Songs that use the Pentatonic scales

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
  • The pentatonic scale is sometimes looked down upon as "that scale that every amateur guitarist won't stop playing!" But the pentatonic scale is actually the closest thing we have to a universal scale of music. Across different cultures and styles, the pentatonic scale is often the foundational set of notes that writers and musicians just keep coming back to.
    SOURCES:
    What is a Raag?: • Ep 12: What is a Raag?
    Anuja Kamat singing in different style • Introductory episode: ...
    Andy Guitar on the Minor Pentatonic: • 10 ESSENTIAL Minor Pen...
    Bobby McFerrin: • Bobby McFerrin Demonst...
    Raga Bhoop: • Raag Bhoop - Manjusha ...
    Guzheng: • Guzheng: "Spring River...
    An extra special thanks goes to Vidad Flowers, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
    SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano
    0:00 Introduction
    0:58 Songs with Pentatonic melodies
    2:24 Why the Pentatonic scales are "fool-proof"
    4:35 Pentatonic guitar riffs
    5:15 Amazing Grace
    5:48 The Blues
    6:47 Black notes on piano
    7:38 Non-western music
    10:35 Pentatonic harmony?

ความคิดเห็น • 1.2K

  • @DavidBennettPiano
    @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    ❗️CORRECTION: at 1:10 the formula for the minor pentatonic scale should have a “b7” but I’ve missed out the flat symbol! Sorry for any confusion 😅 Thanks to Brion Reid for bringing it to my attention.

    • @Wind-nj5xz
      @Wind-nj5xz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      You accidentally invented harmonic minor pentatonic

    • @arcioko2142
      @arcioko2142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Wind-nj5xz but it has a semitone

    • @Wind-nj5xz
      @Wind-nj5xz 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@arcioko2142 It also has a tritone, but pentatonic doesn't mean no tritones or semitones, it just means 5 notes

    • @arcioko2142
      @arcioko2142 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Wind-nj5xz well yes

    • @00001Htheprogrammer
      @00001Htheprogrammer ปีที่แล้ว

      btw, you can PIN your comment

  • @connormacdonald2883
    @connormacdonald2883 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1217

    "Wait... so it's all pentatonic?"
    "Always has been."

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      Is that a reference to "The Egg"!?

    • @oopsallbeets2320
      @oopsallbeets2320 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@DavidBennettPiano andy weir?

    • @OmnipotentO
      @OmnipotentO 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      🔫👨‍🚀

    • @connormacdonald2883
      @connormacdonald2883 3 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      @@DavidBennettPiano no, but an equally old meme.

    • @SomeNot
      @SomeNot 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @Connor Macdonald PLEASE send a direct link not a link to a google cached version.

  • @j.ruijter70
    @j.ruijter70 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1319

    David could be anywhere from 11 to 35 years old

    • @CarlSong
      @CarlSong 3 ปีที่แล้ว +69

      He'll look exactly like this when he turns 40.

    • @kalvino67
      @kalvino67 3 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      Hopefully he will still look like this when he turns 60!

    • @Orholam5
      @Orholam5 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      agreed! in the video I would've said 25, but then the hands playing piano maybe 35...no one knowssss

    • @davidhughes7174
      @davidhughes7174 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      a wholesome young man

    • @JScottLittlefield
      @JScottLittlefield 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      David is ageless, as is the information provided. Thanks, David!

  • @stefanlewszuk5359
    @stefanlewszuk5359 3 ปีที่แล้ว +395

    "First, and, sometimes only..."
    I feel attacked

  • @hawksoob
    @hawksoob 3 ปีที่แล้ว +237

    I very accidentally discovered this as a little kid. I would sit at our piano and play just the black keys in random rhythmic patterns (basically what you're doing at about 12:30), and it never sounded bad. My family (who weren't very musical) thought I was some sort of 5-year old prodigy composing classical music. I was just mashing notes together that had no possibility of dissonance.

    • @glennpagemusic
      @glennpagemusic ปีที่แล้ว +5

      😆

    • @noradosmith
      @noradosmith ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Lmao this is gold

    • @haruyasumi616
      @haruyasumi616 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      i also accidentally discovered it a while back as an adult. i've always make electronic music but never really followed music theory much, just doing what i felt instead. and realised that just using black notes meant that it couldn't ever go wrong. but i wondered for ages why everything i made sounded a bit chinese! it wasn't until i bought a guzheng and learnt about pentatonic before i realised why.

    • @althealligator1467
      @althealligator1467 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@haruyasumi616 Wow that escalated quickly at the end

    • @oliverdiamond6594
      @oliverdiamond6594 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      haha nice.

  • @GoviaM
    @GoviaM 3 ปีที่แล้ว +409

    0:43 Ive never been so offended by something I 100% agree with

    • @michaeleaster1815
      @michaeleaster1815 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I celebrate sly, low-key jabs at guitar players! (and I'm a guitar player)

    • @KevyNova
      @KevyNova 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      I’m a guitar teacher and one of my goals is to make sure none of my students fall into that category. It’s way too common for guitar players.

