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This is a short post on some other uses for minor pentatonic scales.  Try this stuff out after you get tired of always playing an A minor pentatonic sclae over an A minor chord.

Understand that chords come from scales and look for my next blog on chord construction and extensions if the numbers are confusing.  Even if the numbers are a bit confusing, you can still play the scales that I'm talking about to get a different sound.

Try this over a A minor vamp.

#1.  Play E minor pentatonic (or a minor pentatonic scale up a 5th from A)  What you get is the 5th, 7th, root, 9, and the 11th of the A minor chord

#2.  Play B minor pentatonic (or a minor pentatonic scale up a whole step from A)  What you get is the 9, 11th, 5th, 13, and the root of the A minor chord

Now try it out with the play a long track!

a minor groove


Try this instead of an altered scale over an A dominant 7 chord.

#1.  Play C minor pentatonic (or a minor pentatonic a minor 3rd above A)  What you get is the #9, b5, b13, 7, and the b9 of the A dominant 7 chord

The play a long track is a I-ii-V in D major so play D major over the I and the ii, and then C minor pentatonic over the V which is the A7

A dominant 7 track