I’ve been digging into pentatonics since starting my new practice regimen for my Six-Month Challenge. I’ve mostly been starting with Jerry Bergonzi’s “Pentatonics” book, which is very good. There are a lot of very cool pentatonic applications over certain chords that will give some very interesting sounds.

I’m going to show you a few, but I caution you to not run these up and down the typical root pentatonic mode that you all know and love to use. I suggest that you figure out all of the pentatonic modes and be able to play any minor pentatonic scale in any position. I still have a little trouble with this, so I know I need some more work. But that shouldn’t preclude you from checking these out!

I like to work with minor pentatonics, so all of my examples will be in minor. I tend to convert all pentatonics to minor.

1. As discussed in my Pentatonic Scale Ideas post from a few months back, over a Maj7 chord you can play a minor pentatonic scale 1/2 down from the root of the Maj7 chord. So, over CMaj7 you play Bmin pentatonic. This gives you the 7, 9, 3, #11, and 13 of CMaj, generating a Lydian sound.
2. Min7 chords are easy; just play the same min pentatonic scale. Cm7 = Cmin pentatonic. (1, b3, 11, 5, 7)
3. Can also play Fmin pentatonic or pentatonic over Cm7. (11, #5, b7, root, b3).
4. You can also play Gmin pentatonic, giving you 5, b7, root, 9, and 11.
5. If you want to get a Dorian sound over a m7 chord, play a minor pentatonic scale one whole step up from the root of the chord. Over Cm7 play a Dmin pentatonic scale, which gives you 9, 11, 5, natural 6/13, and root.
6. If you want to get a Phrygian sound (looking for that McCoy Tyner feel), play down one whole step. Over Cm7 play a Bbmin pentatonic (b7, b9, 3, 11, b13)
7. Cm11 = Gmin pentatonic (5, b7, root, 9, 11)
8. C9sus4 = Gmin pentatonic
9. C9sus4 = Dmin pentatonic (9, 11, 5, 13, root)
10. CMaj7b5 = Bmin pentatonic (#11 as in example 1 is enharmonically the same as a b5.)
11. C7 = Dbmin pentatonic (b9, 3, b5, #5, Maj7) *Be very careful about the Maj7 in this pentatonic. It will clash very badly against the b7 of the chord if you aren’t careful.
12. C7 = Ebmin pentatonic (#9, #11, b13, 7, b9)

Those are 12 ways to play to spice up your improvisation. Check them out and see how ya like ‘em!