Monday, September 6, 2010

Jazzing up the Pentatonic

I am going to look at using the minor pentatonic in a "jazzier" way, over a dominant seven chord.

First, let's look at the chord - C7

Notes
C - E - G - Bb

You can play the standard minor pentatonic (C-Eb-F-G-Bb) over this, and you are adding two color tones - the #9 (Eb) and the 11th (F). This is the standard "blues" sound.

Now, if you take the minor pentatonic, and root in D you get the following scale - C-D-F-G-A which gives the following color tones, 9 (D), 11 (F), and 13 (A). This is a good "outside" sound, without adding much tension.

Now if you want tension, take it up another half step, to Eb. Your scale is now C#-Eb-F#-G#-Bb. This creates tension because it add the following "altered" tensions - b9, #9, b5, #5. This is a nice little departure in a solo, because of the tension it adds. You can use this scale in place of the altered dominant (Super Locrian) scale.

Now, for a little scale I derived. I don't know who invented it, but I like how it adds passing notes (chromaticism).
I call this the Bebop Blues Scale, and it goes something like this- C-Eb-F-F#-G-Bb-B.

I know this isn't a pentatonic, but it lays nicely on the fretboard.
Here it is depicted graphically.
- 7 8 - - 11 -
- - 8 - - 11 -
- - 8 - 10 11 -
- - 8 9 10 - -
- - 8 9 10 - -
- 7 8 - -11 -

This add the Bebop Dominant Passing Note (B (maj7)) and the blue note F# (b5).

My two cents

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