26: Blues To Bebop and Beyond
Other Crazy Scales
In this little section I’ll show you: bebop scales, pentatonic scales, whole
tone scales, and the super-locrian scale.
I’ll only give you the version of each scale starting on C, and from there
you can figure out the rest. If you’re really gung-ho, you can take a look
at http://www.QuestionsInk.com/student, where you’ll find a link for “Scales
Galore”. Go there and be amazed.Pentatonic Scales
This is a type of gapped scale, which means a regular scale with some
notes missing. In this case, we take out the 4th and 7th degrees of the
major scale.
The pentatonic scale is another scale used a lot in jazz improvisation. As
the name implies, there are only 5 notes in this scale. Though you see six,
the bottom and top notes (tonic) count as one because they have the same
name.Example 26.3 C Major pentatonic scale.
Example 26.4 C minor pentatonic scale.
Bebop Scales
Bebop is a form of jazz begun by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie “Bird”
Parker. It features blinding speed and virtuosic improvisational solos.
Some great bebop performers include Dizzy and Bird, Miles Davis, Stan
Getz, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, and that’s only a few.