    • @farhandaryanto770
      @farhandaryanto770 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Jokes on him, I know blues scale

    • @NeverEverClever
      @NeverEverClever 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i first thought he was making fun of keytar players

    • @robertturtle
      @robertturtle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      The key moment of my guitar learning path was when somebody told me I can add the B note to the A minor pentatonic scale. That was after almost 10 years. It opened a new universe that eventually led me to learn other scales and actually understand the theory behind it.

  • @edwinlundmark
    @edwinlundmark 3 ปีที่แล้ว +251

    Almost no beatles examples... Blink twice if you are being held hostage

    • @gonesnake2337
      @gonesnake2337 3 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      The copyright people are holding the Beatles music hostage

    • @sieteocho
      @sieteocho 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      An even more egregious omission is the Bee Gees. Every other song they write is pentatonic.

    • @Henry3Studios
      @Henry3Studios 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They’d probably take up the entire video as great of a band they are.

    • @oliverdiamond6594
      @oliverdiamond6594 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      no radiohead too.

  • @mikdu1
    @mikdu1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1647

    "songs that use the pentatonic scales" also known as: "every single pop/rock song in the last 60 years"

    • @thefakepie1126
      @thefakepie1126 3 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      and that's not a bad thing !

    • @bazicuber1037
      @bazicuber1037 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@thefakepie1126 Seems pretty overused by now, I'd be ok with it if it was used once in awhile, but artists rely on it nowadays.

    • @thefakepie1126
      @thefakepie1126 3 ปีที่แล้ว +72

      ​@@bazicuber1037 "overused" if you actually believe that "every single pop/rock song" use it , but that's a false statement exagerated on purpose , you shouldn't take that as face value , of course not every pop/rock song use , I don't know what the statistics are but I hear non-pentatonic minor and phrygian all the time , and a lot of non-pentatonic major too , and how the fuck can you "overuse" a fucking scale , scales are such a most fundemental building blocks of music and you can do so much with it , saying a scale is overused is like saying "man using notes is so overused , I'd be ok with music using notes once in awhile , but artists rely on it nowadays" "making sound is so overused I want my music dead silent" "dude existing is so overused omg" , and also I'm ready to bet 50% of my earnings that 50% of the songs that use pentatonic scales you hear you don't even notice it use pentatonic scale , don't lie

    • @bazicuber1037
      @bazicuber1037 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@thefakepie1126 ok I didn't want anybody to be so mad over this topic, the pentatonic scale is not the only reason or even the reason why i dislike modern day radio hit songs from the 00s, many things come into affect like the dissociation from songwriter and performer and not authentic music playing. Like I said, I have no problem people using the pentatonic scale, you are correct saying a scale is overused is quite ludicrous, I meant it more in singular artists catalogues sort of way but that doesn't matter. I love music and the fact there's so much you can do with it. Coming from loving music back in the 60s and 70s I wish more modern music would try more adventurous things. Not like there isn't people doing that, I love Jacob Collier and thank you scientist, but i guess I'll just have to keep listening to the thousands of 70s bands and miss out on concerts when bands where in the prime.

    • @thefakepie1126
      @thefakepie1126 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      @@bazicuber1037 "I wish more modern music would try more adventurous things" have you ever heard of 100gecs tho ? I don't really know exactly what you mean by "adventurous things" tho so maybe you're looking for a specific thing that I don't know , I also don't really get what you mean by "the dissociation from songwriter and performer and not authentic music playing." , but anyways , you like what you like you don't like what you don't like

  • @poiuyt975
    @poiuyt975 3 ปีที่แล้ว +51

    The trick that Bobby McFerrin did was brilliant! :D

  • @stockicide
    @stockicide 3 ปีที่แล้ว +409

    Appreciate you showing examples from other cultures as well, to show how these ideas don't just apply to Western music.

    • @sieteocho
      @sieteocho 3 ปีที่แล้ว +35

      He has to - pentatonic scale is an even bigger thing in Chinese music than it is in the western tradition.

    • @KasumiRINA
      @KasumiRINA 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Well, Pentatonic scale is basically what gives music "East Asian" vibes, kinda like harmonic minor sounds "Middle Eastern".

    • @saoranachnah-alba723
      @saoranachnah-alba723 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@KasumiRINA I was always told that the pentatonic scale made music sound Scottish or Chinese, although this may have some bias as I am Scottish.

    • @rewdwarf123
      @rewdwarf123 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@saoranachnah-alba723 Like the song 'Mull of Kintyre'.

    • @rewdwarf123
      @rewdwarf123 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KasumiRINA Like the song 'Japanese Boy'?

