Apentatonic scale is amusical scale with fivenotes peroctave, in contrast toheptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave (such as themajor scale andminor scale).
Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations[2] and are still used in various musical styles to this day. AsLeonard Bernstein put it: "The universality of this scale is so well known that I'm sure you could give me examples of it, from all corners of the earth, as from Scotland, or from China, or from Africa, and from American Indian cultures, from East Indian cultures, from Central and South America, Australia, Finland ... now, that is a true musico-linguistic universal."[3] There are two types of pentatonic scales: those withsemitones (hemitonic) and those without (anhemitonic).
Musicology commonly classifies pentatonic scales as eitherhemitonic oranhemitonic. Hemitonic scales contain one or moresemitones and anhemitonic scales do not contain semitones. (For example, in Japanese music the anhemitonicyo scale is contrasted with the hemitonicin scale.) Hemitonic pentatonic scales are also called "ditonic scales", because the largest interval in them is theditone (e.g., in the scale C–E–F–G–B–C, the interval found between C–E and G–B).[7] (This should not be confused with theidentical term also used by musicologists to describe a scale including only two notes.)
Anhemitonic pentatonic scales can be constructed in many ways. The major pentatonic scale may be thought of as a gapped or incomplete major scale, using scale tones 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the major scale.[1] One construction takes five consecutive pitches from thecircle of fifths;[8] starting on C, these are C, G, D, A, and E. Rearranging the pitches to fit into oneoctave creates the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, A.
Another construction works backward: It omits two pitches from adiatonic scale. If one were to begin with a Cmajor scale, for example, one might omit the fourth and the seventhscale degrees, F and B. The remaining notes then make up the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, and A.
Omitting the third and seventh degrees of the C major scale obtains the notes for another transpositionally equivalent anhemitonic pentatonic scale: F, G, A, C, D. Omitting the first and fourth degrees of the C major scale gives a third anhemitonic pentatonic scale: G, A, B, D, E.
The black keys on a piano keyboard comprise a G-flat (or equivalently, F-sharp) major pentatonic scale: G-flat, A-flat, B-flat, D-flat, and E-flat, which is exploited inChopin'sblack key étude.
Although various hemitonic pentatonic scales might be calledminor, the term is most commonly applied to therelative minor pentatonic derived from the major pentatonic, using scale tones 1,♭3, 4, 5, and♭7 of thenatural minor scale.[1] (It may also be considered a gappedblues scale.)[9] The C minor pentatonic scale, the relative minor of the E-flat pentatonic scale, is C, E-flat, F, G, B-flat. The A minor pentatonic, the relative minor of C pentatonic, comprises the same tones as the C major pentatonic, starting on A, giving A, C, D, E, G. This minor pentatonic contains all three tones of an A minor triad.
The standard tuning of aguitar uses the notes of an E minor pentatonic scale: E–A–D–G–B–E, contributing to its frequency in popular music.[10]Stevie Wonder employed the minor pentatonic for thefunkyclavinet riff on the track "Superstition" (1972).[11]
The Japanese mode is based on thePhrygian mode, but uses scale tones 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 instead of scale tones 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
The pentatonic scale (containing notes C, D, E, G, and A) has five modes, which are derived by treating a different note as thetonic:
