Piano Improvisation: 3 Ways to Use the Pentatonic Scale

To improvise with the pentatonic scale on piano, build it by dropping the 4th and 7th from the major scale (or the 2nd and 6th from the natural minor), play it in the right hand, and move the left hand through root notes taken from the parent scale.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 19 min

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What this lesson teaches

This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music covers the two main pentatonic scales, the major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic. It shows how to form them and then gives three practical ways to improvise with them, plus a bonus on left-hand riffs. It suits players who have just started as well as those who have played for a while and want a friendly way into improvisation.

The pentatonic scale is behind countless catchy melodies and iconic riffs. Melodies usually sit around middle C and above, while riffs and bass lines live lower, in the bass clef, much like a bass player or a guitarist on the low strings.

Forming the pentatonic scales

Penta means five, so a pentatonic scale is a five-note scale. You take a seven-note parent scale and remove two notes. The lesson uses the key of E.

Major pentatonic

Start with E major: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#. Remove the 4th (A) and the 7th (D#). That leaves E, F#, G#, B, C#. Play it up and down. A thumb crossing helps you move smoothly past the skipped note.

Minor pentatonic

Start with E natural minor: E, F#, G, A, B, C, D. Remove the 2nd (F#) and the 6th (C). That leaves E, G, A, B, D.

While playing either scale, keep the root E in the left hand. The bass note gives the melody context and harmonic drive.

Way 1: Left-hand bass exploration

Keep improvising freely in the right hand on the pentatonic scale. Then change the left-hand single note to tell a story. The left-hand notes come from the parent scale, not from the pentatonic.

• Over E major pentatonic: try E (I), A (IV), B (V) and C# (vi). Progressions such as I–vi–IV–V (E, C#, A, B) or the pop progression I–V–vi–IV (E, B, C#, A) work well.
• Over E minor pentatonic: try E, C (the flat 6th), D (the flat 7th) and A. C is not in the minor pentatonic, but it is in the parent minor scale, so it works in the bass. The D gives an epic, rock sound.

No chords are needed yet. Single bass notes, perhaps with some rhythm, are enough to make the same melody feel like it is on a journey.

Fingering tip: avoid relying too much on the ring finger and pinky when you run out of notes. Cross the thumb instead. Save the ring finger and pinky for the last note of a phrase.

Way 2: Improvise with singing

The pentatonic scale is very singable. Sing a short melody first, then find it in the right hand on the pentatonic scale. Sung melodies come with a natural rhythm, so they turn out catchy. Then let the left hand move through parent-scale notes under the melody, so even a repeated tune does not sound monotonous.

Way 3: Patterns in threes

Take three neighbouring notes of the scale and build a little pattern around them. On E minor pentatonic, start with E, G, A. Then shift up and play the same shape from the next note, and keep going up the scale, or come down the same way. To turn the pattern into a lick, do not make every note even. Leave gaps and vary the rhythm.

Bonus: Left-hand riffs

Hold something very simple in the right hand, such as an E minor chord (E, G, B). Then build a low riff in the left hand from the E minor pentatonic. Think like a rock guitarist; bands such as Nirvana and Metallica are riff-focused rather than chord-focused. You can also try the riff in both hands.

How to practise

1. Play the E major and E minor pentatonic scales up and down with the root in the left hand.
2. Improvise in the right hand while changing left-hand bass notes from the parent scale.
3. Sing short phrases and copy them onto the keys.
4. Run three-note patterns up and down, then add gaps to make licks.
5. Hold an E minor chord and experiment with low left-hand riffs.

Questions about this lesson

How do I form a major pentatonic scale?

Take the major scale and remove the 4th and 7th notes. In E, that turns E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# into E, F#, G#, B, C#.

How is the minor pentatonic scale formed?

Remove the 2nd and 6th notes from the natural minor scale. E natural minor becomes E, G, A, B, D.

Which left-hand notes can I play while improvising with the pentatonic scale?

Use notes from the parent scale. Over E major pentatonic, try E, A, B and C#. Over E minor pentatonic, try E, C, D and A, even though C is not in the pentatonic itself.

How can I turn the pentatonic scale into licks?

Play groups of three neighbouring scale notes and move the group up or down the scale. Then break up the even rhythm with gaps so the pattern becomes a lick.

Practise it

• Solfa StudioPractise scales, solfège and swaras with visual and musical context.
• PendulumExplore accents, subdivisions, scale patterns and chord movement with Western, Hindustani or Carnatic note names.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• Beginner Piano Exercises That Actually Sound NiceThree musical beginner piano exercises from Jason Zac: repeat E G# A B over changing left-hand bass notes, improvise grooves on the E minor pentatonic over a steady pulse, and pair each note of the Ab major scale with the diatonic third below it in the left hand.
• How to Create a Blues Solo on Piano (Scales and Phrasing)To create a blues solo on piano, form the major blues scale (major pentatonic plus the minor third) or the minor blues scale (minor pentatonic plus the tritone), then build a short, singable motif from it and play it, and smaller pieces of it, over the 12-bar blues.
• How to Write a Melody on Piano Using the Pentatonic ScalesTo write a melody over a chord progression on piano, build the major pentatonic (scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6) or its relative minor pentatonic, then create tunes from mechanical note patterns, by singing phrases and playing them back, and by repeating a short motif that fits every chord.
• The Only Left-Hand Piano Arpeggio You Need (Works on Any Song)Play each left-hand chord as low, high, middle, high in steady eighth notes (two cycles per bar), use inversions so the chords move smoothly, and then improvise a right-hand melody using chord tones, the pentatonic scale, singing, or small scale shapes.