The world is a diverse and complex combination of all things different. It is like finding a common denominator. Some share a common food; some share the same tradition; and some even share the same arts.
Music is one of the universal languages the world has ever had. Such varies in perspective, approaches, and appreciation in each country, including China, which, as far as we know, mostly employs a pentatonic scale.
In Chinese music, the pentatonic collection is central in constituting all the harmonic and melodic elements. Quite a good number of orthodox Chinese musicians especially stress the importance of the smoothness between pentatonic collections when one modulates to another, articulating the roles of the pentatonic common tones (Yu, 2014).
On the contrary, in post-tonal music [written or created outside of a tonal system], the central features of the pentatonic sounds tend to reflect a large number of semi-tonal [mixed] relationships with lesser number of common tones.
This discussion does offer analytical account between pentatonic collections that arise in post-tonal Chinese to elaborate and re-examine pentatonic scale by focusing on the transformations between pentatonic elements, especially semi tonal motion and common resonance.
What is traditional pentatonic Chinese music?
Yu explained that many pieces of Chinese music use a pentatonic scale. The intervals are almost the same as those of the major scale. One of the greatest Chinese musicians discussed that Chinese songs and sounds are made up of many genres.
Usually, they need to identify the region from which a piece of music has originated. Chinese musicians added that this connection of music to a specific region is manifested in multiple ways such as dialects, cultural practices, food, and songs. Together, these cultural rituals become emblems of regional identity.
It is also discussed that the use of programmatic titles is an important feature in Chinese music. Music that narrates a story or refers to something in reality is a piece of programmatic musical scenery, nature, flowing stream, flock of flying geese, and high mountains. Programmatic titles can also be poetic in tone and can depict history, emotions, or state of mind.
Famous Chinese musicians have tackled that one of the important methods of embellishment is a result of the addition of extra notes melodies to elaborate them. This technique is generally called “adding flower. The purpose of such methodology is to enrich and enliven the original skeletal version of a melody.
Most Chinese music uses a pentatonic scale having an interval almost the same as those of major four-note tones. This will start from a different point to a different sequence, and a progression which has a different interval sequence is created. Similarly, the construction of modes, sequence, and the like in modern Western music are of great resemblance.
Musical systems, in most Chinese harmony, do not use equal-tempered tuning. Thus, playing a melody starting from the lǜ nearest to A will not necessarily sound the same as playing with the same melody beginning from lǜ. The effect on changing the starting point in a song can be rather like the effect of a major shifting to a minor key.
Why is pentatonic scale very important in Chinese music?
Chinese philosophy influenced Chinese music. Though the Chinese knew of the 7 tones in the Western scale, they chose 5 because it fits in with their world view of the five elements interacting: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal.
This concept is also seen in Chinese feng shui, astrology, medicine, martial arts, etc. Because Chinese culture is conservative of the past, there is the experimentation and boundary-pushing trial and testing that you see in Western music and the arts. It remains the classical 5 tones, however. Pentatonic sounds influence the world music somehow.
The truth is, nonetheless, that traditional Chinese music is not always pentatonic. The five-tone pattern does have special scale that its philosophical meaning in Chinese culture has been arguably the earliest sounds that Chinese people discovered.
Lots of songs which came from China and other place in Asia are pentatonic. But other than that, Chinese music has a large amount of heptatonic tunes, as well.
In addition, the Chinese heptatonic scale may not be diatonic in certain cases. The reason is that the two additional chords outside the five-tone pattern can be pushed to different pitches to achieve desirable music melody.
An example that uses a non-diatonic heptatonic scale is a Guzheng solo from the Chaozhou region which is located on the southeast coast of China.
Also called the four-note scale, the pentatonic sequence is a musical progression containing five different tones [chords]. It is thought that the such also represents an early stage of different musical development.
In one (1) chord such as “G”, there are eight (8) notes, namely: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, si, do. Thus, kindly do not confuse pentatonic chords with pentatonic notes.
Not because it is found in different forms, pentatonic sounds popularity owes it to the fact that the same is easy to play around and to experiment in. Most especially, it is found in most of the world’s popular music.
What ancient culture traditionally uses pentatonic music?
The pentatonic scales have been used even in ancient times to the sounds of Greek kithara . Even some early Gregorian chants incorporated these melodies.
A variety of musical diagram which are pentatonic occur in the music of many European folk melodies, East and Southeast Asians, and Native Americans, as well as in sub- Saharan Africans.
Nevertheless, Pentatonicism had been used in a number of music by many in the 20th-century Western such as Claude Debussy, who employed it with his piano and his prelude for piano performance.