  • @philburpalooza8
    @philburpalooza8 3 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    "The pentatonic scale is the first and only scale people often learn on the guitar" - I and 100,000+ anonymous cynical keyboard and piano players who've played in bands THANK you for saying that.. 😄 ❤ ( My official nomination for 2020 TH-cam Quote of the Year)

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      😂😂

    • @yuothineyesasian
      @yuothineyesasian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Never forget that we still get laid more for playing guitar with mediocrity than pianists do no matter their skill.

    • @fffvsr
      @fffvsr 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I used to play piano, then harmonica, then trombone and now mainly guitar with a bit of piano, you must have played in bad bands lol

    • @yuothineyesasian
      @yuothineyesasian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Hey hey hey... I resemble that remark.

    • @sntslilhlpr6601
      @sntslilhlpr6601 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey that's not fair. I learned the blues scale too.

  • @mikepro500
    @mikepro500 3 ปีที่แล้ว +235

    The five modes of the pentatonic scale:
    1st Major Pentatonic (Ionian mode):
    1 2 3 5 6
    C D E G A
    2nd Egyptian Suspended (Dorian mode):
    1 2 4 5 b7
    C D F G Bb
    3rd Blues minor/Mang Gong (Phrygian mode):
    1 b3 4 b6 b7
    C Eb F Ab Bb
    4th Blues Major/Ritsusen/Yo Scale (Mixolydian mode):
    1 2 4 5 6
    C D F G A
    5th minor Pentatonic (Aeolian mode):
    1 b3 4 5 b7
    C Eb F G Bb

    • @robertweekes5783
      @robertweekes5783 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I was gonna say minor pentatonic looks like the blues scale 👍🏼

    • @set3777
      @set3777 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Too much ado about stupidity/garbage.
      Maybe you people should ignoring the 4th and 7th groups of the periodic table too?
      Group 4 : Carbon, Silicon, Germanium, Tin, Lead etc
      Group 7: Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine etc

    • @turquoise770
      @turquoise770 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@set3777 I wondered why Lydian and Locrian weren't mentioned.

    • @gabrielmahutasoit8953
      @gabrielmahutasoit8953 2 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@turquoise770 the pentatonic eliminates the dissonance brought up by tritone and semitone intervals. Lydian has 1 and #4 as a tritone, making we can't make pentatonic version of this mode due to the lack of root (prior to the tritone elimination). Locrian is the same because of 1 and b5 note those're eliminated because of their tritone interval.

    • @turquoise770
      @turquoise770 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@gabrielmahutasoit8953 Another instance of racism - even in music

  • @josh34578
    @josh34578 3 ปีที่แล้ว +244

    Music theory notes: If you take 5 notes in a row on the circle of 5ths you get a pentatonic scale. Also, the notes of C major pentatonic are part of the C major, F major and G major keys, which explains some of the versatility. If you think in terms of modes, then the notes of C major pentatonic are found in C Major, C Mixolydian, and C Lydian which further demonstrates the versatility.

    • @kevin_dasilva
      @kevin_dasilva 3 ปีที่แล้ว +32

      Dude i had that lightbulb moment when he explained how the major pentatonic cuts the 4th (what makes major lydian) and 7th (mixolydian) notes! Same with the minor lacking the 2nd and 6th degrees, what characterize phrygian and dorian, respectively!! I had never thought of it like that before, although I have never had formal training, i dont know if all this is supposed to be obvious
      I love it when things start making sense 😅

    • @KevyNova
      @KevyNova 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      So weird, I taught one of my students this exact same thing last week.

    • @anthjmauro
      @anthjmauro 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      And by extension, the notes of A Minor Pentatonic are found in A Minor, D Minor, and E Minor (aka A Minor, A Dorian, and A Phrygian). That’s not to mention the bluesy applications of minor pentatonic scales (playing a minor pentatonic scale over a Dominant chord).

    • @kevin_dasilva
      @kevin_dasilva 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@anthjmauro yes!!! After watching this video, I sent it to an old music teacher of mine. He forwarded me a book talking about being able to use three different major pentatonic scales built on the First, Third and Ninth degrees (of the chord) when playing over a maj7 chord! My mind got blown away

    • @InventorZahran
      @InventorZahran 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      That makes so much sense! The notes of the C major pentatonic scale can all fit over a C, F, or G chord. Since those three chords are the most commonly-used out of all the chords in the major scale, it just seems natural to play a pentatonic scale that fits them all.

  • @michaelnajoan5104
    @michaelnajoan5104 3 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    My man David out here doing what every kid questioned wether it's possible or not, playing only the black keys on a piano. Great video!

  • @fedsavi
    @fedsavi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    Lead guitarists: 👁👄👁

    • @Kylora2112
      @Kylora2112 3 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Hey! I know TWO scales! ...minor pentatonic and blues...

