Scale patterns
With
Tim RichardsLearn three note groups for the G major scale on the piano (triplets), and four note groups for G major pentatonic.
What's in the course
20 lessons (0h 46m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Music Lesson: Scale Patterns in Eau de Cologne
In the second half of Eau de Cologne, you'll notice I played some scale patterns, which were also suggested.
Improv Section: Three Note Group
The simplest scale pattern is a three-note group. It works like this:
- Move up one note at a time from the scale.
- To make it easier to learn, try playing it in triplets with your left hand.
Note: In Eau de Cologne, triplets may not fit well with the backing track due to the straight-eight feel.
- This doesn't mean you can't use a three-note group;
- it simply requires altering the timing.
Example: You could play the same pattern a beat earlier so that the long note falls on the beat.
Four Note Group
Another important scale pattern is the four-note group.
- Similar to the three-note group, play four notes from the scale and move up one note at a time.
- Try this with your left hand as well.
Application to the Major Pentatonic Scale
These patterns become even more interesting when applied to the major pentatonic scale.
- Remember: there's no C and no F sharp.
Sound Examples
- A three-note group will sound like this:
- A four-note group could sound like this:
Additional Resources
Check out the PDF for written examples of these patterns, along with a few other tips and patterns to try out.
Remember: Experiment with all these patterns using the backing track for Eau de Cologne.
Have fun!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.
More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).
“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDao
As a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end".
More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk
