

[Claudi]

Originally Posted by bako

I just mouth off randomly in posts and hopefully say something helpful every now and then.

You bet you do, man!

[ozone]

Hey there. I haven't posted alot here but I like to throw my 2cents in.
Right on BigDaddyLoveHandles, I understood it the same way.
Just to build on that, if I may...
Use the 4th pentatonic for melodic minor (in this case Cmaj/min7) is F pentatonic, F is the fourth of C. (right!)
For any chords in the C melodic minor, (Cmaj/min7, Dsusb9, Ebmaj7#5, F7#11, C7, Am7b5, B alt) F pentatonic will work.
Oz.

[Flyin' Brian]

Pentatonics are cool because with only 5 notes you can extract many extensions from them.

You can make lines over Fm7, AbM7, Bbm7, DbM7 and A7alt chords just by using a Cm pentatonic.

Or you can use Am, Em and Bm pentatonics over an Am7/D9 vamp (or changes) all day.

[rlemos]

Hi Kambor,

I have put together a system of jazz guitar improvisation that suggests a specific pentatonic scale for every chord and chord progression. The advantages are that it is impossible to hit a bad note and all scales use the 2-notes-per-string approach that most guitarists are already familiar with. I have a lot of free stuff on my website describing the system. You can check out below:

Jazz Guitar Improvisation Using Pentatonic Chord Scales

I also have several YouTube videos showing how to use these scales in actual songs. Check out my video on the Dorian Pentatonic Scale over the jazz standard "Misty":

YouTube - Dorian Pentatonic Scale Lesson: Jazz Guitar Soloing Over IIm7 Chords in the Changes to "Misty"

This will give you a good idea of the "sound" of my system. If you are interested in my approach, feel free to email me for more specific questions.

Hope this helps.

Ron