What is the Pentatonic Scale? - Music Theory
TLDRThe video explains the pentatonic musical scale, which contains five notes per octave instead of the usual seven notes in Western music. It provides several methods for deriving the notes of the major and minor pentatonic scales, including seeing them as incomplete major/minor scales, using the circle of fifths, or focusing on certain degrees of the major/minor scales. The video demonstrates improvising with the pentatonic scale on piano, using the black keys to easily produce an oriental sound. It relates the major and minor pentatonic scales as relative to each other, with the minor being a simple reordering of the major. The goal is to introduce the flexibility and creative possibilities of the pentatonic scale.
Takeaways
- 😀 The pentatonic scale uses 5 notes per octave instead of the usual 7 notes in Western music
- 😊 There are 2 main types of pentatonic scales: hemitonic (with semitones) and anhemitonic (without semitones)
- 🎹 The major pentatonic scale can be seen as an incomplete major scale using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees
- 🎸 The minor pentatonic scale starts with the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th notes of the natural minor scale
- 🎵 The major and minor pentatonic scales of relative majors/minors (like C major and A minor) use the same notes
- 👍 Using just the black keys on a piano gives you a pentatonic scale that's nice for improvisation
- 🤔 'Oh! Susanna' is a famous example of a tune using the pentatonic scale
- 🌟 Pentatonic scales have a long history going back to ancient civilizations
- 📝 Guitar standard tuning gives an E minor pentatonic scale with its open strings
- 💡 The pentatonic's 5 notes form a complete scale and shouldn't be seen as a 'missing' 2 notes from a major scale
Q & A
What are the two main types of pentatonic scales?
-The two main types of pentatonic scales are: 1) Hemitonic - a pentatonic scale that includes semitones 2) Anhemitonic - a pentatonic scale that does not include semitones.
How can you calculate a major pentatonic scale?
-There are three main ways to calculate a major pentatonic scale: 1) Think of it as an incomplete major scale using only the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees. 2) Calculate it using five consecutive pitches from the circle of fifths. 3) Take a major scale and remove the 4th and 7th degrees.
What is the relationship between major and minor pentatonic scales?
-The relative minor pentatonic scale uses the same notes as the major pentatonic scale, but starts on the 6th degree of the major scale rather than the 1st. So C major pentatonic is C, D, E, G, A and A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E, G.
Why is the minor pentatonic scale so commonly used in pop music?
-The standard guitar tuning of E, A, D, G, B, E gives you the notes of an E minor pentatonic scale. This scale sits very comfortably on the guitar and so gets used a lot in pop music.
What tune does the transcript use as an example of a pentatonic scale?
-The transcript uses the opening bars of the song "Oh! Susanna" as an example of a pentatonic scale. The notes used are C, D, E, G, A.
What are some tips for improvising with the pentatonic scale?
-Some tips include: 1) Use just the black keys on a piano to improvise in a major pentatonic scale. 2) Try different patterns and orders of notes. 3) Use the pedal to create rich, flowing sounds.
What is the circle of fifths and how is it related to the pentatonic scale?
-The circle of fifths shows the relationships between musical keys. Going clockwise around the circle, each key adds one more sharp. The major pentatonic scale can be calculated using 5 consecutive keys from the circle - so C G D A E gives you the notes C D E G A.
What are some benefits of joining the Maestros program mentioned?
-Some benefits include: monthly live streams with teaching input, ability to ask questions and chat with others, one-on-one feedback on compositions and performances, access to online courses and resources.
What makes the pentatonic scale different from the standard Western heptatonic scale?
-The heptatonic scale has 7 notes per octave while the pentatonic scale only has 5 notes per octave. Pentatonic scales create a different mood and are common in folk music from places like Asia and Eastern Europe.
What's an easy way to find the notes of a minor pentatonic scale?
-Start with the natural form of the relative minor scale. Take the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th degrees of that scale. So for A minor pentatonic: A C D E G.
Outlines
🎵 Introducing the Pentatonic Scale
The paragraph introduces the pentatonic scale as a five-note scale used in music, contrasting it with the more common Western heptatonic (seven-note) major or minor scale. It explains the origin of the word "pentatonic" and provides the song "Oh! Susanna" as a famous example using the pentatonic scale.
😀 Types and Composition of Pentatonic Scales
The paragraph distinguishes between two types of pentatonic scales - hemitonic (includes semitones) and anhemitonic (doesn't include semitones). It then explains how to calculate the notes of the major and minor pentatonic scales, including by considering degrees of the major scale, the circle of fifths, and in relation to the minor scale.
🎹 Using Pentatonic Scales for Improvisation
The paragraph suggests using the black keys of a piano keyboard to improvise with the pentatonic scale, playing some sample ascending/descending passages. It also shows how the common guitar tuning generates an E minor pentatonic scale, explaining its popularity in certain music genres.
📝 Resources for Learning Pentatonic Scales
The concluding paragraph invites viewers to visit a website with musical resources and join an online community of musicians across proficiency levels. It outlines membership benefits like monthly live streams and individual feedback.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡pentatonic scale
💡hemitonic
💡anhemitonic
💡circle of fifths
💡relative minor
💡tonic triad
💡standard tuning
💡improvisation
💡composition
💡modes
Highlights
The pentatonic scale uses 5 notes per octave instead of the usual 7 notes in Western music
"Oh! Susanna" is a famous example of a tune using the pentatonic scale
There are two main types of pentatonic scales: hemitonic (includes semitones) and anhemitonic (doesn't include semitones)
The major pentatonic scale can be seen as an incomplete major scale, using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees
The minor pentatonic scale starts with the natural minor scale and takes the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th degrees
The A minor pentatonic scale uses the same notes as the C major pentatonic scale, just starting on A instead of C
Standard guitar tuning gives an E minor pentatonic scale, used extensively in pop music
Improvising with just the black piano keys gives experience with the pentatonic scale
The major pentatonic scale contains the notes of the tonic major triad
The minor pentatonic scale contains the notes of the tonic minor triad
The circle of fifths can be used to calculate the major pentatonic scale
Omitting the 4th and 7th degrees of a major scale gives the major pentatonic scale
Three anhemitonic pentatonic scales can be formed from the C major scale
The black piano keys form a pentatonic scale in Gb major
Pentatonic scales have an ancient history across many civilizations
Transcripts
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