What is a pentatonic scale?

The pentatonic scale, as its name implies, is a scale composed of five tones. In fact, in a broad sense, we can arbitrarily take five different sounds in an octave to form a pentatonic scale. But what I want to talk about today is the most common pentatonic scale in major and pentatonic scale in minor.

We can get the pentatonic scale of A major by taking 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 tones of a major scale at will. In other words, the fourth and seventh tones are deleted, resulting in the deletion of the original semitones in the major scale, thus producing a scale composed of whole tones and small schedules. (Ex 1)

The pentatonic scale in minor can be derived from its relative major. Their key signature is the same, and the constituent sounds of the scales are the same, but the starting sound and the emitting sound are different. For example, if the relational major in D minor is F major, we can get the pentatonic scale in D minor by rearranging the pentatonic scale in F major from D. (Example 2)

Pentatons are widely used in many different types of music, such as shuffle, blues and Fusion. There is a reason why people like to use pentatonic scale. First, pentatonic scale is a very distinctive scale. Even if the tones are arbitrarily combined, melodious phrases can be produced. Secondly, from the point of view of harmony, taking chords in C major as an example, the pentatonic scale in C major has both chords and all available tension sounds (D and A), but there is no inevitable sound F. For example, the pentatonic scale in C minor is used on the main chord (Cm) in C minor, which has an eleventh sustain besides the inner chord, avoiding the ninth and thirteenth tones. Let the scale on the outer major chord (Cm) in C minor be Dorian, Phrygia or Iolia, and you can use the pentatonic scale in C minor. The author also suggests that readers who want to learn improvisation can start from the pentatonic scale.

It is very common and basic that Cm chords use Cm pentatonic scale and cm major pentatonic scale. I want to put forward other different usages here for your reference.

When 1) C7 is used, the extended tones of 9 and 13 can be obtained.

2)cm uses Ab major pentatonic scale, because there are Eb, Ab, Bb, so it can have the sound effect of C wind.

3) The pentatonic scale in F major is used in cm, because there are A and D, so it can be used in the case of C Dorian and C melody minor.

There are many different uses of pentatonic scale, and what I say here is only a part for your reference. I hope you can get some new ideas from the above examples. Come on!

Give it a try, take out the 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 tones of the natural minor scale, and you can get a pentatonic scale. Play it, it's a Japanese minor!