    • @KasumiRINA
      @KasumiRINA 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      to people who didn't get @@Kylora2112's joke: blues scale is literally the same as minor pentatonic with added diminished fifth. Aka the blue note. Aka the devil's note. Aka Diabolus in Musica. It has slight off-key sound so makes the music heavier. Best example is Black Sabbath, the song. Main riff is three notes. G... then a higher octave G, and finally, the Db that gives it that shivering feeling. Add vibrato to make it more unnerving.

    • @gergoretvari6373
      @gergoretvari6373 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      *laughs in chromatic scale*

    • @sthego3970
      @sthego3970 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gergoretvari6373 Ok but, can you make it sound good? lol

    • @gergoretvari6373
      @gergoretvari6373 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@sthego3970 yes, why couldn't you?

  • @AabidHussain69
    @AabidHussain69 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    "First , and often the only scale guitarists learn"
    Wow , you didn't have to attack me like that.

    • @KasumiRINA
      @KasumiRINA 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I learned open C major first lol. Actually even easier. Kinda useless because you can't transpose it without tuning your guitar to another key.

  • @thepedalarchive2
    @thepedalarchive2 2 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Of all the music theory TH-camrs I find this channel the most helpful. I appreciate the straightforward explanation of each concept with ample use of popular music examples to illustrate the points. Not knocking Beato or Neely, but I find David’s approach very accessible and helpful to revisiting these fundamental concepts like modes, scales, etc. Also nice that because these videos are sponsored I don’t feel pressured to buy his course. Keep up the good work!

  • @fabienbable
    @fabienbable 3 ปีที่แล้ว +162

    Wow, the amount of "digging" you have to go through to achieve these kind of videos just blows my mind.
    Very well researched!
    Kudos to you my friend, keep it up, very interesting!!

  • @Kastagaar
    @Kastagaar 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I really appreciate that you've taken the effort to compare the subject with the musical concepts of other cultures rather than sticking to the harmonic concepts of 18th century European composers. It's another layer on top of this fascinating subject.

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I see you’ve been watching Adam Neely 😉

    • @Kastagaar
      @Kastagaar 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@DavidBennettPiano And I see I am not alone in the comments. :)

  • @AaronKaiMCDNLD
    @AaronKaiMCDNLD 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    "the first....and only scale people learn on the guitar"
    way to hit me where it hurts david, way to hit me good

  • @foolishpity605
    @foolishpity605 3 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    That little composition at the end was really nice and left me with some really chill vibes. Beautiful, thank you.

  • @danielsimaz2768
    @danielsimaz2768 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    All of the melodies that you play on the ocarina in the legend of zelda(ocarina of time and majoras mask) are all based on the pentatonic scale. I always thought this was so fascinating because the creators were able to fit so many memorable songs that you can play with only 5 notes

    • @poke-champ4256
      @poke-champ4256 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      That is false. Its not based on a normal pentatonic scale just because its five notes youre wrong

    • @rikk319
      @rikk319 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@poke-champ4256 You may be right, you may not--not providing evidence of your claim just makes it as baseless as the original comment.

  • @CupcakKeKreations
    @CupcakKeKreations 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    that ending composition 😍😍😍😍😍😍

  • @fedsavi
    @fedsavi 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Classic Rock musicians: (shivers)

  • @BrankoVT
    @BrankoVT 3 ปีที่แล้ว +179

    Isn't "Minecraft" from, well... Minecraft pentatonic, even with the chords.
    (Except one chord in the entire song, that is)

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      Great example! I was considering including that actually!

    • @wilsonlee2423
      @wilsonlee2423 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      What is a Minecraft pentatonic scale?

    • @adrin181
      @adrin181 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@wilsonlee2423 i think he means "isnt 'minecraft' from minecraft, the game, in pentatonic"

    • @zionj104
      @zionj104 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@DavidBennettPiano You probably should do something like that in your next video, to get more people from the Mumbo Jumbo collab into your channel.

    • @jjsdumbshit2792
      @jjsdumbshit2792 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      David Bennett Piano You should make a video on this!

  • @lerneo
    @lerneo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The famous folk song Five Hundred Miles is one of the prettiest melodies ever written in pentatonic.

  • @diegogianoli7696
    @diegogianoli7696 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This is the second video of David Benett Piano playing piano and it makes me happy

  • @bobrobrules
    @bobrobrules 3 ปีที่แล้ว +94

    So when are you releasing that ending tune? It's a banger

    • @aron-new9391
      @aron-new9391 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That melody actually sounds quite familiar to me (reminds me of a certain song I know).

    • @anaroque6351
      @anaroque6351 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      sounds like Hanging Tree from Hunger Games '-' (or im crazy)

    • @MichaelPKelly-hg5jo
      @MichaelPKelly-hg5jo 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sounds like Scarborough Fair.

    • @NishantDangwal
      @NishantDangwal 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It sounds like the song 500 miles.

