- What is a pentatonic scale, and how is it constructed?
- Why is it important, and how is it used?
- Why does it work the way it does?
- When you learn major pentatonic scales, you’re also learning minor pentatonics!
- Melodic style pentatonics in the keys of Bb, F, C, G, and D
- 5 closed-position pentatonic shapes you can use in any key
- Song & audio examples
#119 – Pentatonic Power!
- Picky Fingers
www.patreon.com
Explore the power of the pentatonic scale- a musical device that you’ve undoubtedly heard many times, but may not know how to take advantage of in your own composing, improvising, and general playing.
Topics:
Your Pentatonic Power podcast is a great topic. It is gratifying to finally find someone addressing ‘melodic’ pentatonics. Most discussions are limited to the chord shape and transition positions and then default to a single string approach. I do have 2 comments for your consideration:
1) Your 5 closed positions are actually 3 based upon the F, D, and Bar chord shapes with 2 ‘transition’ positions that cover the area between 2 of the chord shape positions. (Check Pat Cloud’s book for more info.)
2) Your point about pentatonic addressing the Major and Relative Minor keys neglects to mention that it also applies to the Blues scale of the Relative Minor. (Bb Major, G minor, G Blues) However, more importantly, your discussion of not being able to play the wrong note misses the point of the benefit of pentatonics. Looking at it from the perspective of the scale tone/chord position (1, 4, 5) of different keys may be valid, however, it is not the key point. The more important point is that the pentatonic scale for a specific key allows you to play that scale over, for example, the 1, 4, 5 chords of that specific key. For example, you can play the Bb pentatonic descending lick that Ben Eldridge is noted for over the 1, 4, and 5 chords as the song progression changes. (I.e. Foggy Mountain Special, Hot Burrito Breakdown, and others)
I have transcribed and transposed Ben’s famous lick for various keys. It is important to note the pattern, but you must remember that scales change for each key and that must be accounted for.
This is a great discussion and I would like to talk more with you. I discovered, talking to Pat Cloud, John Boulding, and Steve Huber that a melodic approach to pentatonic scales was ignored in the early instruction books (Keith, Trischka, etc) because the publishers thought the books were getting too long and the subject was too difficult for those that would buy the books.
To follow up- I did mention the use of minor pentatonics in a blues context, although that was probably a very quick mention that didn’t get focused on too much.
I’m not sure what the point of labeling positions as “transition” would be… To me, there are five notes of the scale, so there are five corresponding starting notes on the fingerboard. I suppose this is one of those things that some players may find useful to think about one way, and others will do better thinking about it another way.
Happy to discuss more! Reply here, email me at pickyfingersbanjopodcast@gmail.com, or best yet- post on the facebook group for Picky Fingers: Listeners, Fans, and friends.
Keith,
Your Power of Pentatonics pod cast is great! It is gratifying to finally find someone who addresses a melodic approach to pentatonics. You should check out Pat Cloud’s book.
(I talked to Pat Cloud, John Boulding, and Steve Huber and they said that back in the late ’60 and ’70s when everyone [Keith, Trischka, etc] was putting out instruction books, the publishers cut off any detailed discussion of pentatonics and a melodic approach because the books were getting too long and those purchasing the books would not understand it. Very interesting!)
I would like to make two points related to your podcast:
You state there are 5 ‘positions’ for the pentatonic scale. Three of these ‘positions’ are based upon the F, D, and Bar chord shapes and since they are closed they can be moved anywhere on the neck. The remaining 2 positions are ‘transition’ positions that link 2 chord shapes. This can be found in Pat Cloud’s book.
Your discussion about using the pentatonic scale to improvise and not playing a wrong note is very good. However, when you talk about the 1, 4, and 5 chords being used without changing the scale, you reference them against different keys. While correct, it misses the primary point of utility for the pentatonic scale. Within a song’s Key, pentatonic scale licks can be played over the changing chord progression, usually 1, 4, and 5. A great example of this is the descending Bb pentatonic lick that Ben Eldridge used quite often. Bb’s relative minor is Gm.(Note: The Bb pentatonic can be played for both Gm and G Blues.) For a song in the key of G, the Bb lick can be played over the 1, 4, and 5 chords in the progression without having to change the lick. This works for all kinds of songs including Foggy Mountain Special, Part A of Hot Burrito Breakdown, and more. To put it another way, for a song in the Key of G, you can play Bb pentatonic licks over the 1, 4, and 5 chords without changing from Bb pentatonic. I hope I was able to explain this clearly.
Musically, the pentatonic scale has provided the foundation for melody notes in many, many songs. Often, when you are learning a new song and trying to find the melody notes, looking to the pentatonic scale can find the notes you are looking for.
I am not a fan of the single string approach. It has a more staccato jerky sound (except when played by the very best musicians but even then, it changes the flow of a song) that changes the flowing sound of melodic or Scruggs banjo rolls. As a result, I have been focused on approaching pentatonics in a melodic style. It does not change the fluid flow of a song yet still provides additional color and interest.
Thanks for the kind words, Jim! I appreciate your additional explanation as well. Hopefully I made enough disclaimers about not being a music theory professor, and that what I’m teaching is general rules rather than something that will cover every situation- but you’re totally correct in the examples you gave.