Jamming and Improvising with the C Major Pentatonic Scale

This is a really exciting part of the course because we're going to start jamming or improvising. This means you're going to come up with your own musical ideas.

Introduction to the C Major Pentatonic Scale

First, we're going to use the C major pentatonic scale. You'll see that in the first line, there are notes for us to learn to play, and in the next two lines, there are slashes. That's the part where you get to put in your own musical ideas.

Let's have a listen to how that would sound first.

Getting a Feel for the Rhythm

Snapping Exercise:

• Start with some snapping to get a feel for the rhythm of that first line of music.
• The first two phrases are almost exactly the same. They have identical rhythms, and it's just the last note that changes.

Rhythm Practice:

Let's go through that rhythm once after a count of four:

• One and two and three and four and
• One and two and three and four and
• 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.

And that same rhythm then repeats again.

Adding Pitches

Now, let's add in the pitches:

• 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
• 1 and 2 and 3 and 4,
• 1 and 2 and 3 and 4,
• 4 and 1 and 2 and 3,
• and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.

Using the C Major Pentatonic Scale

When we get to this next part, you'll be using the notes of the C major pentatonic scale. Remember, those five notes are:

• C
• D
• E
• G
• A

You can play them in any order and with any rhythm that you'd like.

Backing Track Example

Let's turn on the backing track, and I'll give you an example of what that might sound like.