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The Pentatonic Scale

Lesson 18/135 | Study Time: 5 Min
Course: Complete Bass
The Pentatonic Scale

The Pentatonic Scale

The pentatonic scale (PT) contains a total of five notes. It is similar to the major scale except the 4th and 7th notes are omitted. Therefore the interval structure of the pentatonic scale is different from the diatonic scales because there are only five notes and no semitones present. The note pattern of the major pentatonic scale is T T T1/2 T T T1/2.

The absents of a 7th makes this scale quite versatile and therefore it fits to various chord types, e.g., maj6, maj7, dom7 etc. The pentatonic scale, its inversions/modes and some matching chords are listed here.

PT I (Major Pentatonic)

The following example illustrates the G major pentatonic scale with the note pattern:

T T T1/2 T T1/2

PT II

The PT II is constructed by starting and finishing on the second note of the pentatonic scale. This is shown in example 275, which begins with the second note of the G pentatonic scale (A) and finishes one octave higher. The note pattern is

T T1/2 T T1/2 T

PT III

The PT III is constructed by starting and finishing on the third note of the G pentatonic scale, the B note in the given example. The note pattern is

T1/2 T T1/2 T T

PT IV

The PT IV is constructed by starting and finishing on the fourth note of the G pentatonic scale, the D note in the given example. The note pattern is

T T1/2 T T T1/2

PT V (Minor Pentatonic)

The PT V is constructed by starting and finishing on the fifth note of the G pentatonic scale, the E note in the given example. The note pattern is

T1/2 T T T1/2 T

Example 279 utilizes the G major pentatonic scale, as well as some inversions and modes that derive from it.

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Stephan Richter

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Class Sessions

1- INTRODUCTION 2- Playing Position 3- Articulation 4- Three Four Time ( <span class="symbolA">^</span> ) 5- Glossary of Musical Terms 6- Approach to Practice 7- The Right Hand 8- Syncopation 9- Odd Times 10- About the Author 11- Using The Pick 12- Lead-In 13- Displacement 14- How to Choose a Bass 15- Playing With Alternating Fingers 16- Swing Rhythms 17- Afro 18- Strings 19- The Quarter Note Rest 20- The Shuffle 21- Afro And Reggae 22- Bass Guitars 23- Blues 24- 12 Bar Shuffle 25- Reggae 26- Amplifiers 27- Chord Numbers 28- Minor Chords 29- Rhythm Figures With A Sixteenth Note Rest 30- Tuning Your Bass 31- Root Notes 32- First And Second Endings 33- Syncopated Sixteenth Note Figures 34- The Metronome 35- Chord Symbols 36- Major Sixth Chords 37- Sixteenth Note Triplets 38- How to Read Music 39- The Left Hand 40- Seventh Chords 41- Modes 42- Music Notation 43- Notes On The Second Fret 44- Major Seventh Chords 45- Modal bass lines 46- Notes on The Lines And Spaces 47- Notes On The Third Fret 48- Minor Seventh Chords 49- Modes Using The Same Root Note 50- Open String Notes 51- Country 52- Jazz - Walking Bass 53- Mode Over Chord Progressions 54- The Four Four Time Signature 55- Half Time 56- Principal Chords And Scale Tone Chords 57- AABA Form "Rhythm Changes" 58- Note And Rest Values 59- New Note On The E String (F) 60- Turnarounds 61- Alternating Between Latin And Swing Feel 62- Symbols And Abbreviations 63- The Tie 64- 12 Bar Jazz Blues 65- Alternating Between Half Time Feel And Swing 66- Rock 67- Diminished Seventh Chords 68- The Pentatonic Scale 69- New Notes On The G String (B, C) 70- Suspended Chords 71- The Blues Scale 72- The Major Scale 73- Augmented Chords 74- Harmonic Minor And The Modes 75- The Octave 76- Minor Sixth Chords 77- Harmonic Minor Modal Bass Lines 78- Learning The Notes 79- Minor Seven Flat Five Chords 80- Melodic Minor And The Modes 81- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 82- Turnarounds II 83- New Topic 84- Chromatic Scale Diagram And Finger Pattern 85- Chord Extensions 86- Melodic Minor Modal Bass Lines 87- Intervals 88- Chord Extension Arpeggio Patterns 89- The Diminished Scale 90- The Slide 91- Bass Pedal And Additional Chord Variations 92- The Whole Tone Scale 93- Shifting Between Notes 94- Latin 95- Bass Feature Lines 96- Cycle of Fifths and Key Signatures 97- Chord Symbols 98- Bass Chords 99- Riffs 100- Ghost Notes 101- Harmonics 102- C Major Scale Pattern II 103- Funk 104- Harmonics Fretboard Diagram 105- Understanding Chords 106- New Topic 107- Harmonic Chords 108- Arpeggios 109- Using A Drum Machine 110- The Slap Technique/The Thumb (T) 111- Major Scales And Arpeggios With Open Strings 112- Left Hand Techniques 113- Popping Technique (P) 114- Inversions 115- The Hammer-on (H) 116- Eighth Note Grooves 117- Upside Down Arpeggios 118- The Pull-off (P) 119- The Cross-Hammer 120- All Major Scales Around The Cycle Of Fifths 121- The Trill (tr) 122- Left Hand Slap 123- All Major Arpeggios Around The Cycle Of Fifths 124- Vibrato (<span class="symbolA"></span>) 125- Sixteenth Note Grooves 126- Double Notes 127- The Two Handed Tapping Technique 128- The Hammer-Attack (HA) 129- The Right Hand Tapping Technique ( <span class="symbolB">:</span> ) 130- The Right Hand 131- Tapping And Hammering 132- Arpeggio Tapping 133- Right Hand Interval Tapping 134- Double Stops And Chord Tapping 135- Turnarounds

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