Editing Jazz scale (section)

==Pentatonic scales==
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
{{Main article|Pentatonic scale}}{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1">
{
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' {
  \clef treble \key c \major \time 5/4
  c4^\markup { "C major pentatonic scale" } d e g a c2
} }
</score>

<score sound="1">
{
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' {
  \clef treble \key c \major \time 5/4
  a4^\markup { "A minor pentatonic scale" } c d e g a2
} }
</score>|width=300|caption=The white-note major and minor pentatonic scales}}Two pentatonic scales common to jazz are the ''major pentatonic scale'' and the ''minor pentatonic scale''. They are both [[musical mode|mode]]s of one another.

The major pentatonic scale begins with a [[major scale]] and omits the fourth and the seventh [[scale degree]]s. The minor pentatonic scale uses the same notes as the major pentatonic scale, but begins on the sixth scale degree of the corresponding major scale. In this nomenclature, [[minor scale|minor]] is employed in the sense of [[relative key]], as the diatonic A minor scale is the relative minor of the diatonic C major scale.

Jazz improvisers, particularly bassist and guitarist, use these scales in a number of interesting ways. For example, over B{{Music|flat}}maj<sup>7{{music|sharp}}11</sup>, one can use a major pentatonic based on the 2nd scale degree of B{{Music|flat}} (C–D–E–G–A) to imply 9–3–{{music|#}}11–13–7, respectively. Similarly, over a fully altered F{{Music|sharp}}<sup>7</sup> chord, one can use the same major pentatonic, this time based on the tritone (C–D–E–G–A) to imply {{music|b}}5–{{music|b}}13–{{music|b}}7–{{music|b}}9–{{music|#}}9, respectively.