Why does a minor work in e minor?

[~AllRemovables~]

Why is it that A minor pentatonic work so well in songs in key E minor. Im not talking about using it for the whole song but a lick evry now and then in A minor pentatonic sounds great.

Of all the theory ive read i dont see any relationship between these two scales. If anything i would hav expected C# minor pentatonic (aka E major) to work better but it doesnt.

Wot is the theory behind it and how can i expand upon it to help with improvising???

[The Fury]

Eminor pentatonic: E G A B D
Aminor pentatonic: A C D E G

As you can see they are comprised from the same notes (except C) That is probably why when you use A minor over E minor it doesn't sound too bad.

[~AllRemovables~]

But that one note change somehow seems to make a solo feel as if its picking up momentum . ther must be something more to it. :(

[Andrew]

Usually Am pentatonic doesn't work very well over Em. Is it a specific song?

With Am, you have a b6 instead of the 5th in Em pentatonic. Although it is in the key,it normally sounds unstable against Em, especially when you are not playing the 5th as well.

[~AllRemovables~]

ok.... but.....lemme give u an example.

Try playing any lick in Em. Play it a couple of times over. Now play the exact same lick except in Am.

Doesnt it sound good? It works even better if u do it in Em and then Gm.

Im thinking that changing scale by going up 2 1/2 tones works well. I guess wot im wondering is what other scale changews work and how can i take advantage of this???


It says in the licks and tricks section that in the solo for 'the wind cries mary' hendrix changes key every few bars. This is one of my favourite solos and i know it sounds more intersting than had he just solod in the one key.

So how do i go about soloing in changing keys using these ideas??

[Andrew]

If you mean actually changing key or playing over an Am chord then Am pentatonic will work but otherwise it wont.

There are people who play with pentatonics over chords with different roots but not Am over Em and definately not Gm over Em.(Gm should sound terrible)

In The Wind Cries Mary, Jimi Hendrix changes his scale to fit each chord.

[Bidadari]

~AllRemovables~

Take a look at what you say in another way... don't consider yourself playing an Am penta scale.. consider yourself playing a Em penta scale at another position on the guitar using an extra 'C' from the Em scales to add some flavour into the thing.

And beside, an Em scale is E,F#,G,A,B,C,D... so you can consider yourself combining the Em penta scale and the Em scale.

BTW, A minior penta is A,C,D,E,G

See the connection...

[~AllRemovables~]

yeah that makes sense, thanx, wot other penta scales can be formed out of Eminor. Is it just Em and Am?

[Bidadari]

~AllRemovables~

wot other penta scales can be formed out of Eminor

I don't think there are any more penta scales in the Em scale, my good friend; however you can do this...

Okay, play the A minor scale

A,B,C,D,E,F,G

and then play the D minor penta scale

D,F,G,A,C

see? the same thing as the Em scale... SO this means you can take any natural minor scale and find a minor penta scale in it.

Example

C minor scale C,D,D#,F,G,G#,A#

The minor penta scale that can be found in the C minor scale is a F minor penta... tada.

F minor penta F,G#,A#,C,D#

So to make it simple... to find the minor penta in a minor scale, take the fourth note from the scale and turn it to a minor penta.

I am sure there's a theory term for what Iam saying here.. but I dunno what. However, if anybody see a mistake in what I am saying, pleae tell.

[Andrew]

Bidibari is correct, it is way better to think of it as a Em pentatonic with an added 6th. This means that you will also be playing the 5th, which will make it sound much better.

[stankweed]

A minor pentatonic is also, in this case, A dorion pentatonic. A is the dorion mode of E minor.