Music and slavery

[KBCraig]

This is the best example I've ever seen of how the pentatonic scale works: just play the black keys.

If you don't know who Wintley Phipps is, he's a singer born in Trinidad & Tobago, who grew up in Canada, finished school in America, and has been the featured singer in the Billy Graham Crusades. He founded and runs the U.S. Dream Academy, which serves the educational needs of children of prisoners.

Here's his version of that scale lesson.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[thinkliberty]

Here is how the pentatonic scale works on the guitar:

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

It's not as simple as just the black keys 

[KBCraig]

Here is how the pentatonic scale works on the guitar:

It's not as simple as just the black keys 

Yeah, I've played guitar my whole life, and I used to spend a lot of time playing blues, so I know the pentatonic scales. It was never as simple as "just the black keys".

By the way, I know Zakk Wylde is supposed to be some kind of guitar ghod, but if anyone actually paid money for those "lessons", I hope they got their money back. "Ummm, here, I'm, uhhhh, gonna ramble on in sentence fragments and not actually demonstrate the subject matter, but, uuuuuhhhhmmm, look at my hot licks!"

And his G string was flat, too.

[Sam A. Robrin]

It's not as simple as just the black keys

Unfortunately, I can't read that without thinking of the Lenny Bruce routine about the patronizing integrationist, and what it takes to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" . . .

[thinkliberty]

Yeah, I've played guitar my whole life, and I used to spend a lot of time playing blues, so I know the pentatonic scales. It was never as simple as "just the black keys".

Cool, when you make it to NH we we'll have to jam. 

[KBCraig]

Just so no one misunderstands: this isn't a black/white thing. The pentatonic scale is recognized as universal and instinctive; everyone knows it, except possibly some Polynesian peoples whose native songs involve very odd (to our ears) intervals, like quarter tone or third tone.

Bobby McFerrin does a brilliant job of illustrating how people instinctively "get it" when it comes to the pentatonic:

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.