Soloing with the Minor Pentatonic Scale

In rock and R&B styles, we can build a minor pentatonic scale from the root of a minor (or minor 7th)
chord when soloing. In other words, we can use an A minor pentatonic scale over an A minor chord:

Solo example #2- A Minor Pentatonic Scale Pattern

TRACK 84
piano only

TRACK 85
piano plus
rhythm section

Am

fl

"-'

On Track 85, an electric guitar part has been added to the bass and drums on the left channel.
This four-measure solo uses two two-measure rhythmic phrases, and the melodic contour (shape) of the
second phrase is the same as the first. Another way to look at this is that (starting on the note A in measure
1) we descended through five steps in the A minor pentatonic scale (A-G-E-D-C-A), then skipped up three
steps (A up toE, missing out C and D), then descended through three steps (E-D-C-A) to land on A. Then
in the second two-meaure phrase we did exactly the same (i.e., descend through five steps, skip up three
steps, descend through three steps) within the A minor pentatonic scale, this time starting on the note E
instead of A. Sequencing your improv ideas this way-i.e., repeating similar melodic contours, but starting
at different points in the scale and then staying within the scale-is a very important soloing technique.

The A and C Blues Scales

Back in Chapter 3 we created the A blues scale by adding a half-step connector between the notes D and E
within the A minor pentatonic scale:

,_
-e-

()

II

If we re-create the same interval pattern starting on the note C, we get a C blues scale:

,,
-e-

()

II

Whereas the previous pentatonic scales are commonly used when "playing through the changes" (changing
scales on a chord-by-chord basis), the unique melodic character of the blues scale often enables it to be
used over the whole song, or a section of a song. (This is sometimes called playing "over the changes:")
This soloing approach is particularly suitable for blues and blues-rock styles, as we are about to see!

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