Bruce Saunders Jazz Pentatonics - Minor7 Pentatonic 1

T

minor seventh pentatonic / usage

hat should give you some ideas for smoothing out minor seventh pentatonics. You might like to play these patterns in other keys. But let’s get to some specific uses for this scale.

best choice mi7 pentatonics

chord CMaj7 CMaj7# 11 Cmi7 Cmi7b 5 C7 C7alt

T

interval from chord

Ami7, Emi7 Bmi7 Cmi7, Gmi7, Dmi7 Fmi7 Gmi7, Ami7 E b mi7

M6th, M3rd mi2nd Root, P5th, M2nd P4th P5th, M6th mi3rd

aking the chords one at a time, the relationship of the pentatonics to the chords works this way

Cmaj7 = Ami7 pentatonic

& w

6th

w

root

w

9th

w

3rd

Cmaj7 = Emi7 pentatonic

w

5th

& w

3rd

Cmaj7#11 = Bmi7 pentatonic

w

& w

9th

7th

w #w

3rd

# 11th

b 7th

5th

w

root

w

9th

w

b 6th

4th

7th

6th

w

& w

9th

4th

& w

w

root

w

9th

w

3rd

w

9th

b 7th

w bw

w

4th

5th

w

4th

w

5th

w

6th

C7= Gmi7 pentatonic

& w bw

b 3rd

5th

b 7th

w

root

w

9th

C7alt.= Eb mi7 pentatonic

C7= Ami7 pentatonic 6th

w

w

7th

Cmi7 = Dmi7 pentatonic

w bw

root

b 3rd

& w bw root

Cmi7b5 = Fmi7 pentatonic

& w bw bw b

w

6th

Cmi7 = Cmi7 pentatonic

Cmi7 = Gmi7 pentatonic

& w bw

5th

# 9th b 3rd

w

w

root

w

4th

b 9th b & bw bw bw bw w

5th

11

b 5th

b 13th b 7th

minor seventh pentatonics

Ex. 7

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Patterns over Cmi7 chord (Cmi7, Gmi7, Dmi7 pentatonics) >

No. 8

Cmi7 pentatonic bœ bœ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ 4 . œ œ b œ b œ b œ . bœ &4 j œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ b œ œ

Cmi7

T A B

& T A B

3

6

3

. .

Dbl. x 2nd x

6

6 8

5

3

6 8 3 6

3

5 8 3 5

6 8

5

5 8

5 8 3 5

6

4

5 8

6 8

8 10

8

œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ ‰

bœ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ bœ bœ œ bœ

Gmi7 pentatonic

11 6 8

6 8

8 11

8

11

11 13

11

11 13

10

13

8 11

8 10

6

6 8

8

3 6

3 6

5 7

6

œ

œ œ bœ œ œ œ & bœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ Dmi7 pentatonic

T A B

8

3 6

3 5

5 8

5

7

3 5

3 5

5 8

5

8

3 5

3 5

5

6 8

8

3 6

3 5 8

5 7

œ œ œ œU œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ &œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T A B

5

7 5

8

Study No. 1

5 7

T A B

7 5

C minor blues >

[A] Cmi7 œ œ œ

4 & 4 ..

5 7

6

5 7

7

?

6 8

Cmi7

Cmi7

10 8

6

8

10 8

8

10 8

. .

6

8 6

C7alt

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ bœ bœ bœ bœ bœ bœ bœ

Gmi7 pentatonic

11

10 7 10

8 10

No. 9

œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ ˙

. 10 13 13 10 8 .

10 8

..

8

6

7

8 6

7 5

6

E b mi7 pentatonic

7

6

8

8 6

8 6

6

8

v.s. 12

minor seventh pentatonics

Study No. 1 (continued)

Fmi7

Fmi7

Cmi7

œ œ bœ œ œ bœ

3 bœ bœ œ 4œ & 4 œ bœ

œ.

3

3

3

Cmi7 pentatonic

T A B

5

5

8

8

6

5

8

8

6

8

7

5 7

bœ bœ œ bœ bœ œ. œ œ b œ œ œ b œ & ‰ œ bœ bœ œ Dmi7(b5)

Gmi7 pentatonic

T A B

7

5 8

[B] Cmi7

6

5

8

7

8

8 6

7 5

6

Cmi7

Bb mi7 pentatonic

Gmi7 pentatonic

6 9

8

6

8

6

9

8

7 7

5 7

5 7

5 8 5

œ bœ bœ œ b œ b œ ‰ bœ

G7alt

Bb mi7 pentatonic

7

6 8

8

6

6

9 6

C7alt b œ b œ b œ œ. bœ œ bœ nœ J bœ bœ

Cmi7

6 8

5

5 8

œœœ Œ J

6 8

œ œœ œ œ œ Œ œœœœ 3

Cmi7

3

Dmi7 pentatonic

T A B

G7alt

6

œ œœœ œœ œ œ & 3

∑

Gmi7 pentatonic

5

8

œ œ œ bœ œ J

Cmi7

E b mi7 pentatonic 3

5

5

6

9 6

6

7

8 6

9 8

Fmi7 Cmi7 Cmi7 Dmi7(b5) œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ b œ j J 4 Œ œ bœ œ Nœ œ. œ œ œ Œ Œ ‰ œj œ b œ œ œ &4 œ œœ œ 3 Fmi7

Cmi7 pentatonic

8

8

T A B

Dmi7 pentatonic

86 8 8

5

6

8

8

5

7

7

5 7

8

8

Gmi7 pentatonic

5

5

8

5

5

8

75

Cmi7 Cmi7 œ œ G7alt bœ œ b œ œ . œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ ˙ bœ bœ bœ bœ Ó bœ bœ œ œ œ J & G7alt

B b mi7 pentatonic

T A B

6

6

8

6

9

Dmi7 pentatonic

8

8

6

5

5

6

7

8

8 5

13

6

6

B b mi7 pentatonic

8

6

8

8

5

5

6 8

8

..

