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McCoy Tyner - Blues On The Corner

The Blues is a form that every improviser must learn and master if they want to become a proficient
player. You can approach it with blues language, bebop, or even modern and outside approaches – it
all comes together in the blues.

And today we’re going look at 3 creative ways McCoy Tyner uses the pentatonic scale on the
blues…

1)  Using the Minor Pentatonic Scale over Dominant Chords

If you’ve subscribed to JazzAdvice I’m guessing you’ve learned more than a few options for
improvising over V7 chords.

And you probably have a few tricks up your own sleeve when it comes to creating solos over this
sound…

However, one scale that many players don’t think about on V7 chords is the minor pentatonic scale.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to look at today.

In his solo on Blues on the Corner, McCoy Tyner uses the minor pentatonic scale over
dominant chords in two specific ways: (1) from the root of the chord and (2) from the 5th
of the chord.

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Root of the Chord:

To begin, let’s take a look at how he approaches dominant chords with a minor pentatonic scale built
from the root. In the line below, McCoy uses a Bb minor pentatonic over Bb7, take a listen:

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Notice how this scale emphasizes the b3, b7 and 11th of the Bb7 chord in a way that is very similar to
traditional blues language or the blues scale. Here’s another example that starts on the 5th note of the
Bb minor pentatonic scale:

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5th of the Chord:

The second way McCoy uses the pentatonic scale in this solo is from the 5th of the V7 chord. Check
out how he employs this technique in the line below:

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On both dominant chords he uses a minor pentatonic scale built on the 5th – Bb minor pentatonic over
the Eb7 and an F minor pentatonic over the Bb7:

But wait a second, why does this work? This scale is missing the one note that defines the harmony –
the 3rd.

Well, this concept goes back to the bebop reharmonization technique of approaching the V7 chord as
the related minor ii chord, for example thinking F- over Bb7:

You can also think of that static dominant chord as the related ii-V7. For example, F-7 Bb7 over Bb7.

Review your minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys

Practice visualizing the minor pentatonic scale from the root and 5th of V7 chords
Turn on a play-a-long and practice applying these scales over the dominant chords in your solo

A Note on McCoy’s Left Hand…

The signature “McCoy Tyner sound” hinges on one thing – his left hand.

McCoy’s left hand is central to the lines he plays in his right, both rhythmically and harmonically.
Those iconic 4th and 5th voicings that you hear are perfectly suited for the pentatonic and intervallic
lines he plays on top.

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Additionally, the absence of tertian structure in his voicings allows for more harmonic freedom.
Below are 3 unique aspects of McCoy’s left hand…

The open 5th:

McCoy often plays the root and 5th of a chord in his left hand, creating a pedal point for his 4th
voicings and improvised lines. If you’ve listened to the classic Coltrane Quartet or any of McCoy’s
extensive discography you’ve heard this sound:

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Augmented 4ths and perfect 4ths voicings:

Throughout this solo McCoy voices dominant chords in stacked 4ths – either from the root of the
chord or the 7th of the chord. For example, over Eb7 he will play Db, G, C and then switch to 4th’s
built on the root (Eb, Ab, Db):

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The tritone interval in the augmented 4th (Db to G) creates more tension while the perfect 4ths are an
open sound that don’t require resolution.

Side-stepping with the left hand:

One reason why McCoy has so much harmonic freedom on a simple blues is that he justifies the lines

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in the right hand with the voicings in his left. After he hits the open 5th in the bass he is free to any
number of harmonic colors or movement with the 4th voicings:

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Go to the piano/keyboard and practice these different voicings for V7 chords

Use a drone to sustain open 5ths and improvise, exploring different harmonies and pentatonic
scales
Record a practice track of either open 5ths or 4ths and improvise with the minor pentatonic
scale
Loop a section of McCoy’s comping in Transcribe! and create a solo over these voicings

2)  Utilizing shapes and patterns within the pentatonic scale

The cool thing about using pentatonic scales and patterns in your musical approach is discovering the
different intervallic possibilities within those 5 notes…

Unlike the whole and half-step sequence of the major scale, the five notes of the
pentatonic scale naturally lend themselves to leaps of minor 3rds, 4ths and 5ths.

Without the harmonic pull of leading tones or the rigid structure of tertian harmony, every note is
essentially equal in relation to the harmony. Because of this, you can focus on shapes, cells, and
patterns with the notes of the pentatonic scale.

Check out how McCoy plays a quartal pattern based on the Bb minor pentatonic scale:

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And study how he uses scale patterns, fragments, shapes, and sequences to create melodic interest
with the pentatonic scale. The line below is a great example of how to combine these concepts
musically:

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There are multiple techniques to be learned from each of these pentatonic lines. Start by taking one
fragment into the practice room and exploring the different possibilities in all 12 keys.

Take a pentatonic scale and play every other note (like a major scale in 3rds) noticing the
inherent intervallic structure, for instance with the Bb minor pentatonic scale:

Try different groupings and changing direction

Or find a pattern that McCoy uses and start by imitating it, learning it in every key:

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Now apply it to to different chords (minor, dominant, 5th of dominant, major, etc.)

3)  Creating harmonic tension with pentatonic scales

McCoy Tyner was a master of creating harmonic tension and release within his own solos and the
harmonic textures he provided behind other soloists.

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Throughout his solo on Blues on the Corner, he utilizes harmonic tension at pivotal points in the
progression to create interest in his musical phrases.

A perfect spot to employ harmonic tension and release in your own solos is over V7 to I motion. In
the blues this happens between the 4th and 5th bar of the progression as the I chord moves to the IV7
chord:

Take a listen to how McCoy creates harmonic tension at this spot as Bb7 resolves to Eb7:

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McCoy creates this effect by utilizing the minor pentatonic from the root, shifting up a half-step to a B
minor pentatonic, and resolving the line through standard ii-V motion:

Another example of this technique occurs in the last two bars of the form leading to the start of

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another chorus. Here he uses a pattern of ascending 4ths, similar to the 3rd and 4th bars of the
melody:

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Finally he uses pentatonic motifs/shapes to navigate quickly moving chord progressions. In the
excerpt below, study how he navigates the chromatic ii-V’s with pentatonic material:

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To navigate this quickly moving chromatic ii-V he utilizes pentatonic movement along with ii-V7
motion:

Practice this technique in your own solos:

Approach common progressions like ii-V’s with pentatonic material

Practice shifting quickly between unrelated pentatonic scales
And try implementing sequences of 4ths to create harmonic and melodic tension

5 notes with unlimited possibilities…

For many players, the pentatonic scale has become predictable…even boring.

But as you can see, in the hands of a musical master the sky’s the limit.

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