Trading Licks – Adding Tones To The Pentatonic Scale
This month we’re going to be jamming over a cool R&B progression in A Minor. We’ll be using the A Minor Pentatonic scale with added chromatic tones, and the Major 6th (F#) to create our five, four-bar phrases.
I’ve added the chromatic tones to create 16th note movement between scale-tones and create a mild tension before resolving to the solid consonance of the chord-tones. It’s a safe way of playing ‘outside” without getting too crazy.
The additional F# tone, allows me to add the flavor of A Dorian / A Melodic Minor over the Ami chord, and target the ninth in the E9, and the major third of the D9 chord.
Don’t be scared to add tones to your Pentatonic frameworks!
The Chord Progression
This month’s four-bar chord sequence is a hybrid progression with it’s roots based in the A Melodic Minor Scale. We can also see this as a blues- based harmonic progression with a Imi chord, instead of a I dominant seventh.
Here’s the chord sequence, and scale analysis;
Imi Imi V7 IV7 ( A Melodic Minor)
II: Ami I Ami I E7 I D7 :II
The A Melodic Minor Scale also contains the F# tone (Major Sixth) that we’ve added to our Pentatonic phrases.
The Tonal Center & Sweet Notes
The tonal center of this chord progression is the Ami chord, so, we’ll be outlining that chord with the A Minor Pentatonic scale. You can also view the A minor Pentatonic scale as an Ami11 arpeggio, as it contains all of the chord-tones of Ami, plus the flat seventh, and the fourth. (11th)
Rhythm Guitar
You’ll notice that I’m playing the rhythm guitar part in the spaces I’ve left for you to play your melodic phrases. Take a moment to learn the rhythm guitar parts too. This will help you understand why each of the phrases works so well over the progression.
Remember to package your phrases within the spaces I’ve left for you. You can jam over the video as many times as you’d like to.
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O.k., let’s get down to business and jam.
Robbie Calvo – https://www.tradinglicks.pro
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Chord Progression; II: Ami I Ami I E7 I D7 :II
Key – A Melodic Minor
Tonal Center Modality – A Minor
Tempo – 95 BPM