The pentatonic scale was taken from the Latin words penta meaning ‘five’ and tonus which means ‘sound’ and so the pentatonic scale is simply a five-note musical scale.
By far, it is one of the most common scales found in pop, blues, and rock music because these four notes sound good. They go along inoffensively with whatever chord progression is playing underneath them, assuming the sequence is in the same key as the scale.
The pentatonic scale does provide the foundation for musicians and improvisation around the world. While being common, still, its melody is pleasant to the ears.
The pentatonic pattern has a very unique and distinct tone which is instantly recognizable. It has a pleasing kind of sound that can be layered over many others. Because of these, people frequently found this scale to be a key component of many popular songs.
The vast majority of musicians that create lead solos utilize the pentatonic scale. One of the reasons for it is that the notes are a sound musical already, no matter how they’re played. The notes are neutral and will work as a melody in any order.
Since the notes of the scale are usually harmonious in whatever order, they are played most of the time. They are great for developing different musical technique and building riffs and licks.
Albeit it is possible though to hit a “wrong” note, anyone can create music that sounds good. This is very important for those who are likely to struggle with anxiety or an initial lack of self-confidence. Hence, the five-note pattern will come out naturally.
For this reason, this pentatonic has long been recognized for having a significant role in music therapy and education.
If any musician takes time to learn the pentatonic patterns, they might find that they’ve opened a whole new universe of musical techniques.
The power of the pentatonic has no barriers to engagement. No matter what the cultural background, age, or level of ability a musician has, the pentatonic scale can be appreciated, used by everyone, and be understood by vast number of people.
The concept and principle of the pentatonic sequence is simple. It only comprises of four notes [do not confuse with chords] taken from the eight-note major scale. Now, to form the pentatonic scale, you have to remove the 5th and 7th notes leaving four notes per octave.
How do you know if a song is pentatonic?
One of the easiest ways to discover the pentatonic scale is by using a piano because it is easier to visualize the four notes. If ever you begin playing the black keys by pressing it one after the other you will hear a sound of the pentatonic scale.
You cannot find the major gapped scale by solely enjoying 2 black keys then by enjoying the opposite two notes of the size. The key gapped scale can start 0.5 notes lower and you can’t notice it by solely enjoying the interval keys. The gapped scale square measure is amongst the foundations of blues and rock-and-roll.
Gapped scale are those chord patterns the remove half step chords. We have seven of them, namely: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. From B to C, this is half step and no gap. The same is through with E and F. Consequently, in determining the gapped scale, you should remove any of the chords that has no gap from each other and leave the remaining five. It is either, therefore, B or C, in like manner, E or F.
It is straightforward to learn the scale of gapped progression which suggests that, after you improvise, you’ll have confidence the gapped scale will create good sound pattern, and it will sound sensible.
Almost all Chinese would possibly see that it’s really forthright to learn the gapped scale once the player is already improvising.
Even associate inexperienced musician will have confidence in the gapped scale to compose and build their own compositions. It will still sound as normal and in tune.
Musical instruments, like square measure designed Percussion Play’s Babel Drum, Duo, and Akadinda round the gapped scale, and the square measure referred to are the gapped scale instruments.
These instruments solely contain notes that are the square measure from the gapped scale. They are excellent for encouraging individuals with very little or no musical ability to play.
Why do pentatonic scales sound good?
The reason behind why the pentatonic scale sounds so good is that it has no semitones which mean that there is no tension between the notes in the scale.
In a seven-note major scale, it is the fourth and seventh notes that introduce suspense and tension and so when these notes are removed you eliminate any possible dissonance. It is because of this that makes it easy to layer over chords and scales which is what makes it perfect for the basis of improvisation.
What style of music uses pentatonic scales?
If you listen to popular music, you’ve heard the pentatonic scale. It’s most closely associated with blues music but also manifests in all the genres that spanned from the blues to rock n’ roll, R&B, pop, country, bluegrass, hip hop, heavy metal, folk, reggae, and even jazz.
Sounds depicting programmatic titles also utilize pentatonic sequence. It is pleasing to the ears and can blend with the scenes which the sounds seem to portray.
Final Thoughts
Currently nowadays, the pentatonic scale is as ostensible as it always has been. It continues to form the foundation of every genre of modern music. It has remained an integral part of jazz, gospel, rock, and blues, and even in very modern jazz performances.
Pentatonic solos by pianists and saxophonists are frequently heard. The fact that pentatonic are so ingrained within human culture and so accessible to everyone, even babies and very young children can unconsciously appreciate it.
Such melodic sound provides a wonderful opportunity for modern educators, social workers, and therapists to harness its power to help individuals of any background, culture, and level of ability to meaningfully engage in playing music.