Pentatonic vs Blues Scale
With
Ollie WestonOllie Weston shows how adding one note - the flattened fifth - turns the minor pentatonic into the blues scale over minor seventh chords.
What's in the course
51 lessons (2h 9m) · 1 free
01. Introduction + leaving town demonstration
Free lesson3:02
02. The Blues Scale
2:48
03. Swing Quavers
1:42
04. Combing the Blues Scale and Swing Quavers
3:57
05. Playing through the Blues form using root notes
1:18
06. Writes Your Own Blues
0:59
07. Leaving Town Blues - Improvise
4:13
08. Improvisation recap
0:49
01. Introduction to Minor 7th Chords
3:32
02. Dorian Scale Workout
1:40
03. Minor 7th Chord Lick
2:22
04. Minor Pentatonic Patterns
3:51
05. Minor Pentatonic Workout
1:52
06. Pentatonic vs Blues Scale
You are here1:59
07. So Far so Good - Introduction
1:09
08. So Far so Good - Head
1:37
09. Minor Chord Extensions
2:45
10. Rhythmic Ideas
2:13
11. So Far so Good - Performance with Solo
3:50
01. Introduction to Modes
6:09
02. Diatonic Modes Exercise
4:04
03. Modes with a Static Root
1:58
04. Modes with Static Root Exercise
1:06
05. Modes with Static Root Recap
0:34
06. Phrase Exercise for Modes
1:07
07. Phrase Exercise for Modes (Demonstration)
1:29
08. Song Examples
1:56
09. First Impresssions - Chords and Harmony
4:06
10. First Impresssions - Performance
4:06
11. First Impresssions - Introduction and Analysis
3:30
Lesson transcript
Understanding the Blues Scale with Minor Pentatonics
So having got comfortable with minor pentatonics and Dorian scales, you may have noticed a massive similarity between the minor pentatonic and the blues scale.
Blues and Minor Seventh Chords
Our ever-present blues comes up again over minor seventh chords. If I'm thinking of a G minor pentatonic, if I add one note, my flat 5 (C#), I've got back to the blues. That's a really effective sound!
Adding the Flattened Fifth
Just to be able to add that flattened fifth to my pentatonic over minor seventh chords can be a little bit challenging. Sometimes, if I play this phrase, it just feels a little bit "lumpy" to fit that extra note in.
The Triplet Solution
What I sometimes do is add a triplet to my phrases, which allows me to play three notes in the space of two.
- Adding triplets in between my quavers lets me create nicer phrases and units.
Practice Pattern
So here's a G minor bluesy pentatonic pattern that you could practice again over your minor seventh workout.
Here it is in G minor:
1, 2, 1, 2, 3.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Since graduating from the Leeds College of Music (BA Hons) and the Guildhall School of Music (Post Graduate Diploma in Performance), Ollie has built a busy and varied career in music. As a saxophonist he has performed in live and studio settings with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Tim Minchin, Bonobo, Frank Turner, the London Jazz Orchestra, the Hackney Colliery Band, the Ambient Jazz Ensemble and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He is also the co-leader of the jazz quartet 'Time Is Of The Essence', and composes and arranges material for this and other ensembles.
Ollie is active in music education, currently as course leader for the jazz department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (junior school), where he runs jazz ensembles, big band and theory classes. He has written a series of 'Exploring Jazz' books for Schott Music that are published worldwide and feature on exam syllabuses in the UK. Ollie has also run workshops for Oxford University, Pro Corda Strings and BABSWE, as well as the Guildhall School of Music summer schools.
In his Exploring Jazz Saxophone courses, Ollie takes you from getting started right through to soloing confidently over songs and chord sequences, building the improvising skills that put a real jazz player's vocabulary at your fingertips.
