Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. How to improvise jazz using the pentatonic scale from. Learn jazz piano improvisation using only the pentatonic scale. C major pentatonic piano scales piano scales chart. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave such as the major scale and minor scale pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations.
We will begin by improvising melodies using only the black notes of the piano. The exercises in this book use the major scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and chromatic scale. The scale were about to learn is used loads in country, blues and rock. Watch the pentatonic scales lesson which is the foundation of the theory for pentatonic voicings. Welcome to lesson 3 of the pentatonic scale, pentatonic blues licks. It includes a practice solo in a major with 9 licks that are all broken down.
The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start with minor and you will find the major by scrolling down. Jan 31, 2014 free minor pentatonic blues scale chart. There are three ways youll want to learn your major pentatonic scale forms. In this tutorial instead of using note names ill refer to scale degree numbers 1 7 of the major and minor scales. Com the 5 patterns of the major pentatonic scale for guitar. To get to their derived pentatonic scale in this case say we stick to our example in c and want to figure out c pentatonic. My number one recommendation on this site for learning how to play the piano is piano for all. The versatility and playability of the scale makes it a popular choice for use in guitar soloing and melodies. Heres a little something that ive been working with in the studio this week. The notes of a major pentatonic scale are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th degrees of the major scale. The major pentatonic scale may be thought of as a gapped or incomplete major scale. As you might expect from the name, a pentatonic scale has five notes.
This makes it easy to transpose the scale into different keys and will help give you a broader view of the concepts. They will almost always sound good, irrespective of the chords you are. Intro to major pentatonic soloing 9 major pentatonic. These are the four most common scales in pop and rock music. C, d, e, g, a, c which are the 1st,2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of the major scale. The pentatonic scale compendia found in section one list all three hundre d thirty pentatonic scales 2 that contain the note c. Free minor pentatonic blues scale chart saras music studio. Compare these scales c major pentatonic and a minor pentatonic with the c. Its a little strange to get used to at first, because the patterns are the same as for the minor pentatonic, but the root note is different huh. Several typical pentatonic blues licks will be used as a starting point to develop your knowledge of the pentatonic scale.
Knowing the notes of the pentatonic scale is one thing but turning that knowledge into practical playing skill is another. Various techniques are used such as bends, slides and hammerons. It consists of the root, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th intervals of the major scale the 4th and 7th scale degrees are left out. To understand how this works, look at this example. Learn the voicings in c major and apply these to a tune that you are working on. Today is not too easy to become rich just playing the pentatonic scale. In this lesson im going to introduce you to the concept of pentatonic harmony. In this piano tutorial i take a quick look at both major and minor. The solution below shows the gb major pentatonic scale on the piano, treble clef and bass clef.
The lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th major scale notes. Another way of looking at it is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. Scales you can use in the real world, created by a human guitarist. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start with minor and you will find the major. There are three ways youll want to learn your major.
One of the most commonly known, used and recognised is the pentatonic scale. Since our weather has been so blue up here, i thought it might be fun to work on our improv skills with minor pentatonic blues scales. Something that cannot be said of the two notes of the major scale that are not included in the major pentatonic scale the 4th and 7th. We provide downloads for common scales including major, the three minor scales natural, harmonic, and melodic, the blues scale, and others.
Pentatonic scales are a derivative of major minor scales. The major pentatonic scale is made from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes from the major scale for a given key. How to use the pentatonic scales to improvise on the piano. Learn the c major pentatonic scale note positions and names on the piano, treble clef and bass clef, with mp3 and midi audio. Would you like to learn more about pentatonic scale piano techniques. Note that a minor pentatonic has identical notes with c major pentatonic but in different order. As you might, or might not know, regular major and minor scales have seven different notes. This will help you learn how to play melodies on these 4 bowstring instruments in the key of a pentatonic. For example, a c major pentatonic scale consists of c, d, e, g, and a or the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth notes of the. A minor pentatonic contains scale degrees 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. By being outside the key means that you dont necessarily play chords and scale that belongs to the same key. The major pentatonic consists of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of a major scale. Overview of major and minor pentatonic piano scales.
The best way to learn them is to choose one scale that appeals to you and spend a considerable amount of time an d energy practicing and thinking of ways. If playing in c major use a minor pentatonic also know as c major pentatonic. The pentatonics are fun 5 note scales that are essential to blues and country music. The a minor pentatonic comes from the natural minor scale.
