• Exotic Pentatonic Scales: Hirajoshi And Pelog Scales [Advanced Players Only]

    in Experienced players,General Music,Jazz music,Piano,Scales,Theory

    In this lesson, we’ll be looking at exotic pentatonic scales.

    We’ve covered pentatonic scales in the past and they are characterized by their note aggregate (which is five notes per octave). We’ve learned about the major, minor, and blues pentatonic scales.

    “So, What Are We Really Doing Differently In This Lesson?”

    We’re studying two exotic pentatonic scales: Hirajoshi and Pelog.

    So, if you’re interested in incorporating that distinct oriental sound associated with Eastern music into your improvisation, keep reading.

    Attention: This lesson is written with advanced players in mind.

    Pentatonic Scale #1 – Hirajoshi

    The Hirajoshi scale is one of the Japanese scales that is explored by Jazz musicians who are interested in fresh scale options to improvise with.

    Here are the notes of the A Hirajoshi scale:

    …consisting of A, B, C, E, F, and A.

    The A Hirajoshi scale can also be played in two other ways:

    A Hirajoshi (Slonimski’s version):

    A Hirajoshi (Burrow’s version):

    The first version is associated with the minor key and minor chords and it’s commonly used.

    “Pay Attention To This…”

    Taking out the fourth and seventh tone of the A natural major scale:

    …which are D and G#:

    …produces the A major pentatonic scale:

    Repeating the same thing for the A natural minor scale:

    …we’ll remove the fourth and seventh scale tones (which are D and G):

    …to produce the A Hirajoshi scale:

    “For Your Reference, Here Are All The Hirajoshi Scales On The Keyboard…”

    The C Hirajoshi scale:

    The C# Hirajoshi scale:

    The D Hirajoshi scale:

    The Eb Hirajoshi scale:

    The E Hirajoshi scale:

    The F Hirajoshi scale:

    The F# Hirajoshi scale:

    The G Hirajoshi scale:

    The G# Hirajoshi scale:

    The A Hirajoshi scale:

    The Bb Hirajoshi scale:

    The B Hirajoshi scale:

    Pentatonic Scale #2 – Pelog

    The Balinese Pelog scale is one of the pentatonic scale options with an Indonesian origin.

    The Pelog scale can be associated with the Phrygian scale. I suppose you’re already familiar with the Phrygian scale (using the C Phrygian scale as a reference):

    Playing the C Phrygian scale:

    …without its fourth and seventh tones (which are F and Bb):

    …produces the C Balinese Pelog scale:

    “Check Out All The Pelog Scales On The Keyboard…”

    The C Pelog scale:

    The C# Pelog scale:

    The D Pelog scale:

    The D# Pelog scale:

    The E Pelog scale:

    The F Pelog scale:

    The F# Pelog scale:

    The G Pelog scale:

    The G# Pelog scale:

    The A Pelog scale:

    The Bb Pelog scale:

    The B Pelog scale:

    The Pelog scale is a great scale option while improvising over passages with Phrygian harmony. I’m sure you’ll love the sound of this exotic pentatonic scale all the way from Indonesia.

    Final Words

    Welcome back! How was your musical trip to Japan (Hirajoshi) and Indonesia (Pelog)?

    Now that you’ve learned two oriental minor pentatonic scales, feel free to play them over minor quality chords as the occasion demands and don’t forget that there is no limit to the rhythmic varieties you can approach these scales with — both in practice and in performance.

    Experiment with these exotic-sounding pentatonic scales and thank me later.

    Thank you for your time.

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    Chuku Onyemachi

    Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group
    Onyemachi "Onye" Chuku is a Nigerian musicologist, pianist, and author. Inspired by his role model (Jermaine Griggs) who has become his mentor, what he started off as teaching musicians in his Aba-Nigeria neighborhood in April 2005 eventually morphed into an international career that has helped hundreds of thousands of musicians all around the world. Onye lives in Dubai and is currently the Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group and the music consultant of the Gospel Music Training Center, all in California, USA.

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    2. Daily Warm Up Routine: Five Classes Of Scales Intermediate Jazz Players Should Practice
    3. Jazz Improvisation: Scale Options For Augmented Triads
    4. Who Else Wants To Learn About The Lydian Dominant Scale?
    5. Here’s How Secondary Dominant Chords Are Applied In Cyclical Progressions
    6. Who Else Is Interested In Learning About The Altered Extensions Of The Dominant Seventh Chord?
    7. You Can Learn How To Harmonize The Octatonic Scale In 15 Minutes


    Related posts:

    1. A Lesson On The Classification Of Scales
    2. Daily Warm Up Routine: Five Classes Of Scales Intermediate Jazz Players Should Practice
    3. Jazz Improvisation: Scale Options For Augmented Triads
    4. Who Else Wants To Learn About The Lydian Dominant Scale?
    5. Here’s How Secondary Dominant Chords Are Applied In Cyclical Progressions
    6. Who Else Is Interested In Learning About The Altered Extensions Of The Dominant Seventh Chord?
    7. You Can Learn How To Harmonize The Octatonic Scale In 15 Minutes



    Tagged as: exotic pentatonic scales, Hirajoshi, Hirajoshi scale, Pelog, Pelog Scale, pentatonic scales


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