Micro Lesson 254: "E Major" Pentatonic Melody


Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 254"

This Micro Lesson covers a Pop-Country style melody (with a Blues twist) built exclusively from the 5-tone scale of, "E Major Pentatonic." 

This melody is set within a framework of the country /blues tonality. It applies a swing feel to the overall rhythmic idea and uses a lot of triplet based passages to fulfill the melody lines. 

The melody begins from a triplet based pick-up note line that leads us into the first measure. Here we move into a swung passage that sustains into the 5th chord tone (B) of our home chord. The end of that measure wraps up by influencing the next bar's harmony of "A Major." This bar of music is identical rhythmically to the first but highlights the tonality of the key's IV-chord (A Major). 

The next measure maintains the shuffle /swing feel with notes that influence the harmony of the key's V-chord of "B Major." The melody wraps-up by pointing toward the 5th chord tone of the home chord (E Major). 

Take your time and be sure to count across the measures. The melody is also a little challenging with respect to the abundance of position shifts so watch the fingerings and watch each shift closely. Memorize the passages and use a metronome or drum machine (set on a shuffle feel) to build your feel and phrasing as well as speed. Enjoy!

Micro Lesson 254: "E Major" Pentatonic Melody