Pentatonic Scales
A look at
pentatonic scales
Construction, types and misconceptions
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Scales
and Modes - Part #3 What
are pentatonic scales? How are they constructed?
What makes them different than major and minor
scales? Why are they the most common scale used in
the world? In this
article we're going to take a closer look at these
very popular scales and explain them in an easy to
understand nonacademic way. Scales
are one of the most important building blocks of
music. Notes from scales, combined with rhythm,
form the basis of melodies. A haunting, solo melody
can be a rich and rewarding musical expression.
Therefore a basic knowledge of scales is beneficial
to anyone that wishes to make music, especially if
they are creating their own tunes or just
improvising ("playing from the heart"). In the
two previous articles we looked at diatonic
major and minor scales
and then the diatonic
modes
respectively. A good understanding of these
principles will help you with the subject of this
post exploring pentatonic scales. You might want to
review them before diving into this
article. For
anyone that plays the Native American flute the
term pentatonic scale becomes a constant refrain in
almost all conversations about this instrument. Yet
very few people know very much beyond the fact that
Pent is Greek for five. Even though this is
the limit of most people's knowledge, somehow a lot
of misinformation and incorrect terminology gets
passed from player to player, maker to player,
maker to maker and player to maker. This
misinformation is completely invalid outside of the
Native American flute world and for that matter is
barely valid for the NAF. As if the Native American
Flute world is it's own little bubble, which it's
not. If you
want to be taken seriously by other musicians, and
have the Native American flute taken seriously as
well, it's essential to be able to discuss music at
a basic level using the correct terms that are
recognized by the larger musical world. Likewise
it's also good to avoid using terms that are not
recognized by musicians, composers and music
theorists. In this
post we're going to look at the most common
pentatonic scales, the names they are known by and
how they are constructed. At the end of the post
we'll talk about some of the incorrect terms and
names given to them so you can avoid falling into
the trap so many NAF players have fallen
into. THE
HEART OF MUSIC The most
widely used types of pentatonic scales are called a
anhemitonic scales. A anhemitonic does not contain
any half steps. It is this lack of half steps that
gives them their serene quality and enables people
with little or no musical training to play tunes
with great success. The pentatonic scale of the
Native American flute is anhemitonic. HALF
STEPS THE
CIRCLE OF FIFTHS BUILDING
A PENTATONIC SCALE Let's
construct a pentatonic scale based on F# using the
circle of fifths. Staring on a low F# if we play
notes ascending by fifths we'll get these notes:
F#, C# G#, D# and A#. Five notes. Now let's
rearrange them in a scale: F#-G#-A#-C#-D#. We now
have a pentatonic scale. In fact this is the most
common pentatonic scale used through out the world
and is frequently called the "major" pentatonic
scale. All derived from five notes using the the
circle of fifths! The fact
that this pentatonic scale is based so closely on
the circle of fifths is a major factor in why this
scale is the most common scale in the
world. Back in
our
first look at scales
we numbered the notes of a major scale 1-7 with 8
being the octave. Seven notes plus the octave.
Let's review a major scale based on the note C,
shown in the example below. As we
know a pentatonic scale only has five notes (plus
the octave). Therefore in a pentatonic scale two
notes from the major scale are missing. In the
so-call "major" pentatonic scale these missing
notes are 4 and 7. For
anhemitonic pentatonic scales the missing notes are
the ones that would create half step intervals in
the scale. The five notes that remain are either a
whole step or a minor third from the notes that lie
next to them. PENTATONIC
SCALE NAMES Here are
all the anhemitonic pentatonic
scales: If
only black keys are used Name
of scale AKA Root
note is F# 1-2-3-
-5-6- - Major
Pentatonic Root
note is G# 1-2-
-4-5- -7 Root
note is A# (Bb) 1-
-3-4- -6-7 Root
note is C# 1-2-
-4-5-6- - Root
note is D# (Eb) 1-
-3-4-5- -7 Minor
Pentatonic (NAF) Here
they are laid out on a keyboard (black keys again
for simplicity)
Below
each is a sound sample of that scale. While the
notes shown in the diagrams move to illustrate them
better visually, the sound samples all start on F#
to keep the root and octaves fixed. Each sound
sample plays up the scale, repeating the octave and
then down the scale. 1-2-4-5-7 1-3-4-6-7 1-2-4-5-6 1-3-4-5-7 TRANSPOSING The
Native American flute's 1-3-4-5-7 scale on
only black keys is Eb-Gb-Ab-Bb-Db while
transposed to start on the note C it would
be C-Eb-F-G-Bb. More common NAF 1-3-4-5-7
pentatonic keys are G: G-Bb-C-D-F and A:
A-C-D-E-G. NON
WESTERN NAMES INCORRECT
NAMES This
NAF-centric system is based on the 1-3-4-5-7
pentatonic scale, which is given the misnomer Mode
I, with each pentatonic scale being a relative
mode. For example scale 1-2-3-5-6 is referred to as
Mode II. Ironic since this is the so-called "major"
pentatonic scale which, if this system was truly in
keeping with any of the western system of modes,
would be mode I, while the "NAF mode" would be mode
V. Just as
the diatonic modes are derived from the major
scale, if there were pentatonic modes logically
they would be based on the so-called "major"
1-2-3-5-6 pentatonic scale -the only version of the
anhemitonic pentatonic scales that has a major 3rd
interval between the root note and the third of the
scale. The other two versions that actually have a
third above the root are both minor 3rds.
