Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!

Subject: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: SharonA
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 06:09 PM

Hi, all:

Silly me -- I volunteered to lead a songwriting workshop this coming Saturday, as part of a songwriters' festival, on the subject of Pentatonic Songs. My plan is to make a short introduction to the various types of pentatonic scales before sending people off to write their own song using one of these scales.

I think I should give examples of each scale, so I need song titles! Can you help?

If so, please post the title of the song [u][i]and[/i][/u] the type of pentatonic scale it's in, if you know this information. The more well-known the song, the better... 'cause I will probably have to sing it or play it, or play a CD of it, for the group!

Thanks in advance for your help!

--Sharon

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 06:36 PM

I have lots of examples here

http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/Modes/

I started listing the modes used in the Sharp/Karpeles book in a thread leeneia started. I can finish that if you like.

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 07:00 PM

Dirty Old Town and Auld Lang Syne I reckon! They must be pentatonic because I can play them both in three different keys on the same diatonic harmonica.

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 07:01 PM

Without bending...

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 10:33 AM

This site may help:

http://www.pentatonika.net/

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Old Vermin
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 01:02 PM

Amazing Grace

Uses - say - D, E, G, A, B and the higher D

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 01:31 PM

Sharon was interested in examples of more than one pentatonic scale. There are four of them found in European and Chinese music (one very rare), and quite a lot of others like the two Japanese ones and the slendro scale of Indonesia.

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: SharonA
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 07:04 PM

Thank you, folks. Please keep the songs and ideas and information coming!

Jack Campin, please tell me MORE about the various pentatonic scales with which you are familiar. I do indeed want to give examples of more than just "the black keys on the piano".

I'm also thinking that, for the writing-exercise portion of the workshop, I want to put slips of paper in a hat for the participants to draw out, with a different pentatonic scale written on each slip of paper. At this particular event, people seem intrigued and excited by this sort of challenge.

So, the more pentatonic scales for them to choose from, the better!

Thanks again,
Sharon

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Aug 11 - 08:41 PM

I have a whole bunch of examples of different pentatonic modes in the modes tutorial on my site - there are also two Japanese examples in the section on modes that don't occur in Scottish music.

They're all in ABC and all are wordless - is that okay?

http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/Modes/

Subject: RE: Pentatonic songs -- Titles, please!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 10:12 AM

Steve's examples are good for what you want because they're in two different pentatonic modes - Auld Lang Syne is lydian/major/mixolydian, Dirty Old Town is dorian/minor/phrygian.