. .

minor seventh pentatonic

T

his next exercise is good for practicing pentatonics on ii-V7-I-VI(7) progressions. Using specific chord/scale combinations the chord qualities get slightly modified. The dominant 7 chords end up as 7alt. chords and the I chord is Maj7(# 11). Please look at the chord/scale combinations below. Notice that the pentatonic scales are moving up by half-steps. See Ex. 10 for practice exercises.

G7alt

Dmi7

˙ œ 4 œ œ &4 œ

Ami7 pentatonic

B b mi7 pentatonic

b˙ œ b œ b œ bœ

1/2 step

nœ nœ #œ n˙

Bmi7 pentatonic

1/2 step

nœ

# 9 b5 b13 b7 b9

5 b7 R 9 11

T

CMAJ7(#11)

7

9

3

# 11

A7alt

œ b˙ œ b œ œ

Cmi7 pentatonic

1/2 step

# 9 b 5 b13 b7 b 9

13

he next exercise is designed to incorporate melodic voice leading (Melodic Voice Leading Bruce Saunders Mel Bay Publications #20216BCD) by continuing the basic pattern introduced in this chapter through differing scales and chord changes. Open notes move down to closest note in the next scale (continuing the pattern)

Dmi7

B b mi7 pentatonic

Ami7 pentatonic

&

wœ œ œ wœ œ

Ex. 8 >

4 &4

A7alt

Cmi7 pentatonic

Bmi7 pentatonic

œ w bœ bœ bœ bw bœ bœ bœ Nw œ œ #œ Nw œ #œ bw œ œ w œ œ bœ bœ œ

Ascending half-step mi7 pentatonic using melodic voice leading ? No. 10

Dmi7 w

œ œ œ w œ œ œ bw œ bœ bœ w bœ bœ #w Nœ œ w œ bœ œ œ œ bw œ bœ œ w bœ œ œ

Ami7 Pentatonic

8 5

T A B

CMAJ7(#11)

G7alt

8 5

5

8 5

7

G7alt

CMAJ7(#11)

A7alt

B b mi7 Pentatonic

Bmi7 Pentatonic

Cmi7 Pentatonic

9

6

8

6

6

8

7

6

9 7

8

9

9 7

9 7

8

10 8

10

bœ bœ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ bœ œ bœ bœ œ bœ bœ nœ #œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ T A B

Dmi7

G7alt

CMAJ7(#11)

Ami7 Pentatonic

Bb mi7 Pentatonic

Bmi7 Pentatonic

7 5

7 5

5

7 5

8

9

6 8

6

6 8

6 8

7 9

7 9

14

A7alt

9

Cmi7 Pentatonic

7 9

7

0 3

1 4

3

1 4

1

10 8

10 8

Dmi7

∑

minor seventh pentatonic

Ex. 9

ii-V-I-VI key of C major, 1/2 step scale movement >

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No. 11

Co

ntin

tter nd b ˙ ow b œ ˙ n b œ œ Q b b Q Q Q Q — œ b œ b œ ˙ — — — Q œ œ — — — — — Q — — — — œ w # ˙ Q œ œ b w Q w 4wœ &4

Dmi7

& T A B

5 8

5 7

˙

7 9

8

Bb mi7 Pentatonic

5

6

8

˙

˙

G7alt

œœ œ œ ˙ 5 7

5 7

Ex. 10

b˙

8

N˙

˙

7

9

b˙

˙

9

8

5

Cmi7 Pentatonic

Dmi7

b˙

∑

Cmi7 Pentatonic

1

11

8

˙

˙

Bmi7 Pentatonic

ii-V-I-VI key of F major, 1/2 step scale movement >

pa

A7alt

A7alt

CMAJ7(#11)

ue

11

10

Bmi7 Pentatonic

up

Bb mi7 Pentatonic

Ami7 Pentatonic

7

˙

7

ttern

C

7

A7alt

Cmi7 Pentatonic

Bmi7 Pentatonic

9

CMAJ7(#11)

8

a ue p ontin

6

9

b˙

6

8

& ˙

6

Bb mi7 Pentatonic

Ami7 Pentatonic

5

6

9

Dmi7 Continue pattern down G7alt

Dmi7

T A B

CMAJ7(#11) ntinue p Q Q Co Q —

G7alt

Ami7 Pentatonic

T A B

n up atter

4

?

No. 12

C7alt

FMAJ7(#11)

D7alt

E b mi7 Pentatonic

Emi7 Pentatonic

Fmi7 Pentatonic

œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ Aœ b œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ nœ & b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ Gmi7

Dmi7 Pentatonic

T A B

&b T A B

5 7

5 8

8

˙— Q

Gmi7

QQ˙

Dmi7 Pentatonic

8

10

5 7

5 9

b˙

C7alt

6 8

b˙

6

E b mi7 Pentatonic

9

7

6 8

6 8

7 9

7 9

9

8

7 9

FMAJ7(#11)

D7alt

Emi7 Pentatonic

Fmi7 Pentatonic

˙

˙

9

7

15

˙ 1

˙

3

5

8

6 9

8

Gmi7

6 9

∑

6