Improvisation and the minor pentatonic scale
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can play the minor pentatonic scale and know this scale can be used as the basis for jazz improvisation.
Key learning points
- The minor pentatonic scale is a scale often used in musical genres such as jazz and Blues.
- The minor pentatonic scale is made up of five notes and has a different tonality to the major pentatonic scale.
- The minor pentatonic scale uses la, do, re, mi, so. In the D minor pentatonic scale this is D, F, G, A, C.
- Improvisation is creative, in-the-moment musical composition.
Keywords
Minor pentatonic scale - the five tones, la, do, re, mi and so arranged in an ascending or descending order
Jazz - a musical genre that emerged from African-American communities in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterised by improvisation
Improvisation - creative, in-the-moment musical composition
Genre - music belonging to a shared tradition or style
Common misconception
All music is worked out beforehand and can’t be made up on the spot.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of musical melodies and rhythms during a live performance. These musical ideas are made up on the spot and not written down so it is very hard to exactly recreate them a second time.
Teacher tip
Although improvised music is created ‘in the moment,’ this doesn’t mean that the musicians performing are able to never rehearse the skills and musicianship needed to be able to improvise well. Musicians who are talented at improvising often spend a lot of time practising these skills.
Equipment
Pitched percussion with the notes D, F, G, A, C, ideally one-between-two.
Licence
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