The minor pentatonic scale consists of the same 5 notes of the major pentatonic. If you have chosen a scale other than the one that is used in these exercises which is number three hundred twenty six3 in the pentatonic scale compendium, often referred to as the major 326 or minor 330 pentatonic scale4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the. The pentatonic scale is very commonplace in piano music in general, as a. How pentatonic scales work piano questions answered. In this piano tutorial i take a quick look at both major and minor pentatonic scales, and look at how you can use them to improve your. If you are playing in a major key, then use the relative minor pentatonic scale. How to form major pentatonic scales on piano one way of forming the pentatonic is to use the following formula after picking the starting note of the scale. For a quick summary of this topic, have a look at pentatonic scale. Chord progressions for pentatonic melodies the essential.
This lesson is an introduction to the major pentatonic scale and its basic soloing application. The major pentatonic scale has the 5 notes of the major scale. The pentatonic scale is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. In this lesson you will be learning some ways to use the pentatonic scale in a solo. In this exercise we play our major pentatonic scale over the entire range of our instrument up and back down again. So even if you hit a nonchord tone at a lessthanoptimal moment these notes will be relatively forgiving. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here. These notes create a pentatonic 5note scale that is easy to see, and can be accompanied effectively by just one or two chords. They are still used all over the world, for example traditional music, country music, blues and metal. The pentatonic scales are a great way to learn how to improvise on the piano. This type of scale can work over lots of different chords in a key.
How to use the pentatonic scale as major and minor on the. Lets have a look at c major pentatonic the minor one will come later. Learning these voicings in all 12 keys is a lot of heavy lifting so be realistic about how long this will take. The major and relative minor pentatonic scale pairs.
How to construct major and minor pentatonic scales music. Pentatonic scale improvisation pentatonic scale soloing. The black keys on a piano keyboard comprise a gflat major or equivalently, fsharp major pentatonic scale. These scales are for obvious reasons perfect when playing blues on the piano. The 6th and final note in the diagram is the octave note, named the same as the tonic note, and is the note where the scale starts repeating all the way up the piano keyboard. You can start with e minor pentatonic, but the same notes and patterns can also produce g major pentatonic.
You have a lot of freedom when playing and improvising using pentatonic scales. The article explains how to use the pentatonic scales to improvise on the piano by demonstrating it on video tutorial. Pentatonic scales for improvisation piano tutorial. That should certainly give you enough of a start that will provide the inspiration to fill in most sections of a song. D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so. Adding a blue note to the regular pentatonic scale result in the pentatonic blues scale. Combining minor and major pentatonic scales guitarhabits. Musicresourcesite educational pentatonic scales for piano.
Learn a bit about the pentatonic scale how to play it, how its in two keys at the same time, and how to move it up and down the fingerboard to adjust the key. Learn pentatonic scale patterns on piano piano lessons. The scales are used often for composing melodies and for improvisation. The major pentatonic scale shares the same notes as its relative minor counterpart so although the diagrams might seem familiar its important to take note of where the root notes differ for the major pentatonic positions as opposed to minor pentatonic. Pentatonic scales are useful things to know if you want to learn how to improvise on. Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject. If you are playing in a minor key, use that minor pentatonic. Here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic scales. Its used for improvisation and also to build chord voicings. Notes, intervals and relations to other scales in the database. How to play a c major pentatonic scale on piano youtube. Each scale is provided as a separate pdf download with finger numbers above each note.
Pentatonic patterns for improvisation sample preparatory exercises below is an example of what i call pentatonic exercise 1 in the key of c major. The first, second, third, fifth, and sixth notes of the major scale become the five notes in the. Printable piano music scales in all major and harmonic minor keys. We start up very easy and then we put on more and more stuff as we go along. Pentatonic scales are really useful if youre improvising on the piano, because theyre very reliable if you have a regular chord progression then if you use the right pentatonic to solo over it. All the scales here are in one octave, but you can of course practice each piano scale in as many octaves and in any tempo you like. This fivenote scale is similar to the major scale, but with the 4th and 7th degrees removed. Apart from regular major and minor scales, theres a few more scales that we can use for playing things like licks, riffs, melodies and solos. Pentatonic scales for guitar a pentatonic scale has just 5 notes. Feb 17, 2011 pentatonic scales for improvisation piano tutorial. The pentatonic scales group themselves nicely by the number of black keys they use there are six allwhitekey pentatonic scales, three major and three minor, then two major and two minor pentatonic scales with just one black piano key, another four scales with two black keys, and so on.
