Lesson 112: Dominant Pentatonic: The “McCoy Tyner” Scale.

In this video I’m working on a simple melody derived from a Dominant Pentatonic scale (1,2,3,5,b7,1) often used by McCoy Tyner.

I play the melody over concert C7 chord and ascend by half steps through the keys.

I play the melody slowly over concert C7 at first, so you can figure out the line by ear, just pause and rewind if needed.

This is a nice scale for use over a dominant 7th chord with a natural 9.

If you use the scale a tri-tone away (F# Dominant Pentatonic over C7) it implies an altered dominant sound (#11, #5 b7, b9, 3).

During the melody I try to stay relaxed and balanced as well as using some space or rest between keys.

I often try to remove my left hand from the horn between phrases to help me develop a physical habit which leads to using a little more space.

~Enjoy!