Pentatonic Scales : Hemitonic pentatonics, Major pentatonics, Minor pentatonics, Suspended pentatonics

A pentatonic scale is a scale composed of five notes. Thus the octave is traversed here in just five jumps as opposed to seven in case of the common heptatonic scales. Pentatonics are commonly encountered in modern Jazz, Blues and Rock music as well as certain ethnic music. The basic structure of the scales, playing five notes per octave makes it very striking.

Now, these five particular notes are chosen out of a possible twelve (as the octave is decomposed into 12 notes in 12-TET). The notes may be at least a whole step apart from each other, or there may be at least one pair of notes that are just a half step away (e.g. C and C#). This produces the hemitonic and anhemitonic pentatonic scales.

• Hemitonic Pentatonic Scales: (5 note-scales containing ½ steps intervals)
• Anhemitonic Pentatonic Scales: (5 note-scales that do not contain a pair(s) of notes ½ step apart)

Again, a pentatonic scale may be either a major, minor, suspended, etc.

• Major Pentatonic : Scale constructed by five consecutive pitches from the circle of fifth, rearranged into one octave. E.g. C major pentatonic scale is composed of the notes "C, D, E, G, A." Its structure is 2-2-3-2-3
• Minor Pentatonic: Scale constructed using the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th notes of a natural minor scale.
E.g. C minor pentatonic scale is composed of the notes, "C, Eb, F, G, Bb." Its structure is 3-2-2-3-2
• Suspended Pentatonic: It is composed by writing out the major pentatonic of the note a whole tone below the required one, and choosing five consecutive notes from the 2nd note of the major pentatonic. Its structure is 2-3-2-3-2-3 E.g. C suspended pentatonic can be formed by choosing five notes from second onwards in the Bb major pentatonic (Bb, C, D, F, G, Bb) as C, D, F, G, Bb.

http://basicmusictheory.blogspot.com/2009/09/pentatonic-scales-hemitonic-pentatonics.html

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Pentatonic Scales : Hemitonic pentatonics, Major pentatonics, Minor pentatonics, Suspended pentatonics