  • @lucypreece7581
    @lucypreece7581 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    And this is the reason why Pentatonix have the name they have. They named themselves after the Pentatonic scale (only it is a conicidence that there are 5 of them in the group) and they are the most versatile music group ever who have turned their hands to literally every type of music you can think of and smashed it out of the park every time and all acapella as well. I would love for you to do a video analyzing Pentatonix and their arrangements and stuff because Musically they are a force of nature and i think only one of the members of the group has full formal music training Kevin the beat boxer cus he also plays cello and is classically trained.

  • @bareakon
    @bareakon 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    Have you been watching Adam Neely recently, David?
    I took particular notice of you citing cross-cultural ideas of theory, and then using Anuja as a reference.

  • @lusia850
    @lusia850 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    OMG YOUR LAST COMPOSITION IS SO BEAUTIFUL IM CRYING

  • @endima6204
    @endima6204 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. The Promenade theme is based on the old pentatonic scale of five whole tones which is widely used in folk music. Mussorgsky added the heading “in a Russian rustic style”.

  • @Gnurklesquimp
    @Gnurklesquimp 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I've always been fascinated by the fact that you're left with a standard pentatonic scale when you count all the notes outside of a standard 7 note scale. These notes are so dissonant within the context, but so consonant with each other. I love using all these 5 notes when changing chords for a dramatic modal sound, such an other-wordly color even just with two chords.
    The internal consonance of the left over pentatonic makes it easy not to stray into dark dissonant territory, you can get very bright sounds with Lydian etc., just transpose a second Lydian scale up or down a half step or tritone and you're covering all of the pentatonics outside the key, you can then pick any mode from those and see how it sounds. You can use any scale that has this pentatonic in it, melodic minor has one while harmonic has none, but I find sticking to the modes is part of what makes it sound like such a cool contrast of consonance and dissonance, straight forward relationships in basically all but one way.
    If you picked Lydian and another Lydian a tritone away, you get Locrian if you invert that back to the same root as your initial Lydian, this is a HUGE contrast while that root is still in there and it sounds beautiful.
    Going down one mode creates a pretty smooth whole step motion down From Lydian to an Aeolian scale, this is one of my favorite sounds. Lydian really does wonders for brightening up harmony that's quite out there while providing very pretty semitones with the 4-5 and 7-1, Aeolian has a darker 5-6 and 2-3 I also find particularly pretty in their own way, but still overal not very stanky at all, like a Phrygian or Locrian would be.
    There's just SO many options, it can sound even more mindblowing in sequence, but having just two chords repeat at least once really has a beautiful effect too, I highly recommend anyone to play around with it, no matter the style of music. (For the most part, I guess)
    If you're transposing a semitone rather than a tritone btw., I find it's better to just play notes that really bring out your mode, the ones that aren't in the other + some that are shared to smoothen the gap while mostly leaving out the rest, if you just play everything it sounds too clearly like it's just transposed and given another root to me, since the semitone is so smooth. Ohh yeah, contrary motion can also help in this case, just don't pick equivalent notes in both transposed scales, but use ones that are shared and try seeing if you can get some different intervals into your voice leading other than just whole/half steps. How you distribute it over octaves also helps a lot, a semitone down can become a major 7th up.
    This goes for selecting notes for both chords and melody, of course, motivic melody writing/call & response is still great but don't just transpose equivalent shapes unless you want a very obviously chromatic sound. For which there's some really cool shapes too btw., say you're just moving a minor or major triad shape up and down, there's 3 in each of your scales, that's a lot when none are shared between your two scales. With the tritone move the semitones move in different directions by default, so you can just play the whole thing and it'll sound great.

    • @Gacha_x_Misty
      @Gacha_x_Misty ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I didn’t understand a single word of this except from “help” ( > ^~^>)

  • @williamblewitt6453
    @williamblewitt6453 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    I've just started my GCSE music course and I find your videos so helpful to see how these concepts work in practice is so helpful, thank you so much!

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Thanks William! I'm really glad that you find the videos helpful!

  • @lachinita_esa1086
    @lachinita_esa1086 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm from China and I realized the relationship between our five traditional scales and pentatonic scales long ago. These five scales are Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, yu.
    In the case of C major, Gong would be 1 2 3 5 6 1, omitting the fourth and seventh
    In Shang, it would be 1 2 4 5 6# 1,
    (in D major would be DEGACD), omitting the third, seventh, raising the 6th.
    In Jue, C major would be 1 3b 4 6b 7b 1. (starting from E, EGACDE)
    In Zhi, C Zhi: 124561 (starting from G, GACDEG)
    In yu, C yu: 1 b3 4 5 b7 1(starting from A, ACDEGA)
    I learned a lot from watching ur videos BTW, I started from scratch one year ago and now I have written about 100 songs!!

  • @sntslilhlpr6601
    @sntslilhlpr6601 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    That Bobby Mcferrin vid is one of my alltime favorites and I go back and rewatch it every now and then.