| Tonic | Name(s) | Chinese pentatonic scale | Indian pentatonic scale | On C | White key transpositions | Black key transposition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major pentatonic | F major pentatonic | G major pentatonic | F♯/G♭ major pentatonic | |||||
| 1 (C) | Major pentatonic | 宮 (gōng) mode | Hindustani –Bhoopali Carnatic –Mohanam Tamil – Mullaittīmpāṇi | C–D–E–G–A–C | C–D–E–G–A–C | F–G–A–C–D–F | G–A–B–D–E–G | G♭–A♭–B♭–D♭–E♭–G♭ |
| 2 (D) | Suspended, Egyptian | 商 (shāng) mode | Hindustani –Megh Carnatic –Madhyamavati Tamil – Centurutti | C–D–F–G–B♭–C | D–E–G–A–C–D | G–A–C–D–F–G | A–B–D–E–G–A | A♭–B♭–D♭–E♭–G♭–A♭ |
| 3 (E) | Blues minor, Man Gong (Guqin tunings) | 角 (jué) mode | Hindustani –Malkauns Carnatic –Hindolam Tamil – Intaḷam | C–E♭–F–A♭–B♭–C | E–G–A–C–D–E | A–C–D–F–G–A | B–D–E–G–A–B | B♭–D♭–E♭–G♭–A♭–B♭ |
| 5 (G) | Blues major,ritsusen [ja],yo scale | 徵 (zhǐ) mode | Hindustani –Durga Carnatic –Shuddha Saveri Tamil – Koṉṟai | C–D–F–G–A–C | G–A–C–D–E–G | C–D–F–G–A–C | D–E–G–A–B–D | D♭–E♭–G♭–A♭–B♭–D♭ |
| 6 (A) | Minor pentatonic | 羽 (yǔ) mode | Hindustani –Dhani Carnatic –Shuddha Dhanyasi Tamil – āmpal | C–E♭–F–G–B♭–C | A–C–D–E–G–A | D–F–G–A–C–D | E–G–A–B–D–E | E♭–G♭–A♭–B♭–D♭–E♭ |
Ricker assigned the major pentatonic scale mode I while Gilchrist assigned it mode III.[12]
Each mode of the pentatonic scale (containing notes C, D, E, G, and A) can be thought of as the five scale degrees shared by three different diatonic modes with the two remaining scale degrees removed:
| Pentatonic scale | Tonic note | Based on modes (Diatonic scale) | Base scale degrees | Modifications | Interval sequence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | C | I–II–III–V–VI | Omit 4 7 | W–W–3/2–W–3/2 | |
| Blues major | G | I–II–IV–V–VI | Omit 3 7 | W–3/2–W–W–3/2 | |
| Suspended | D |
| I–II–IV–V–VII | Omit 3 6 | W–3/2–W–3/2–W |
| Minor | A |
| I–III–IV–V–VII | Omit 2 6 | 3/2–W–W–3/2–W |
| Blues minor | E |
| I–III–IV–VI–VII | Omit 2 5 | 3/2–W–3/2–W–W |
Each mode of the pentatonic scale (containing notes C, D, E, G, and A) features different intervals of notes from the tonic according to the table below. Note the omission of the semitones above (m2) and below (M7) the tonic as well as the tritone (TT).
| Pentatonic scale | Tonic note | Intervals with respect to the tonic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unison | second note | third note | fourth note | fifth note | octave | ||
| Major | C | P1 | M2 | M3 | P5 | M6 | P8 |
| Blues major | G | P4 | |||||
| Suspended | D | m7 | |||||
| Minor | A | m3 | |||||
| Blues minor | E | m6 | |||||
Ben Johnston gives the following Pythagorean tuning for the minor pentatonic scale:[13]
| Note | Solfege | A | C | D | E | G | A | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio | 1⁄1 | 32⁄27 | 4⁄3 | 3⁄2 | 16⁄9 | 2⁄1 | |||||||
| Natural | 54 | 64 | 72 | 81 | 96 | 108 | |||||||
| Audio | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | |||||||
| Step | Name | m3 | T | T | m3 | T | |||||||
| Ratio | 32⁄27 | 9⁄8 | 9⁄8 | 32⁄27 | 9⁄8 | ||||||||
Naturals in that table are not the alphabetic series A to G without sharps and flats: Naturals are reciprocals of terms in theHarmonic series (mathematics), which are in practice multiples of afundamental frequency. This may be derived by proceeding with the principle that historically gives the Pythagorean diatonic and chromatic scales, stacking perfect fifths with 3:2 frequency proportions (C–G–D–A–E). Considering the anhemitonic scale as a subset of ajust diatonic scale, it is tuned thus: 20:24:27:30:36 (A–C–D–E–G =5⁄6–1⁄1–9⁄8–5⁄4–3⁄2).
| Modes | Ratios (just) |
|---|---|
| Major | 24:27:30:36:40 |
| Blues major | 24:27:32:36:40 |
| Suspended | 24:27:32:36:42 |
| Minor | 30:36:40:45:54 |
| Blues minor | 15:18:20:24:27 |
(A minor seventh can be 7:4, 16:9, or 9:5; a major sixth can be 27:16 or 5:3. Both were chosen to minimize ratio parts.)
Assigning precise frequency proportions to the pentatonic scales of most cultures is problematic as tuning may be variable.
