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Thread: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

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    Default Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    What are some Bluegrass melodies that contain only notes from the minor pentatonic scale?
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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Pre-bluegrass, but you could try The Cuckoo:

    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Thank you.

    Yes, Old Time is fine, too.
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    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Heck, I don't know. . .

    I play the following, "Modal" tunes:

    Falls of Richmond
    Cold and Frosty Morning
    Home with the Girls in the Morning
    Kitchen Girl
    Sally in the Garden

    I'm sure I'll think of others.

    I'm also sure more knowledgeable folks will know whether these tunes qualify for your OP.

    f-d
    ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

    '20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A

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    Registered User Ky Slim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Clinch Mountain Backstep is a good minor pentatonic bluegrass melody.

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    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post
    Heck, I don't know. . .

    I play the following, "Modal" tunes:

    Falls of Richmond
    Cold and Frosty Morning
    Home with the Girls in the Morning
    Kitchen Girl
    Sally in the Garden

    I'm sure I'll think of others.

    I'm also sure more knowledgeable folks will know whether these tunes qualify for your OP.

    f-d
    Well, at least some of those are in a minor key, all right, but not in the pentatonic minor, which uses only the scale tones 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the natural minor. Not many songs use that.

    Shady Grove (the original minor version; not the major version) uses the 2nd degree of the scale from time to time, in addition to 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, but is otherwise mostly minor pentatonic (I guess that makes it hexatonic). The same thing goes for Sandy Boys.

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Flatted seventh, I'm guessing?

    Try Reuben's Train or Wild Bill Jones. (Though Rueben's Train is often played against a major chord.)
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

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    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Flatted seventh, I'm guessing?

    Try Reuben's Train or Wild Bill Jones. (Though Rueben's Train is often played against a major chord.)
    Yeah, but a "minor pentatonic" scale is not the same thing as a major pentatonic with the addition of a minor (i.e., flatted) seventh. So these tunes do not qualify as minor pentatonic!

    A major pentatonic scale uses the notes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the major scale. But no 4, and no 7 in pentatonic major. However, the minor pentatonic scale uses 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the natural minor. So, no 2 and no 6 in pentatonic minor, but a flatted 3rd and a flatted 7th, however.
    Last edited by sblock; Sep-20-2017 at 6:14pm.

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    Registered User Ky Slim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Quote Originally Posted by Ky Slim View Post
    Clinch Mountain Backstep is a good minor pentatonic bluegrass melody.
    Pretty Polly is another

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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    I marvel that you can just post questions like these and get several good answers.
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    Registered User T.D.Nydn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Monroes "kentucky mandolin" comes close..

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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    The A part to The Shenandoah Cutups tune Bluegrass Minor (Herschel Sizemore) comes close.

    Funny story about this tune: composed in the early 70's; supposedly, Monroe heard it and liked it, but only the A part. So, what did he do? Why, he wrote Kentucky Mandolin

  16. #13

    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Bluegrass in the Backwoods
    Jerusalem Ridge

  17. #14
    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bluegrass Melodies Built on the Minor Pentatonic Scale

    Quote Originally Posted by farmerjones View Post
    Bluegrass in the Backwoods
    Jerusalem Ridge
    Sorry, but these two tunes are not in pentatonic minor. Ky Slim has been getting it right: Pretty Polly is good example of pentatonic minor. Clinch Mountain Backstep and Sandy Boys also come very close, and some recorded versions/arrangements are strictly pentatonic minor, while others depart slightly from time to time.

    Remember: The pentatonic minor is missing the 2nd and 6th notes of the natural minor scale. And the natural minor scale has a flatted 3rd and a flatted 7th (relative to the major scale). So, if you hear something played in a minor key and it includes the 2nd or the 6th notes, you can be sure it's NOT pentatonic minor. Only 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are allowed.

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