  • @mickeyrube6623
    @mickeyrube6623 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    7:13
    If you take blues scale and play it with the b3 as the root, i.e. the "major mode", it will give a bluegrass scale:
    1 2 b3 3 5 6
    A common folky bluegrass run in G might go like this:
    G-G-A-Bb-B-D-E-D
    C-C-D-Eb-E-G-A-G
    G-G-A-Bb-B-D-E-D
    B-Bb-A-G
    Notice the shift to C as root, similar to how in blues you will shift pentatonic scales to match the dominant chord underneath, almost like an entire key change.
    With these two scales, the blues and the bluegrass, you have the two sides of the American folk music coin. (well the third side would be Native American music, but then we would have 100 sides to cover every culture that has added some spice to American folk musics...)

    • @MrFree-vj8qj
      @MrFree-vj8qj 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That a complicated way of just saying major blues scale

    • @mickeyrube6623
      @mickeyrube6623 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MrFree-vj8qj what? Calling it the bluegrass scale? If you wanna call that complicated...

  • @TheRealGirlWeeb
    @TheRealGirlWeeb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Out of all your compositions, this one might be my favorite. It's just so relaxing to listen to.
    Your explanations are great and your music is lovely. Thank you.

  • @ashcroftg1
    @ashcroftg1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    Great videos David Bennett. ..it's like having a sat-nav for music..

  • @Tsnafu
    @Tsnafu 3 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    I love this stuff - I don't understand much of it, but I really enjoy listening to an expert. That tune at the end was lovely BTW. Keep it up David

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Thank you!

    • @alastairdallas
      @alastairdallas 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      You saved me some typing :-).

    • @49rockon
      @49rockon 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Snafu Ditto 😀

    • @trustnugget280
      @trustnugget280 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It's surprising to me that I actually understood most of it - I guess - despite having good musical knowledge. Great video imo!

  • @daniellel230
    @daniellel230 3 ปีที่แล้ว +77

    Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I've been watching since February 2019, and your channel has been one of my favorites since! Keep up the good work, and thank you for being awesome!

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Thank you! That means a lot! Hopefully I've provided some entertainment during this miserable year 😅

    • @daniellel230
      @daniellel230 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@DavidBennettPiano No problem- I love that I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos, and I hope you're doing well.

    • @ghqkdlfwkkskxbw4546
      @ghqkdlfwkkskxbw4546 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Radiohead yes?

    • @daniellel230
      @daniellel230 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ghqkdlfwkkskxbw4546 yep- In Rainbows

    • @ghqkdlfwkkskxbw4546
      @ghqkdlfwkkskxbw4546 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@daniellel230 omg what is your favorite radiohead song sir?

  • @jacobwhkhu
    @jacobwhkhu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Nice to see the acknowledgement of Chinese orchestral pieces when it comes to pentatonic scales 😀
    Yes, we have quite a lot of pieces that are melodically and harmoniously pentatonic, and sadly a lot of people dismissed it as being old-fashioned and weathered

    • @haruyasumi616
      @haruyasumi616 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      i often feel like tradional western music is naieve in certain ways and quite rigid. for example different styles of asian music notation will give clues about how a note or section is played. i think music theory often places a level of importance in western tonality, and acknowledging african and afro-american contributions, while completely ignoring asian influences on modulation, performance and even use of music. (i would argue that asia started to widely use music as a form of entertainment, rather than part of religious practice sooner than the west).

  • @casparvoncampenhausen5249
    @casparvoncampenhausen5249 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    Your videos actually help me gain a deeper understanding of music and how it works.
    Thank you

  • @SamaraVeler
    @SamaraVeler 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    The song at the end was absolutely beautiful. Thank you for the video!

  • @Bacopa68
    @Bacopa68 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Hawai'i 5-0 theme song is minor pentatonic except for those little chromatic runs toward the end. Figured this out the first time I played a bass guitar and learned the pentatonic. Just by screwing around with the scale you can find it even if you never played until an hour ago.

    • @rerite2
      @rerite2 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      -- Cool! I'll check it out. Thanks.

  • @vamplamp6597
    @vamplamp6597 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    hiya, love your content. it makes me a better musician, thanks so much!!!

  • @simon-di7xt
    @simon-di7xt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Old town road too! A minor penta!

  • @ericrferreira
    @ericrferreira 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This channel is changing my perception of music

  • @benpriest9555
    @benpriest9555 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Once again a great video from David Bennet, and once again another beautiful piece of music at the end.
    How this man has so few subscribers I’ll never know.
    Now if you’ll excuse me I need to unsubscribe just so I get the joy of subscribing to you all over again

  • @__donez__
    @__donez__ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    "My Girl' is how I first learned the major pentatonic scale.

  • @Mr.Batsu12
    @Mr.Batsu12 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Excellent video. I first started playing the pentatonic scale over 35 years ago when I started to learn guitar and I still use it all the time. I figured how could a video about the pentatonic scale be interesting to me? I was wrong, really excellent work!

