'From the Middle'
Pentatonic Diaries 01-03-16

This riffs drills the chromatic pentatonic #4/b5 by starting melodic figures on that tone.

The workbook MS shows the riff played in G and A minors.

• Note the swing quavers marking.
• Learn the right hand fingering pattern – RH2 on #4 to go up, RH4 on b
  5 to go down.
• Watch out for the clef and key changes in the music – read along with the video MidiPiano performance to see how the written music relates.

Transposing

The on-page video also shows the study transposed into D and E minors – simpler because both are all-white-key. You should aim to be able to play this riff in C and F as well – that covers all the white-tonic pentatonic minors.

You could then play versions in C and D minors and in F and G minors.

Half-way house performance

Darting up and down the keyboard in both hands as in this study is a challenge in itself. Knowing just what you have to do and setting off in time is the secret.

If the movement really baffles you, move just one hand and play the other within a single octave.

Variation

Here’s a variation that invented itself when Mister Musicarta took the advice above. It's in G and A minors.

Practising your pentatonic riffs will nearly always throw up variations, if you're listening out for them.