Pentatonic Dominant

[brihead301]

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So, I learned about this scale a while ago from an instructional dvd. I use this scale for the end solo of the Sublime song "What I got". It seems to fit nicely into that song. But what are some other uses for this scale, and where did it come from?

I guess it's called the Pentatonic dominant scale, because it has the major 3rd, and the minor 7th, so this could be based around the A7 chord. So, since A7 is the V chord of D major, would this be a good scale to use to substitute for D major? Or would this scale be better to use in the key of A major?

For "What I got" which just repeatedly plays the two chords D major and G major, I use the D pentantonic dominant scale, and it sounds very nice.

[kernix]

Well - that's practically a 7 arpeggio - it's exactly a 11th arpeggio for A11 - A-C#-E-G-D - but it doesn't build a IV or V7 chord except for a Dsus - so I don't see it being a good chord for I-IV, D7-G unless it's D7-Gsus

[zog]

That is the Dominant pentatonic scale which is sometimes called the Dominant 7/11 pentatonic scale. As Kernix pointed out it is an A11 arpeggio. To me it is also the A mixolydian scale with 2 notes missing which means I guess you could use it like a regular mixolydian scale.

[JonR]

It would be good for a 7sus4 chord.
The 4th is normally an avoid note on a dom7 chord (not a note you would want to stress or hold on to), so to use it as part of a pentatonic it should probably be part of the chord.
It sounds better to have a major 3rd as a held note on a 7sus4 chord than it does to have a 4th (or 11th) as a held note on a dom7. So - all other things being equal - this scale would suit a 7sus4 more than a dom7.

A better pentatonic for a plain dom7 would be 1-2-3-6-b7 (IOW, with the 2nd/9th instead of the 4th).

Alternatively (as I mentioned on another thread, forget the root and go for the "b3 pent" from the 5th. As scale notes measured from the root, that would be 2-3-5-6-b7 (no "1").
On a G7 chord, that means A-B-D-E-F. (Known as "D b3 pent", D-E-F-A-B.)

But so much of this kind of choice depends on the tune and style of music. In rock, this 1-3-4-5-b7 pent might well be the best choice.
(a) If the chord is a power chord, the 4th isn't an "avoid note" (because there is no 3rd).
(b) And even if it is a major triad (or dom7), sus4s and add4s are such a common sound the 4th won't sound out of place; and can easily be resolved down to the 3rd anyway.

[brihead301]

I like the sounds of some of these other pentatonics that you mention here Jon. I will have to give them a try, thanks. And thanks to the others on thier input.