Curriculum and The Minor Pentatonic Scale

The goal of my work in Curriculum Development is : I will create a book about using the Minor Pentatonic Scale.

• I will codify and collect all my personally created worksheets and exercises on using the minor pentatonic scale into a single work to lead to an actual book on the minor pentatonic scale that will allow me to more comprehensively and cogently present this material to my students in the future.

• All students will learn the minor pentatonic scale and how to improvise with it in 3 keys.

• Advanced Students will understand the theoretical underpinnings of the minor pentatonic scale, as well as how to use it in three difference harmonic situations: Major Chords, Minor Chords, and Dominant Chords.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale

Introduction:

The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most studied and widely used scales in jazz, rock, pop and a host of other genres of music. It is the first scale that most guitarist use, and it can quickly be used to improvise over a vamp or a blues, yet as one explores the scale in greater and much more deeper detail, the minor pentatonic scale can be used over a wide variety of chord types, and through diligent study can yield great insights into the organization and mastery of one’s instrument as they study this scale and its derivatives.

What is the Minor Pentatonic Scale:

Penta in Greek means five, so really any five note scale with a minor third could be called a minor pentatonic scale. However for this study, I am speaking specifically about the minor pentatonic scale that is constructed with a minor 3rd, Major 2, Major 2, Minor 3rd, Major 2nd. In relation to a major scale, the minor pentatonic scale is Root, b3, 4, 5, 7 or in the key of C, it would be C-Eb-F-G-Bb-C.