Nathaniel School of Music

Improvise Over 7th Chords Using Pentatonic Scales (The Chord-Scale Trick)

To improvise over seventh chords with pentatonics, play the namesake pentatonic for a safe sound, or start a pentatonic a perfect fifth or major second above the root of a major 7 or minor 7 chord, and a perfect fourth or tritone above the root of a dominant 7 chord, for jazzier colours.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 38 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

Key points

What this lesson teaches

This piano lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music flips the usual way of thinking. Instead of building chords from a scale, you start with a chord and ask which scales work over it. To keep it simple, the lesson uses only two five-note scales, the major and minor pentatonic, over three chords: major 7, minor 7 and dominant 7. It suits players who know their major scales and basic triads and want a more sophisticated, jazzy sound. Your left hand holds the chord while your right hand improvises a melody.

Step 1: Build the pentatonic scales

Major pentatonic is 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 of the major scale. A quick way to remember it is to take the major scale and drop the 4th and 7th.

For bluesy colour you can add the flat 3 as a passing note. For flat keys, avoid starting on your thumb; begin with the index finger and work out where the thumb crosses.

Minor pentatonic is 1, b3, 4, 5, b7. C minor pentatonic is C Eb F G Bb. Adding the flat 5 (the blues note) makes it spicier. A fun fact: F# major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic both use only the black keys.

Step 2: Build the seventh chords

Practise all three on C, D and Eb roots.

Step 3: Understand the parent scales

Each chord suggests a bigger scale. Over a major 7 chord the natural 4th (F over C) clashes with the 7th, so players prefer the sharp 4 (sharp 11), giving the Lydian scale. Over a minor 7 chord, the natural 6 sounds better than the flat 6, giving the Dorian scale. Over a dominant 7 the basic choice is Mixolydian, but this chord welcomes altered notes such as flat 9, sharp 9, sharp 11 and flat 13. The 9th, 11th and 13th are the colourful jazz tensions.

Step 4: The pentatonic trick

Over a major 7 chord

  1. Namesake major pentatonic (C over Cmaj7): the normal sound.
  2. Up a perfect fifth (G major pentatonic): adds the 13th, 7th and 9th.
  3. Up a major second (D major pentatonic): brings in the sharp 11 for a Lydian flavour.

So Dmaj7 takes D, A or E major pentatonic; Ebmaj7 takes Eb, Bb or F major pentatonic.

Over a minor 7 chord

Use the same shifts with minor pentatonics: Cm7 takes C, G or D minor pentatonic. D minor pentatonic adds the 13th. Dm7 takes D, A or E minor pentatonic; Ebm7 takes Eb, Bb or F minor pentatonic.

Over a dominant 7 chord

  1. Both the namesake major and minor pentatonic work. Over C7, C minor pentatonic gives a bluesy edge, with Eb rubbing against the chord's E.
  2. Up a perfect fourth (F major pentatonic over C7): a bright sound with the 9th, 11th and 13th.
  3. Up a tritone (F# major pentatonic over C7): an altered sound with b9, #9, #11 and b13. It sounds better if you replace the chord's 5th with a flat 5 or sharp 5.

How to practise

Write out every pentatonic scale and the second, fourth, fifth and tritone above each root so you can find them instantly. Hold each chord in the left hand and improvise freely with each option in the right, listening for which notes are chord tones and which are tensions. The circle of fifths can help you remember the intervals.

Questions about this lesson

What pentatonic scale can I play over a C major 7 chord?

C major pentatonic is the safe choice. For more colour, play G major pentatonic (a fifth up) or D major pentatonic (a second up), which adds the sharp 11 for a Lydian sound.

Which pentatonic works over a minor 7 chord?

Play the namesake minor pentatonic, or minor pentatonics a perfect fifth or major second above the root. Over Cm7 that means C, G or D minor pentatonic.

Can I play a minor pentatonic over a dominant 7 chord?

Yes. Over C7, both C major and C minor pentatonic work, and the minor version gives a bluesy edge.

How do I get an altered sound over a dominant 7 chord with pentatonics?

Play the major pentatonic a tritone above the root, such as F# major pentatonic over C7. It sounds best if you change the chord's 5th to a flat 5 or sharp 5.

Practise it

Related lessons