This week we’ll be looking at the 2 most flexible and common scales you’re ever likely to use in your bass lines: The Major and Minor Pentatonic scales. Pentatonic scales are simple 5 note scales so there are literally hundreds of possible variations.
But the most common are the Major and Minor Pentatonic. In this lesson we’ll work through a basic 1 octave shape for each scale and then apply them to a simple chord progression.
Pentatonic Scales
The two scales we are going to look at today are the major and minor pentatonic scales. If you haven’t seen the previous lessons on this topic then here is a quick recap:
- Pentatonic – five-note scale
- Major pentatonic scale degrees – 1 2 3 5 6
- Minor pentatonic scale degrees – 1 b3 4 5 b7
- Major pentatonics can be used over most major type chords
- Minor pentatonics can be used over most minor type chords
Here are some examples of major and minor pentatonic scales. Start with C and then try the other positions given before moving to other root notes.
Another exercise you can do to help memorise a new shape is to repeat the scale and climb up the neck by moving the it up a semitone each time.
Pentatonic scales work over a lot of different chords because they are missing the two most dissonant tones in the respective natural scale.
The minor pentatonic does not contain the 2nd or the 6th degree of the natural minor scale.
The major pentatonic does not contain the 4th or 7th degree of the major scale.
Try coming up with your own riffs using these new scales.
Applying The Theory
We can use the major and minor pentatonic scales over a chord progression such as the one below. Here are the scales we can use for each chord:
C Maj 7 – C Major Pentatonic
Am7 – A Minor Pentatonic
Dm7 – D Minor Pentatonic
G7 – G major Pentatonic
Although a dominant chord does not fit exactly into the major scale, we can still use the major pentatonic scale here. This is because the only difference a dominant chord has from a major chord is that the former contains a minor 7th instead of a major 7th, and this is one of the two notes missed out in the major pentatonic scale.
Using the scales given above, create your own bass line to the following chord progression:
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Hi Mark,
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It has helped me a lot!
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Denis Andrade
Mark would like to say a big thankyou. Ive tried to learn years ago but just couldnt get it and how it was explained. Now im 51 and have been learning from scratch with you and i feel ive made progress alot. The way you teach and break it down and even say people find certain things hard .you make me feel im not stupid and can improve. I genuinely cant thank you enough. Tony Ashby High Wycombe Bucks
Gosh Mark,
Man i am learning so much watching your vids. My mind has opened so much,due to your explanations. Your style of teaching is awesome…I could never thank you enough for your education that you so freely offer…I starting to try &purchase your lessons material…Thank you man…Merry Christmas!!
Something that is tricky to apply properly has been minor chords played as if a vi- but functioning as the tonic ‘i-‘ chord, and minor chords as the tonic. For example, if an E-7 is functioning as a ii-7, the key would be DMaj. In DMaj the ii-V-I-vi translates to E dorian, A mixolydian, D Ionian and B Aeolian. All these scales use the same notes and are the same scale. However if the E-7 is functioning as a tonic minor chord you have to think vi- as the tonic. The vi-ii-V-I here is E Aeolian, A dorian, D mixolydian and G Ionian. These scales have the same notes and are the same scale. So there is a big difference between approaching a minor chord as the tonic and a ii-7 as a ii chord. If someone approaches a ii-7 as a tonic it will throw off everything. It is confusing in a few ways because technically a tonic minor chord is a imaj/min7 and is in the melodic minor mode. There is little formal instruction on using a standard min7 as a tonic. Melodic minor harmony is a lot different from Major mode Harmony. So the inquiry would be about the differences in application when minor chords are the tonic or functioning as ii-7 and also when in Melodic minor harmony as imaj/min7 chord. I appreciate your input on this Mark. I have an Associates degree in music from the early 1980’s and outside of improv classes no one played in Melodic minor harmony, and rock bands can care less about the ii-7 feeding to the V7 or tritone subs. It is so funny how music is only made up of 12 tones but the theory takes 20 years to master or more.
You’re just awesome!
I just farted
HI,
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Would it be possible to fix it?