Pentatonic and Blues Scales
Five notes that always land, plus one extra that deliberately does not. The pentatonic is the scale behind most first solos, and the blues scale is the same thing with one note squeezed in to rub against the harmony.
- 5 or 6 notes
- 1 b3 4 5 b7, plus b5
- the blue note
which styles use it
- Rock & folk
- Blues
- Hip-hop
- Pop
How it is built
Take the natural minor scale and remove its two most delicate notes, the second and the flattened sixth. What is left is five notes that clash with almost nothing. The major pentatonic is the same trick on the major scale, removing the fourth and the seventh. Add a flattened fifth to the minor pentatonic and you have the blues scale.
The minor pentatonic sounds tough and slightly raw without ever sounding wrong. The major pentatonic sounds sunny and open. The blue note adds friction that resolves the moment you move off it.
Where to use it
First solos, because every note works and you can put your attention on rhythm and phrasing. Riffs and hooks in rock and blues. Melodies in hip-hop and pop, where few notes and strong character beat completeness.
The chords that go with it
The minor pentatonic sits comfortably over minor chords and over dominant chords in blues. The major pentatonic fits over major chords in the same key. Neither one needs the harmony to cooperate much, which is why they are so forgiving.
What it gets confused with
With each other. A minor pentatonic and the major pentatonic three semitones up use the same five notes, so which one you are playing depends entirely on the chord underneath.