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  • The mighty minor pentatonic

    Posted by Juhan on July 15, 2021 at 5:05 am

    I asked this after yesterday’s lesson (Gravy boat). But didn’t get any answers. So here we go again:

    A bit of a theory question. The minor pentatonic scale works over both the major and the minor key of that said scale (eg. E minor pentatonic works both in the key of E major and E minor). What other keys can the for example the E minor pentatonic scale also work over? The minor pentatonic should also work over its major relative (with the example of E minor, it should also work over G major), right? Any other keys?

    Please help

    Juhan replied 3 years, 7 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • bernie-d

    Member
    July 15, 2021 at 6:16 am

    Hi Juhan

    You have basically answered your own question. Because E is the relative minor of the G major scale it has in common those common notes. Thats why it sounds so akin. Each relative minor works the same i.e A is the relative minor of C and they go together naturally. As with anything in music thats not to say you can’t be creative-there are some musicians who make a living out of dissonance. Hope this helps.

    • Juhan

      Member
      July 15, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      Thank you very much for the reply Bernie. So we have the minor working with its relative major. But then the minor also seem to work with its own major (eg. E minor pentatonic working oin the key of E major), right?

      Let’s keep dissonance on the back burner for now as I am a firm believer of starting with the more simple stuff and then working my way to the more complex stuff later on.

      Any other keys that the E minor pentatonic can work in?

      I think what I am trying to fleece out for myself is if a song that is in the key of G major for example, I should then be able to use both the G minor & major pentatonic scale and also the E minor pentatonic scale to improv with?? And in the key of A major for example, I should be able to use both the A minor & major pentatonic scale and also the F# minor pentatonic??

      Or am I over complicating things

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