For example, theslendro anhemitonic scale and its modes of Java and Bali are said to approach, very roughly, an equally-tempered five-note scale,[16] but their tunings vary dramatically fromgamelan to gamelan.[17]
ComposerLou Harrison has been one of the most recent proponents and developers of new pentatonic scales based on historical models. Harrison andWilliam Colvig tuned the slendro scale of thegamelan Si Betty to overtones 16:19:21:24:28[18] (1⁄1–19⁄16–21⁄16–3⁄2–7⁄4). They tuned the Mills gamelan so that the intervals between scale steps are8:7–7:6–9:8–8:7–7:6[19] (1⁄1–8⁄7–4⁄3–3⁄2–12⁄7–2⁄1 = 42:48:56:63:72)
Pentatonic scales occur in many musical traditions:
Examples of its use include:
Beethoven,Quartet in F major, Op. 135, finale:
Chopin'sEtude in G-flat major, Op. 10, No. 5, the "Black Key" etude,[1] in the major pentatonic.
Western Impressionistic composers such as French composerClaude Debussy[49] andMaurice Ravel used the pentatonic scale extensively in their works.
Giacomo Puccini used pentatonic scales in his operasMadama Butterfly andTurandot to imitate east Asian musical styles. Puccini also usedwhole-tone scales in the former to evoke similar ideas.
Indian classical music has hundreds of ragas, of which many are pentatonic. Examples includeRaag Abhogi Kanada (C, D, E-flat, F, A),[51]Raag Bhupali (C, D, E, G, A),[52]Raag Bairagi (C, D-flat, F, G, B-flat),[53]Raag Chandrakauns (C, E-flat, F, A-flat, B),[54]Raag Dhani (C, E-flat, F, G, B-flat),[51]Raag Durga (C, D, F, G, A),[55]Raag Gunakari (C, D-flat, F, G, A-flat),[56]Raag Hamsadhwani (C, D, E, G, B),[57]Raag Hindol (C, E, F#, A, B),[58]Raag Kalavati (C, E, G, A, B-flat),[51] Raag Katyayani (C, D, E-flat, G, A-flat),[59]Raag Malkauns (C, E-flat, F, A-flat, B-flat),[60] Raag Megh (C, D, F, G, B-flat),[51]Raag Shivaranjani (C, D, E-flat, G, A),[61]Raag Shuddha Sarang (C, D, F#, G, B),[62]Raag Tilang (C, E, F, G, B),[63]Raag Vibhas (C, D-flat, E, G, A-flat),[64] Raag Vrindavani Sarang (C, D, F, G, B), and others.[65]
(For Tamil Music System, See here -Ancient Tamil music#Evolution of panns )
The major pentatonic scale is the basic scale of themusic of China and themusic of Mongolia as well as many Southeast Asian musical traditions such as that of the Karen people as well as the indigenous Assamese ethnic groups.[citation needed] The pentatonic scale predominates most Eastern countries as opposed to Western countries where theheptatonic scale is more commonly used.[66] The fundamental tones (withoutmeri orkari techniques) rendered by the five holes of theJapaneseshakuhachi flute play a minor pentatonic scale. Theyo scale used in Japaneseshomyo Buddhist chants andgagaku imperial court music is an anhemitonic pentatonic scale[67] shown below, which is the fourth mode of the major pentatonic scale.Blackfoot music most often uses anhemitonic tetratonic or pentatonic scales.[68]
InJavanesegamelan music, theslendro scale has five tones, of which four are emphasized in classical music. Another scale,pelog, has seven tones, and is generally played using one of three five-tone subsets known aspathet, in which certain notes are avoided while others are emphasized.[69]
Somali music uses a distinctmodal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes. As with many other aspects of Somali culture and tradition, tastes in music and lyrics are strongly linked with those in nearbyEthiopia,Eritrea,Djibouti andSudan.[70][71]
InScottish music, the pentatonic scale is very common. Seumas MacNeill suggests that the Great Highland bagpipe scale with its augmented fourth and diminished seventh is "a device to produce as many pentatonic scales as possible from its nine notes" (although these two features are not in the same scale)[clarification needed].[72][failed verification] Roderick Cannon explains these pentatonic scales and their use in more detail, both inPiobaireachd and light music.[73] It also features inIrish traditional music, either purely or almost so. The minor pentatonic is used inAppalachian folk music.
