JAZZGUITARHARDBALL
JIM BASTIAN
Pentatonics Gone Wild G MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE - 5 Positions
Starting on Root
Starting on b3 (Bb)
Starting on 4th (C)
Starting on 5th (D)
Starting on 7th (E)
10
3
6
8
13
Technique 1
Technique 2
Technique 3
Technique 4
Technique 5
They’re crazy! They’re exotic! They’re out of
control, and they’re showing off for the camera! It’s Pentatonics Gone Wild!
Gone are the days when pentatonic scales had
to stay in their home key – now, they’re being
used everywhere to create dissonant, exotic
and colorful sounds. When you start out on
the guitar, the first thing you usually learn is
the minor pentatonic scale or the blues scale,
which is the same thing but with the flatted
5th “blue” note added. Typically, the goal was
matching the key of a chord to the key of a
pentatonic scale. For example, G minor pentatonic is played over a G7, giving that classic,
bluesy rock sound. It’s a well-used sound that
has its place, but it tends to be too traditional
and predictable for advancing jazz and rock
guitarists who want to experiment with more
modern harmonies.
Let’s look at the minor pentatonic in five positions, which will allow you to easily cover the
neck. Most of us learn position 1 when we start
taking lessons – this is a good start, but now,
using the scale diagrams, add four more positions. If you follow the fret numbers on the diagram you can play the G minor pentatonic in
five positions, over the entire fretboard. Once
that is learned, you can begin transposing it
into other keys.
Now the fun begins. Instead of simply matching a scale key to a chord key, such as D minor
pentatonic to Dm7, we can begin to think in
terms of borrowing pentatonics from other
keys in order to create more color in our solos
or for composing and songwriting. There are
many types of pentatonic scales that this can
be applied to, but today we are just going to
apply it to minor pentatonics.
Technique 1
A classic Wes Montgomery technique is to
play the D minor pentatonic over a G7 chord;
think of it as II over the V. This adds the chord
extensions of the G7 – the 9th, 11th and 13th
– providing more color than simply playing a
G7 arpeggio. If you apply this technique to all
the dominant 7 chords of a standard 12-bar
blues form, your solo immediately becomes
more colorful, adding a chill factor that only
those chord extensions can give.
Technique 2
Playing F# minor pentatonic over a Gmaj7
chord gives a very modern sound to a chord
that can sound too tonicized or resolved. The
effect of this application is less of a resolved
feel, adding a darker color than by simply playing all the diatonic notes of G major or the
Gmaj7 arpeggio.
Technique 3
To take an altered dominant chord more outside and emphasize the dissonant nature of
the chord, try playing a minor pentatonic scale
that is a minor third away from the root of your
chord. For example, play a Bb minor pentatonic over a G7 chord. This will emphasize the
altered notes – b9, #9, #5, and b5 – creating
greater dissonance. This application will definitely want to resolve to some type of tonic C
chord.
Technique 4
Play a minor pentatonic scale one whole step
up from a tonic minor chord. For example, play
the A minor pentatonic scale against a Gm7
chord. Once again, this emphasizes the color
tones of the tonic chord – the 9th, 11th, and
13th. This creates a much more interesting and
modern harmony compared to simply playing
the G natural minor scale.
Technique 5
Play a minor pentatonic scale that is a major
third away from a tonic maj7 chord. For example, play E minor pentatonic over a Cmaj7
chord. By emphasizing the 9, major 7, 13 and
5, this gives a more interesting modern sound
over a traditional maj7 chord.
Lay down your own rhythm tracks for some
play-along practice. Really hearing how the different scales sound over the chords will help in
internalizing this new application of the scales.
Finally, these are all good applications that can
add a modern twist to your soloing. The most
important element, however, is always the
melodic nature of the improvised line. Rather
than simply playing scales over chords, a solo
really works when it has a melodic or compositional quality to it, rather than just being a
string of scales. The ultimate aim is to use the
scale material to craft melodic ideas, resulting
in a more mature and moving improvised solo.
After all, our goal is to improvise in a way that
is inspiring, exciting and tells a melodic story.
Jim Bastian
A clinician and jazz educator, Jim Bastian is a ten year
veteran of teaching guitar in higher education. Jim
holds two masters degrees and has published six jazz
studies texts, including the best-selling “How to Play
Chordal Bebop Lines for Guitar” (available from Jamey
Aebersold). He actively performs on both guitar and bass
on the East Coast.
An avid collector and trader in the vintage market, you
can visit Jim’s store in Gear Search at
premierguitar.com
(dealer: IslandFunhouse).