In the
familiar system of major-minor scales the relative
minor of a major scale uses the same notes as the
major scale but starts a minor 3rd lower. This
relationship can also be found in pentatonic
scales. The so-called "minor" pentatonic, the NAF
scale, starts on the note a minor third lower than
the "major" version. However any attempt to talk
about pentatonic scales as modes or relative scales
is a moot point at best since no one in the larger
musical world recognizes any pentatonic mode names
and they are not part of the common musical lexicon
and are best avoided. Sources: ©
Cedar Mesa Music. How
to Buy a NAF, part
1 You
can find an index of all the articles including
maker and flute
profiles
HERE You
can also find a list of makers
who's flutes I play on my web site. MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
NATIVE
AMERICAN FLUTE
Pentatonic Scales
In many ways pentatonic scales lie at the heart of
western music and the music of many other cultures.
Pentatonic scales form the basis of other more
complex scales. Yet in their simplicity lies an
ease of use, a grace of sound and a unique balance
of pitches. The most common pentatonic scales lack
any sonic or harmonic tension which gives them a
relaxing, easy going sound that fits into many
musical styles. In western music alone pentatonic
scales are commonly found in folk, blues, rock,
soul, pop, and jazz. They can be found in Celtic
and Hungarian folk music. Outside of western
cultures pentatonic scales are ubiquitous in music
from Japan, China, Korea, Indonesia and Africa. In
short pentatonic scales are the most common scales
in use throughout the world.
In
western music half steps are the smallest
distance between notes. Any two keys on a
piano that are next to each other are a
half step apart. Like wise any two
adjacent frets on a guitar are a half step
apart.
If we start on any given pitch and play a note a
fifth above that, then up another fifth and so on
for a total of twelve pitches, each a fifth higher
than the last, we will circle around all the twelve
notes of western music. This chain of pitches is
known as the "circle of fifths". The circle of
fifths is used by musicians to show the
relationship between all twelve pitches, their
associated key signatures and related major and
minor keys. It's also great for building scales,
including pentatonic scales.
If you've been reading earlier posts in this series
then you know that one of the easiest ways to play
a pentatonic scale is by using the black keys of a
piano. So for this article we're going to continuse
to use only the black keys to build our pentatonic
scales. 
The major scale based on the note C
Listen
to this scale
Pentatonic scales do not have names in western
music. They are described by a number system of the
notes in the scale. For example the so-called major
pentatonic scale would be a 1-2-3-5-6 scale.
(Remember notes 4 & 7 are missing.)
Root
note F#
Listen
to this scale
Root
note G#
Listen
to this scale
Root
note is A# (Bb)
Listen
to this scale
Root
note is C#
Listen
to this scale
Root
note is D# (Eb) The NAF scale
Listen
to this scale
The scales shown above, like all scales,
can be transposed to start on any note so
long as the intervals between the notes
remains the same. For example the
1-2-3-5-6 scale based on F# above uses the
notes F#-G#-A#-C#-D#. The same scale
transposed to the note C would be the
notes
C-D-E-G-A.
In some cultures pentatonic scales have names. In
China for example the NAF 1-3-4-5-7 scale is called
yudiao while the so-called major pentatonic
or 1-2-3-5-6 scale is called gongdiao. (Just
like in western music these are the two most common
pentatonic scales in China.) Further more, each
scale is associated with non-musical, symbolic
connections like cardinal points, colors, elements,
planets and emotions.
In western
music theory there are no names or modes for
pentatonic scales. Yet somehow in the Native
American flute community the misconception that
there are pentatonic modes has lead to a lot of
misunderstanding, both between NAF players and
other instrumentalists and vocalists.
Alves, William: Music of the Peoples of the World.
Thomson Schirmer 2006
This
article and all images and sound files are the
property of Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized duplication (copying) in any form with
out written consent from Cedar Mesa Music is
illegal and is a violation of all copyright
laws.OTHER
POSTS IN THIS SERIES
NEW
Scales
and Modes Part
1
NEW
Scales
and Modes Part 2
How
to Buy a NAF, part
2
How
to care for your
NAF
Playing
your first NAF
scale
Strengthening
your Fingers
Playing
from the Heart
Part-1
Playing
from the Heart
Part-2
Recording
your NAF, basic, easy Home Studio set
up
Starting
your Own Music Label part 1
NAF
History and Construction
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Please support these articles with your purchases
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© 2008 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved. |
Recordings
by
Scott
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