  • @michealfelobes9467
    @michealfelobes9467 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is perfect. Please update the thumbnail to make it look informative because the thumbnail makes it look like it's a compilation of random songs.

  • @SeanOwen1117
    @SeanOwen1117 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The melody you created at the end is just gorgeous!!! Beautiful usage of the scale!!! 🎶🎶✨✨🎶💙

  • @michaeleaster1815
    @michaeleaster1815 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Wonderful ... I wondered if you would touch on music beyond Western civilization (and vaguely remembered the Bobby McFerrin talk). I smiled at those moments and thought "of course David would cover that!". This channel is a real gem.

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thank you Michael! That means a lot 😊😊

  • @misguided_ghost
    @misguided_ghost 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    i got really excited because i thought this video was about pentatonix, the band, but realised it was about the pentatonic scale
    (but the video was really interesting so i’m not disappointed at all)

  • @danwhite2035
    @danwhite2035 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    American Indian wood and bamboo flutes (5 hole and 6 hole) are tuned minor pentatonic. Originally, flutes were initially "tuned" by using width of the man's palm, thumb, fingers, etc. to create the hole spacing. It turns out that this spacing is super close to the minor pentatonic scale.

  • @faithk7350
    @faithk7350 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    When I was little I loved playing songs on just the black keys and I always thought it sounded very Chinese. A couple years ago I realized they formed a pentatonic scale and suddenly it all made sense.

  • @hlpianin
    @hlpianin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    David, your video about pentatonic is best of all i saw)

  • @lp-xl9ld
    @lp-xl9ld 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    When I took guitar lessons back in the early 70s, the teacher never mentioned pentatonic scales...in fact, I don't think I even heard of them until I read a book about non-western music which was better than a decade later. But now that I know what to listen for...

  • @felipecassel3826
    @felipecassel3826 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    You're definitely one of the best guys talking about music theory out there, dude. Keep up the good work!

  • @archanashreedhar5089
    @archanashreedhar5089 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Off topic but can we appreciate how cute David's hands are. Like they look so soft and pretty

  • @ericglock6932
    @ericglock6932 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This guy is amazing. So analytically sound and well presented. Couldn't imagine a better video on the topic. Great Pentatonic melody (over pentatonic chord progression) too!

  • @hubismaximus
    @hubismaximus 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That Bobby McFerrin clip is one of my all time favorite things

  • @tomostinato2918
    @tomostinato2918 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Lovely pentatonic-only composition at the end. My ears are liking that.

  • @stanislavbichenko2563
    @stanislavbichenko2563 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I think it's interesting that in your song you use ornamentation and dynamics as a way of introducing contrast, since you can't use harmony for that. Instead of relying on tension/release of harmony you have to rely on tension/release of rhythmically simple vs. rhythmically complex or soft vs forceful. I enjoyed this piece quite a lot.

  • @QuartzSTQ
    @QuartzSTQ 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Love Reign O'er me by the Who is heavily based on an E-flat minor pentatonic scale. Rick Beato recently did a video on it, as part of his "What Makes This Song Great" series.
    Edit: I almost forgot to mention that the reason I was reminded of it was because of the outro piece at the end of this video. I even sang a little bit of the vocal part to it.

    • @tonybates7870
      @tonybates7870 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, I noticed that, too.

  • @nadyaklimenko8283
    @nadyaklimenko8283 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Your original composition is gorgeous! I just wanted it to keep on going.

  • @richardkut3976
    @richardkut3976 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Minute 12:00 Beautiful song.

  • @XistoKente
    @XistoKente 3 ปีที่แล้ว +107

    When you said "blues scale", I braced for Smoke on the Water.

    • @MusicMotivator
      @MusicMotivator 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      So much more clever than you're making out. It's only a G blues scale if you play it wrong (assuming you're not playing it all on the 6th string :/ It has a b9 also. And how about explaining the Cmajor in the chorus to Ab?? Modal interchange. Things that seem simple are often subtlety complex.

    • @fromchomleystreet
      @fromchomleystreet 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Guitar Insight SOMEBODY’s a bit sensitive. Relax, buddy, nobody insulted your favourite band. It’s an entirely reasonable expectation that a discussion of the pentatonic and blues scales in famous songs might have mentioned what is arguably the most famous blues-scale-based guitar riff of all time.
      The “Smoke on the water” riff - clearly the most distinctive, iconic and well known part of the song - is comprised of four notes that are all in the minor blues scale, matched with their parallel fourths to make simple power chords. There is nothing remotely “complex” about it, whichever strings you play it on. It is extremely simple and easy to play, which is why it is often the first riff guitar teachers teach their novice students. That doesn’t make it bad. It just makes it what it is.
      The verse melody, meanwhile, is entirely pentatonic, yet another reason it would have been an appropriate addition to this video. It’s only in the chorus that it steps outside those scales, and those chord changes are great. It’s a great song, generally. But nobody not suffering from inexplicable butt-hurt would try to argue it wasn’t a fairly simple one melodically and harmonically.

