The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #4229   Message #491029
Posted By: hesperis
24-Jun-01 - 08:41 PM
Thread Name: pentatonic songs
Subject: RE: pentatonic songs
bluesdogg - the scale that you used as "pentatonic" is actually the "major pentatonic". Pentatonic just means five notes, and you can get a different "scale" by starting on a different note of the pattern. Sort of like if you use all the white keys on the piano, which is normally a Major Scale if you start on C. If you act like the tonic is D, then the scale is actually the Dorian scale, not the Major scale.

So the Minor Pentatonic in C is C Eb F G Bb C, which is one note (F#) less than the "blues scale".
The Major Pentatonic in C is C D E G A C.

But the blues scale also has a certain style of playing, where you bend the notes around. Pentatonic doesn't really have that.

If you wanted a Minor Pentatonic on all the white notes, you would use A C D E G A as the pattern. It's a whole different feel, and the same 5 notes.

I used minor pentatonic to create "Kwan Yin", and would be happy to donate a gif and a midi to that site.