A big part of what makes Jazz difficult in the beginning is that you have to play solos that really follow the chords and when you listen to people playing you hear different sounds flying by.
In this video, I am going to show you how you can pentatonic scale jazz licks. I will go over some jazz licks, and in that way help you get started playing solos where you really follow the harmony.
If you are already familiar with playing over changes then using pentatonic scales is something that can add another sound to your solos and in that way increase your vocabulary so you may find that useful as well.
II V I jazz licks with Pentatonic Scales
The examples in this lesson are all on a II V I in C major, as shown here below.
For each chord I am going to use a different minor pentatonic scale.
Dm7 – Dm Pentatonic
G7alt – Bbm Pentatonic
Cmaj7 – Em Pentatonic
I am going to be using one position of each scale and keep it simple to use . The scales are shown here below first as sheet music and tabs, and then Scale diagrams:
Dm Pentatonic:
Bbm Pentatonic:
Em Pentatonic:
II V I lick #1
The first example is using a fairly simple lick using mostly scale runs within the pentatonic scales.
Notice how I transition from chord to chord using a stepwise motion. D to Db going from Dm7 to G7 and Eb to E when moving from G7 to C.
Never Ending Scale Exercise
A great way to practice moving smoothly from one scale to the next is to play an exercise like this. Here I am moving up Dm pentatonic for 1 bar and then continuing to the closest note in Bbm pentatonic when the chord changes to G7. On the G7alt the scale turns back at the top note and goes to the
II V I lick #2
Pentatonic scale positions are two notes per string, and that makes them great candidates for using legato. This example demonstrates that.
It is also an example of how you can make pentatonic licks that skips around and does not move only in a stepwise manner.
To practice playing some basic melodic skips you can do this exercise which is essential playing a pentatonic scale in diatonic 3rds.
II V I lick #3
Using rhythmical patterns and adding more movement to the lick. I am again using some legato to play the lick.
The pattern on the G7 is moving around a 3 note pattern in the scale. This breaks up the rhythm in a nice way, and shifting rhythms like these are an important part of jazz phrasing.
You can practice the pattern through the pentatonic scale to get more used to playing this. It also really builds your general flexibility with the scales.
Taking Pentatonics to Jazz and getting started Soloing
A great jazz song to check out using pentatonic scales on is Blue Bossa. If you want to dig into a lesson on Blue Bossa then you can check out this lesson:
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