InAndean music, the pentatonic scale is used substantially minor, sometimes major, and seldomin scale. In the most ancient genres of Andean music being performed without string instruments (only withwinds andpercussion), pentatonic melody is often led with parallelfifths andfourths, so formally this music is hexatonic.[citation needed]
Jazz music commonly uses both the major and the minor pentatonic scales. Pentatonic scales are useful forimprovisers in modern jazz, pop, and rock contexts because they work well over several chordsdiatonic to the same key, often better than the parent scale. For example, theblues scale is predominantly derived from the minor pentatonic scale, a very popular scale forimprovisation in the realms of blues and rock alike.[74] For instance, over a C major triad (C, E, G) in the key of C major, the note F can be perceived as dissonant as it is a half step above the major third (E) of the chord. It is for this reason commonly avoided. Using the major pentatonic scale is an easy way out of this problem. The scale tones 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 (from the major pentatonic) are either major triad tones (1, 3, 5) or common consonant extensions (2, 6) of major triads. For the corresponding relative minor pentatonic, scale tones 1,♭3, 4, 5,♭7 work the same way, either as minor triad tones (1,♭3, 5) or as common extensions (4,♭7), as they all avoid being a half step from a chord tone.[citation needed]
U.S. military cadences, orjodies, which keep soldiers in step while marching or running, also typically use pentatonic scales.[75]
Hymns and other religious music sometimes use the pentatonic scale; for example, the melody of the hymn "Amazing Grace."[76]
The common pentatonic major and minor scales (C-D-E-G-A and C-E♭-F-G-B♭, respectively) are useful in modal composing, as both scales allow a melody to be modally ambiguous between their respective major (Ionian,Lydian,Mixolydian) and minor (Aeolian,Phrygian,Dorian) modes (Locrian excluded). With either modal or non-modal writing, however, theharmonization of a pentatonic melody does not necessarily have to be derived from only the pentatonic pitches.[citation needed]
MostTuareg songs are pentatonic, as is most other music from theSahel andSudan regions.
The pentatonic scale plays a significant role inmusic education, particularly inOrff-based,Kodály-based, andWaldorf methodologies at theprimary or elementary level.
The Orff system places a heavy emphasis on developing creativity throughimprovisation in children, largely through use of the pentatonic scale.Orff instruments, such asxylophones,bells and othermetallophones, use wooden bars, metal bars or bells, which can be removed by the teacher, leaving only those corresponding to the pentatonic scale, whichCarl Orff himself believed to be children's native tonality.[77]
Children begin improvising using only these bars, and over time, more bars are added at the teacher's discretion until the completediatonic scale is being used. Orff believed that the use of the pentatonic scale at such a young age was appropriate to the development of each child, since the nature of the scale meant that it was impossible for the child to make any realharmonic mistakes.[78]
In Waldorf education, pentatonic music is considered to be appropriate for young children due to its simplicity and unselfconscious openness of expression. Pentatonic music centered on intervals of the fifth is often sung and played in early childhood; progressively smaller intervals are emphasized within primarily pentatonic as children progress through the early school years. At around nine years of age the music begins to center on first folk music using a six-tone scale, and then the modern diatonic scales, with the goal of reflecting the children's developmental progress in their musical experience. Pentatonic instruments used include lyres, pentatonic flutes, and tone bars; special instruments have been designed and built for the Waldorf curriculum.[79]
Some prefer the first Raga to be pentatonic in scale. Let us take for an example, the pentatonic Bhoopali. Its notes are: SA RI GA PA DHA SA up and down the scale.
Named after the powerful Hindu goddess, Raga Durga is pentatonic, omitting the third and the seventh degrees, while emphasising the sixth and the second.
They are set to one of the most widely performed ragas in North India, the pentatonic midnight raga Malkauns. The most important notes of Malkauns are Sa (the tonic) and Ma (the fourth). Both the gats and the tihais "cadence" on one of ...
Ghulam Ali showed unusual fondness for pentatonic modes like Gunkali, Malkauns, Kausi Dhani and Bhopali. Even Shudh Sarang and Megh Malhar are largely pentatonic.
Somali music, a unique kind of music that might be mistaken at first for music from nearby countries such as Ethiopia, the Sudan, or even Arabia, can be recognized by its own tunes and styles.
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan have significant similarities emanating not only from culture, religion, traditions, history and aspirations ... They appreciate similar foods and spices, beverages and sweets, fabrics and tapestry, lyrics and music, and jewelry and fragrances.
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