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Topic starter
21/04/2010 6:20 am
I just learnt minor pentatonic scale all over the fret board for Am . But I got really confused when I came across the term major pentatonic. How Are the different? it is very confusing. Waiting for someone it this forum to shed some light on this.
21/04/2010 7:08 am
First you need to know the difference between major and minor scales. This will help you with the basics of scales.
A pentatonic scale is a normal (7 note) scale, which has had two notes removed, leaving a 5-note ("penta") scale. To make a minor pentatonic, you take the normal 7-note scale and remove the notes which are in the 2nd and 6th positions
Am = A - B - C - D - E - F - G
Am pentatonic = A - C - D - E - G
To make a major pentatonic, you remove the notes in the 4th and 7th positions
C = C - D - E - F - G - A - B
C major pentatonic = C - D - E - G - A
There are two things that you will have noticed, in my examples:
1 - Cmajor and Aminor have the same notes. Every major scale has a so-called relative minor scale, which starts at the 6th position in the major scale. In the case of C, it is A. Equally, every natural minor scale (there are 3 different kinds of minor scale) has a relative major scale, which comes from the 3rd position of the minor scale (in Am, it is C).
You may find someone mentioning the words Ionian and Aeolian - ignore them. They are something for a rainy day, when you have learned everything else.
2. The notes, removed from the major scale, are the same ones that are removed from the minor scale, they just occur in different positions, within the scale.
I strongly advise you to learn the basics of music theory, starting with David Hodge's lessons on GN.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
Topic starter
21/04/2010 10:06 am
thank u very much. Great information.
21/04/2010 1:42 pm
Every musician should learn basic music theory.
I know that a lot of people avoid it because at first it seems difficult (it's not) or too much like school.
But it will make everything else about music easier. And it will help you learn new things faster.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton
Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith
The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<
22/04/2010 1:55 pm
+1 on that Notes! I so didn't understand why my first guitar teacher was after me to learn the Am pent scale. He wanted me to be able to play lead. I just wanted to play songs with chords. Now a few years later I am trying to learn them. Wish I knew then what I know now.
Jim