The Amazingly versatile Pentatonic Scale

Imagine the following scenario: as the therapist, you have provided your client / your patient with a defined set of pitches, for instance a xylophone modified to contain the notes of the Pentatonic Scale.

In the following, we will explore some ideas to create a stimulating and inspiring context for your client / your patient. Let’s say you want to inspire confidence and strengthen your therapeutic relationship by having some fun with music. How can we make our musical partner sound great?

First let’s talk about the scale your client is using, the Pentatonic Scale.

The Pentatonic Scale:

The Pentatonic Scale, built on scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, in Major, or 1, b3, 4, 5, b7 in Minor. is an excellent scale to use if our goal is to let the client improvise melodically while we provide chordal accompaniment. 

Minor Pentatonic or Major Pentatonic?

In an improvisational setting we don’t need to distinguish between, say, a C Major Pentatonic and A Minor Pentatonic, as they share the same notes. Any Major Pentatonic shares the notes with the Minor Pentatonic of the relative minor key. G Major Pentatonic = E Minor Pentatonic. D Major Pentatonic = B Minor Pentatonic, and so on.

For practicing using different chordal accompaniments for the same melodic material, record yourself playing melodically using the C Major Pentatonic Scale, aka A Minor Pentatonic Scale. See below. 

Above is a C Major Pentatonic aka A Minor Pentatonic Scale. There are several other fingering patterns for this scale, but this is by far the most symmetrical and useful one.

The C Maj Pentatonic Scale contains 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the C Major Scale, or C, D, E, G, and A. 

Creating Harmonic Context:

In clinical improvisation we don't need to feel that we have to invent everything. It’s very helpful to be able to access ready-made chord progressions to facilitate a rewarding music-making experience. 

Ex #1: Our first example is very straightforward: we will use the "Let It Be" chord progression, I-V-vi-IV, or C - G - Amin - F. Listen to the pentatonic improvisation in the harmonic and rhythmic context of "Let It Be."

Ex # 2: The will also work over a quintessential minor chord progression -- the most famous example I can think of is the chord progression in the guitar solo of "Stairway To Heaven": i - bVII - bVI - V7, or Amin - G - F - E7:

Ex # 3: Perhaps less predictably, it also sounds good over a chord progression that is derived from G Major, a Dorian chord jam using A min7 and D7/9, the "Oye Como Va" chords. As the scale doesn't have an F (the one note that is altered – sharpened - when moving C Major and G Major) the C Major pentatonic scale can function in both C Major and G Major.

Ex # 4: The C Major Pentatonic Scale works like a charm when used as melodic material for A Blues. The notes A and E are scale degrees 1 and 5 in A. What makes C Major so good in a Blues context are the notes C and G. In the context of A Blues, the note C is the b3, a very characteristically "blue" note, and G is the b7, giving the scale its mixolydian, i.e dominant character.  

Ex # 5: And it sounds really good over this following, very 70s sounding chord progression: I - bVII - IV - I. As the C Major pentatonic scale doesn't have a B, we don't get in conflict when the Bb and F come around. And all the notes in the scale can function as extended chord tones on Bb and F.

The E is #11 on Bb, maj 7 on F; the G is 13 on Bb, 9 on F, the A is maj 7 on Bb, the C is 9 on Bb, the D is 13 on F. Every note on the C Major Scale is either chord tone or a rich extended chord tone on those three chords. That is the magic of the pentatonic scale. 

The outro of "Hey Jude" is a good example. 

Ex # 6: And of course it will sound great over the very diatonic yet very expressive and versatile chord progression of "Stand By Me" chord progression, I - vi - IV - V.

exercise #1:

Get together with a musical collaborator and role play: 

The client plays a Pentatonic scale.

The therapist, improvises an accompaniment based on:

Ex # 1. The "Let It Be" progression, I - V - vi - IV.

Ex #2. The "Stairway" guitar solo chord progression.

Ex #3. The "Bossa Nova ii - V" minor jam.

Ex #4. The Blues Progression in a key a minor third below. In our example, that would be A Blues.

Ex #5. The "Hey Jude" outro, I - bVII - IV - I

Ex #6. The "Stand By Me" progression, I - vi - IV - V.

Alt. Exercise # 1

If you can't get together with a music partner, record yourself improvising a melody using the C Major Pentatonic Scale, and practice applying the various chord progressions to give a harmonic backdrop your recording. Use a metronome. Or you can use the melodic improvisation I've provided. Here it is again: 

Exercise # 2

Write out the pentatonic major scales, and write out the corresponding chords for the above progressions in these five keys: C, G, D, A, and E.

Ex # 1. The "Let It Be" progression, I - V - vi - IV.

Ex #2. The "Stairway" chord progression.

Ex #3. The "Bossa Nova ii - V"

Note: The ii - V in the Bossa Nova context sound best when the root of the minor chord can be comfortably played on the low E string. In C Major, the D min - G 7 is too high on the fretboard, that’s why I used the A Min - D7. In other keys the regular diatonic ii - V may be better.

Ex #4. The Blues Progression in a key a minor third below.

Ex #5. The "Hey Jude" outro, I - bVII - IV - I.

Ex #6. The "Stand By Me" progression, I - vi - IV - V.