    • @bryanguillen9167
      @bryanguillen9167 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I was almost positive he would include Into the Void by Sabbath as an example, but alas, he did not. :(

    • @XistoKente
      @XistoKente 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@bryanguillen9167 Into the Void includes a major 7th and thus is not strictly in the blues scale.

    • @KasumiRINA
      @KasumiRINA 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@fromchomleystreet the verses are too complex for beginning players and I even had some people failing to play the main riff because of uneven rhythm and failing at stacatto. Generally, Breaking the Law or Seven Nation Army are easier, for starters, not needing inverted powerchords and having more even rhythm. Still, anything better than Stairway to Heaven aka playing all notes in order.)))

  • @julianlarucci2045
    @julianlarucci2045 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    man these videos are so well done

  • @nateds7326
    @nateds7326 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Guitar players: *Bonjour*

  • @singsongdan249
    @singsongdan249 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love your composition at the end really beautifully written and played

  • @vaultboy3100
    @vaultboy3100 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Thank you so much for all that you do. I’ve recently started to learn about pentatonic scales and this video could not have come at a better time! Thank you! 😊

  • @dmitrybaranov7946
    @dmitrybaranov7946 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Really great pentatonic piece you’ve come up with! Genuinely loved it!

  • @RAUL110459
    @RAUL110459 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I already play pentatonic scales (major and minor), but this video is very interesting and illustrative. Congratulations.

  • @rogerloydmccoy
    @rogerloydmccoy 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Your videos are so so inspirational. Thank you!

  • @apatouros7572
    @apatouros7572 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    This is a really great video. Very thorough and features a diverse collection of music. Thanks!

  • @mitchlahr9527
    @mitchlahr9527 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I really enjoyed your connection of the scales to different culturals!

  • @JustCrusader
    @JustCrusader 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That little piece you composed at the end there is lovely 💙

  • @kyleolin3566
    @kyleolin3566 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    When I think of pentatonic, I think of blues. When I think of blues, I think of the blues scale. Great video! You have a new subscriber :)

  • @plica06
    @plica06 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    So much work to make these fascinating videos.. *loud applause*

  • @TheWinterShadow
    @TheWinterShadow 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Once again. Educational and informative. Great job David.

  • @tubebydefault
    @tubebydefault 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Excellent, I love the pentatonic scale. Great video, David, keep it up. 😊

  • @kyotocoversjimanderson782
    @kyotocoversjimanderson782 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Another in this series of great analyses and explanations.

  • @kevin_dasilva
    @kevin_dasilva 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    That piece in the end is amazing.

  • @Mort7an
    @Mort7an 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    That's a really lovely piece that you composed at the end of the video. :)

  • @CrankCase08
    @CrankCase08 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    'The Skye Boat Song" - a popular Scottish folk song written entirely in the pentatonic scale, which was the first tune I learned to play, and on a glockenspiel using only the 'black' notes.

  • @believeinpeace
    @believeinpeace 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I just love the way you explain things.
    Thank you so much!!!!

  • @lgmc
    @lgmc 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    That was your best video so far I think David. Another beautiful piece at the end as well, please keep doing these! Thank you.

  • @iismyalias
    @iismyalias 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Excellent video. Your own pentatonic piece is quite lovely. It reminds me a bit of not only the Chinese music you mentioned but the intro of the song I'd Die Without You by PM Dawn. Just the fact of hearing all of this in your song reinforces your point of the versatility of the pentatonic scale.

  • @vincentveary175
    @vincentveary175 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another music concept explained with exceptional clarity. Great talk track, great graphics, superb!
    Thank you-

  • @trayvon4484
    @trayvon4484 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Your videos ARE SUPER INFORMATIVE! Im self teaching piano and ive mastered finger independance and have multiple songs muscle memorized from start to finish. And your videos are educating me about music theory, physics in frequency context, and human prefernce. Thx

  • @robertfallows1054
    @robertfallows1054 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thanks for this video. Really interesting

  • @vaxelband2439
    @vaxelband2439 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Always awesome and useful 👌🌹❤️🌿Love from Iran🌹❤️🌿

  • @JimMonsanto
    @JimMonsanto 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    That piece you played at the end was just so lovely and gorgeous.

  • @MonStarGuy
    @MonStarGuy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love that your examples come from a broad spectrum of music

  • @gumbycat5226
    @gumbycat5226 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Another great video and so well researched. Thank you.

  • @cakemartyr5794
    @cakemartyr5794 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This is very helpful for my understanding in learning to play piano. Thanks. Nice tune at the end. You inspire me to explore music ever further.

  • @adig2414
    @adig2414 ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing video that essentially explained how to use a scale to me in the process as well. Thanks for all the great work you do David.

  • @starfishsystems
    @starfishsystems 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is just a brilliant analysis and presentation. Thank you!