Difference Between Pentatonic and Pentatonic

There is no difference; in theory, it would be more correct to say pentaphonic scale (five-sound scale), however, 'pentatonica' is more commonly used, from the English pentatonic, (in English tone = sound, note). It's not that Jazz is exactly full of it 😉, let's just say that pentatonic scales appear in a large part of ethnic music, and also in much African music, which is one of the components of Jazz; the blues scale itself has many affinities with the pentatonic. These scales appear significantly from the '60s, with the advent of Modal Jazz; the two most used pentatonics (major and minor) are devoid of semitone intervals, and consequently of tritones and leading tones, characteristic elements of tonal music, so they are well suited to emphasize the modal color of the piece.

In my opinion, translation aspects may have little to do with it; in Italian, there is a difference between tone and phono.

Pentaphonic means a scale of 5 sounds

Pentatonic means a scale of 5 tones

In my opinion, the second is included in the first and not vice versa; effectively, every note of the pentatonic gives life to a mode of the pentatonic itself... in a pentaphonic it is not certain and anyway on paper it seems like an open world to me.

JamSession wrote:

In my opinion, the translation aspects might not hit the mark; in Italian, there is a difference between tone and sound.

Pentafonica means a scale of 5 sounds

Pentatonica means a scale of 5 tones

Exactly this. In Italian, it wouldn't be correct to say pentatonica: is it a sequence of 5 tones?

Let's do this:

Does this ring a bell for anyone? re fa sol la do

Does this one ring a bell for anyone? fa si do# re mib

well... they are pentatonic in fact, the first one is D minor, the second I wouldn't know how to define it... strictly speaking, in all the texts where I found altered pentatonics, I have never found 5 consecutive notes, but why not?

In my opinion, many spirituals are built on pentatonics, so Jazz... which also has its roots in this area, could not help but inherit these scales.

I realized I got the topic subject wrong

Anyway, thanks to those who intervened, it seems to me that the difference between the two terms is a nuance... even if I still haven't understood what Frank is getting at.

I mean that when someone hears the word pentatonics, they immediately think of Jazz and Blues, but in general for many reasons (perhaps those that interest you), it is a scale that is also very common in teaching and in a lot of folk repertoire. A scale that always works and is devoid of semitones, and therefore purified of tensions.

Melodies on this scale work easily well, and it only takes a moment to bring a pentatonic close to a major or minor scale, whatever it may be; you just have to add two sounds in the right place.

My little example claimed to present a 5-note scale that could not be placed in the list of the most commonly used pentatonic scales or even among those registered as altered. But DrJF is fine with it anyway... and so am I.

The composer, with the aim of using their own syntax, can create scales (even with 5 notes); to avoid falling into the terminological logic of Jazz, one avoids the word pentatonic and, with the necessary clarifications, speaks of pentaphonic or a 5-note scale, which is even more explanatory. I noticed that this book has been reviewed, which can provide many insights:

http://www.pianoconc...azio-temperato/

I only add that often these terminological ambiguities are created by those who write "articles" and have the need to breathe new life into the same content; I have also heard the term anhemitonic, meaning devoid of semitones.

Just to add a little more fuel to the fire

Thanks Frank, I understood

Can someone cite the most used altered pentatonics? Thank you

mmm... I think it's also a matter of personal choice; there is probably some altered pentatonic scale that is more commonly used, but I wouldn't be able to draw up a ranking...

In the interesting (and hard-to-find) book "Jazz Improvisation & Pentatonic" by Adelhard Roidinger, the author only considers scales formed by a second, a second, a third, a second, and a third as pentatonics (in other words, for example, all possible variants of C, D, E, G, A); in that case, a pentatonic like the one proposed by Frank (F, B, C#, D, Eb) would not be considered as such.

DrJellyfish wrote:

in that case a pentatonic like the one proposed by Frank (F, B C#, D, Eb) would not be considered as such.

Goal achieved, mine claimed to be pentaphonic ... 5 sounds in a row used as material for a composition

DrJellyfish wrote:

In the interesting (and hard to find) book "Jazz Improvisation & Pentatonic" by Adelhard Roidinger, the author considers only scales formed by a second, a second, a third, a second, and a third as pentatonic (in other words, for example, all possible variations of C, D, E, G, A)

What do you mean by variations?

Frank wrote:

Goal achieved, mine had the pretension of being pentaphonic ... 5 consecutive sounds used as material for a composition

Yes, naturally, I was citing Roidinger just to say that even in this field a certain arbitrariness reigns...

Frank wrote:

What do you mean by variants?

Still from Roidinger, for example: from Do, Re, Mi, Sol, La I derive: Do, Re, Mib, Sol, La; Do, Re, Mi, Sol, Lab; Do, Re, Mib, Solb, La and so on.