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Compiling global examples of music in the Minor Pentatonic Scale

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1-b3-4-5-b7

(C-E^b-F-G-B^b)

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• Minor Pentatonic: Sounds •

Real-world examples of the scale in action:

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• General:

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• India: Matches the North Indian Raag Dhani, although the Minor Pentatonic sequence is more often heard as the ascending form of the afternoon Raag Bhimpalasi (which adds a Dorian-congruent ♮6 and ♮2 in descent, typically ornamenting these new tones with the b7 and b3 immediately above). Known in South Indian Carnatic music as Suddha Dhanyasi, as well as the overlapping Udayaravichandrika.

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—Emperor’s Mare (China)—

Jie-Bing Chen, Béla Fleck, & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (erhu/banjo/mohan veena)

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Q

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• Minor Pentatonic: More •

Features, classifiers, quirks, etc…

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[analysis: coming soon]

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—Classifiers & Quirks—

• Modes: Pentatonic set (Major Pent.; Suspended Pent.; Phrygian Pent.; Scottish Pent.; Minor Pent.)
• Quirks: Anhemitonic; Atritonal; Maximal; Reflectional symmetry (imperfect: ♮5; detached: none)
• Names: Minor Pentatonic, ‘Aeolian Pentatonic’ (Western); Dhani (Hindustani); Suddha Dhanyasi (Carnatic)

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n.b. For more detailed geometric and mathematical analysis, refer to this scale’s entry in Ian Ring’s fantastic Exciting Universe of Music Theory project (for which I am an occasional ‘raga consultant’)

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