Using pentatonics in new ways like McCoy Tyner `- inside/outside Pentatonic Triads

[jzucker]

Using pentatonics in new ways like McCoy Tyner, inside/outside Pentatonic Triad refresher


This may be a refresher to some. I have written about pentatonic triads in the past. A triad is
constructed by extracting 3 notes from a scale that have exactly one note from the scale in between them.


Doing that form a 7 note scale forms the typical triad in 3rds because the scale is diatonic, that is - the scale
proceeds stepwise, a-b-c-d-e-f-g. And when you form triads with a single step between them, the triads are built
upon major and/or minor 3rds.


In a pentatonic scale, the notes are not stepwise in the same way. Some tones from the diatonic are skipped.


This happens because pentatonics are a reductive scale. (i.e. a subset). If you construct chords from the
pentatonic using every other note, you end up with chords that have an enharmonic interval of a 4th in them.


It turns out that this property along with its seemingly asymetrical nature makes the pentatonic chords sound
exotic and refreshing. At first they sound like 4th triads but some of the intervals are 3rds and the breaking
of patterns leads to its allure.
Now let's take the same set of notes but formatting them into 3 note chords using every other note from the scale
starting with the root of each chord voicing. We end up with pentatonic triads that utilize mostly 4ths but any of
the triads with C in the first or 2nd voice contain a major 3rd because in the Am pentatonic scale, a 3rd away from
C is E which is not a 4th. All the other triad intervals including the other intervals are 4ths.


In the notation, 3rds are denoted in green.


Of course these can be used against Am7 / CMaj but they are very powerful when used against other chords. For
example, the Am pentatonic sounds great against FMaj9, Dm11, Gb7Alt, D9sus, BbMaj7, B7b9sus.

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