C Minor Pentatonic Improv

[pure1108]

Something I've always wondered, as a self taught pianist -

When you're playing a Cm to F7 to G progression, and improvising using C minor pentatonic, should you change the notes when you changed chords or should you just keep playing the notes of the c minor pentatonic scale while you played F7 and G?

Thanks!

[dcstudio]

should or should not-- ahhh it's improv...do what sounds nice.

  Why don't you try playing Eb..F..F#..G Bb (B--add this if you  on the G chord) C--try that over Cmin and then over G--the trick is to play them together as a run.

over the F7--  try descending from C-B-Bb-(A)-Ab-G-F-Eb...that makes a nice sprawling 3 octave run if ya play it quickly.   Use a shell voicing of Eb A D--in your left hand (or C instead of D--if the 13th is too harsh sounding.)

over the G--this is just a triad? no extensions?  than feel free to add some.  Since you just played F7--we can assume or adjust that to be a G7--or 9--or 11 if you feel like it. try arpeggiating the chord with some additions--  like G..Bb..B..C..D..F..A (then descend)--Ab--G--and so on.

self-taught improv is rare on this site--as are self-taught pianists.  most of these folks are trying for concert pianist status...and some here will succeed. 

best of luck!  send me a mp3 of what it sounds like

[ajspiano]

Something I've always wondered, as a self taught pianist -

When you're playing a Cm to F7 to G progression, and improvising using C minor pentatonic, should you change the notes when you changed chords or should you just keep playing the notes of the c minor pentatonic scale while you played F7 and G?

Thanks!

You can stick to the pentatonic..   but it limits you a bit. dc has provided a few ideas so I won't give any exact examples...

I'll just say that ultimately..  rather than having 5 notes, or 7 (as in a diatonic scale) to work with there are twelve. The full chromatic scale. Using scales and modes reduces the number of disonant tones you may run into over a progression, which makes things a bit easier..  and/or use of certain scales in certain situations creates a "signature" sound - you know, blues music - blues scale..

in the end, you can have access to everything, but you need to have a feel for when and how to use specific sounds..  start by adding notes to what you know works, use chromatic transitions or notes found in the chord you are currently playing that arent already in the pentatonic scale.