[PLAYING PIANO]
If you remember earlier I played the song, Wade in the Water.
Wade in the Water had the minor pentatonic scale
suggested throughout the melody.
And even when I was improvising, I used the minor pentatonic scale.
Now I'd like to teach you that minor pentatonic scale now.
And of course, we're going to get it right from the major scale.
The major scale is our basis for everything.
Pentatonic means five, so that means there's
going to be five notes in this scale.
You have the root, you have the flat third, you have the fifth,
you have the flat 7, and you have the 1.
And in between the flat third and the 5 is the 4.
So you have 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, and 1.
1, the flat 3, the 4, the 5, the flat 7, the 1.
In the key of C, you have C, E flat, F, G, B flat,
and C. That's the minor pentatonic scale.
[PLAYING SCALE]
All those notes are in the minor pentatonic scale.
Now to help you remember the pentatonic scale, the minor pentatonic scale that
is, my Berklee students are here, and I want
to teach them a song that I'd like you guys to join in with us on.
Just a minor pentatonic scale.
It goes like this.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
You guys want to help me?
Let's do it, guys.
One, two, ready, go.
(SINGING) 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
That's the minor pentatonic scale.
Now I'm going to put that same scale in another key.
We're going to start it on the F now.
And the reason why I'm doing this is because I'm going to teach you a song,
and the melody is kind of high for the key of C minor.
So we're going to put it in F minor, I'm going to have them sing it,
and you guys can join in with this.
So here it is again.
One, two, three, four.
(SINGING) 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Good job.
Now we're going to add another melody to that.
And that other melody will be sung by-- who's going to sing that?
All the ladies except for Courtney, right?
So they're going to sing-- let me see.
[PLAYING PIANO]
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
It's a pentatonic scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
Good job.
Do it again.
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
It's the pentatonic scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
Very nice.
Now we're going to speed up the tempo a little bit.
And I'm going to ask the ladies just to add a little bit more attitude.
When you get to minor pentatonic scale, just a little more attitude.
If it means you have to move your neck a little bit, move your neck.
OK, here we go guys.
One, two, three, four, one, two.
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
All right.
Good job.
Now we're going to add a little bit more to that.
And we're going to have one of the students come up
and play a little improvised solo.
And this student is not going to be a piano player,
so that makes it all the much more fun.
[? J'nae ?], why don't you come on up and play the piano for us?
So we're going to do this song.
We're going to add a little piano solo.
And [? J'nae ?] is going to play only the minor pentatonic scale
[PLAYING SCALE] to improvise.
Play that minor pentatonic scale, please.
[PLAYING SCALE]
So she's playing the 1, the flat 3, the 4, the 5, the flat 7, the 1.
So what we're going to do is we're going to sing the melody.
Actually, Courtney and George are going to start with the 1, flat 3, 4, 5,
flat 7, 1.
And then the other three are going to sing the melody,
it's the pentatonic scale, a couple times.
Then [? J'nae ?] is going to come in and do some improvising.
And then we're going to go back and sing the melody.
And the melody singing going back, we're going
to have George do a little vocal improvising to close out the song.
All right, so this is our big performance.
You guys ready?
Yeah.
This is where you say, yes.
Yes.
OK, here we go.
[PLAYING PIANO]
Courtney and George.
(SINGING) 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
What?
(SINGING) 1, flat 3, 4--
Melody.
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4--
Yeah, do it again.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
Come on, [? J'nae ?].
A little improvising.
[PIANO SOLO]
Melody.
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
Keep going.
Sing a little improvising, George.
(SINGING) It's the pentatonic scale.
Minor scale.
Minor pentatonic scale.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
Minor.
5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
One more time.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
Scale.
5, flat 7, 1.
Minor pentatonic scale.
Minor.
It's the pentatonic scale.
1, flat 3, 4.
Minor.
5.
Minor pentatonic scale.
All right.
Good job, guys.
So remember, the minor pentatonic scale is just 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7, 1.
If we did it in the key of C, it would be C, E flat,
F, G, B flat, C. All right.