Expanding Your Vocabulary with Minor Seventh Chords

Another way to expand your vocabulary over minor seventh chords is to use a minor pentatonic scale.

Review of Major Pentatonic Scale

We've used major pentatonics in an earlier lesson and we had a pitch map, didn't we?

• 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.

This was a really useful way to create these pentatonic melodies.

Transitioning to Minor Pentatonic Scale

The good news is that if you've learned your major pentatonic, you've also learned a minor pentatonic.

• In this case, G major shares a key signature with E minor.

If I play my G major pentatonic over a G major chord, it sounds like this:

Instead of starting on G on the 1, I'm actually going to start on 6 on E. The piano will play in the bass on E and it will sound like this:

• I've changed the context of the notes.
• I've transitioned from being in A major key to the relative minor key.

Changing Tonality

The relationship between G and E instantly changes the tonality of my music. I'm playing the same five notes of the pentatonic, but in a completely different sound world.

If I do that again, I think you'll agree it doesn't sound like G major.

Here it is again with the piano.

Understanding the Pentatonic Scale

If you look at Figure 3.7, I've written out the five notes of the pentatonic.

• On the top, I've numbered them as they would be in G major: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.
• Along the bottom, they're numbered as they would appear in E minor:
  • 6 (E being 1)
  • G being flat 3
  • A being 4
  • B being 5
  • D being 7, and back to E.

This is a different construction of the scale, but those patterns that you learned will work really well over an E minor chord.

Practicing Pentatonic Patterns

Here are some of those patterns over the piano.

Again, using your minor workout backing tracks, you can practice your pentatonic patterns.

• All the phrases that you learn in a major key are very easy to transfer to the minor.

Tips for Practice

• You've got your groups of four.
• You've got some rhythmic ideas.

All these will really help you capture the sound of the minor seventh chord and how to solo effectively over it in jazz.