Click on the required key for scale notes and fret position diagrams in each key. We also applied the concept to develop the fingerings for left hand on minor pentatonic fingerings and for both hand on the major pentatonic fingerings. You could play these licks over a iivv blues progression where a7 is the i. For example, the relative minor of c is a minor, and the notes which form c major pentatonic and a minor pentatonic are the same. Now lets combine the notes of the minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scale and create some soloing ideas. This is because the dissonant intervals have been removed from the scale. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard. The two licks below use notes of both minor and major pentatonic scales. And remember, full major scales work nicely in the same song where youve used pentatonic melodies, so feel free to do as you hear in theres a reason. The pentatonic scale can function as both major and minor on the guitar. A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic.
The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. Now, we will look at the major and minor pentatonic scales, and see how the. The major pentatonic scale jumps over the 4th and 7th degrees of the major scale. Get your free instant download of the pdf version of this guide now. If you have chosen a scale other than the one that is used in these exercises which is number three hundred twenty six3 in the pentatonic scale compendium, often referred to as the major 326 or minor 330 pentatonic scale 4, play the shapes found in the exercises, but replace the. Pentatonic scales for improvisation piano tutorial youtube.
The notes of a minor pentatonic scale are the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th upper tonic of the natural form minor scale. Jazz piano education is through the ears, but books like this can help. This pdf contains the diagrams for all the major and minor pentatonic scales in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. I have quite a few students who are fans of playing the blues. Printable downloadable major pentatonic scale guitar chart. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. Notice how both an e minor em chord and a g major chord fit. These charts highlight the notes of a pentatonic scale on a violin, viola, cello and double bass. Pentatonic songs 3rd grade, folk songs, index, melody, solfege, visuals the pentatonic scale, a 5note scale, is the basis for countless folk songs around the world. My interactive pentatonic scales chart for piano shows fingering diagrams for both pentatonic major and pentatonic minor scales. Pentatonic scale patterns on piano if you want to be able to improvise and use pentatonic scale patterns on the piano to create interesting and exciting solos then read on.
For right hand fingering of major pentatonic scales having all white notes keys of c, f and g, i first started out with 1,2,3, 1,2,3 1,2,3,4,5, with 1 replacing 5 as the fingering to continue into the 3rd octave, but then i realized that when playing the 4 octave descending major pentatonic it was a bit awkward to cross 4th finger over from. Major and minor pentatonic scales avoid significant harmonic dissonance by adverting this tritone. All scales not normal were excluded from the results, please use the options below to see d. There are a total of 430 finger exercises in this book. This lesson is closely related to the pentatonic improvisation lesson so if you havent watched that tutorial id recommend you check that out first. For instance, lets take a look at the c major scale. Unlike the major scale, which is a seven note scale, the major pentatonic consists of five notes penta five, tonic notes. The major pentatonic scale is one of the most widely used scales on the guitar. The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus the flat 5th. The only difference is that the tonic first note of the scale of the minor pentatonic is 3 semitones half steps below the tonic of. Go from piano blues scales to piano lessons piano keyboard home page. For example, a c major pentatonic scale consists of c, d, e, g, and a or the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth notes of the major scale.
D minor pentatonic has the same notes as f major pentatonic and so it goes. Once youve got a handle on this material dont hesitate to contact anvil guitar instruction to learn how to augment and adapt these licks with notes from the full major and minor scales and with notes from arpeggios as well. These make great handouts for piano teachers to use with students. The solution below shows the db major pentatonic scale on the piano, treble clef and bass clef the lesson steps then explain how to construct the scale using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th major scale notes. Pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. There are both pentatonic major and minor the minor is slightly more often used. The natural minor is the aeolian mode of the relative major scale. To learn how to play other piano scales, such as major, minor,chromatic and pentatonic scales, visit our main piano scales page. Cs relative minor pentatonic scale, a minor pentatonic, begins on the 6 th scale degree of the major pentatonic scale shown above. Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be called minor, the term is most commonly applied to the relative minor pentatonic derived from the major pentatonic, using scale tones 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the natural minor scale. Lets take a look at what makes up this scale and how its applied to the guitar fretboard. The pentatonic scale pentatonic scales have only five notes penta means five. Detailed information for the scale d minor pentatonic.
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