Last month we offered you 3 songs and asked you what linked them. It was a tricky question, in a way, because the answer lies in a connection that isn’t obvious unless you know what to listen for.
We chose those pieces because they demonstrate how music that sounds very different can actually come from a common source, crossing time and space and genres. They are all built on one of the basic elements of music, the Pentatonic Scale.
We call it The Power of Five, since that’s what Pentatonic means.
Here is an entertaining explanation of the Pentatonic Scale. If you’re in a real hurry, just watch the segment from minute 3 to minute 5.
We’ve talked about the Pentatonic Scale before. Remember, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”?
We could give you many surprising examples of songs that share this common heritage. How about “Ole Man River,” for instance?
It might take you a while to be able to recognize it whenever it shows up. But even knowing there is such a thing as a Pentatonic Scale is valuable. When you build your capacity to listen and to understand what you are hearing, you are exercising your whole brain in new ways. You are having an Aha! experience.
We hope more and more of your listening can become Aha! moments that challenge and stretch as well as delight you, because we want you to stay healthy, happy and alert all through your life.
Want to send us your favorite music for the Pentatonic Hit Parade to add to this post?
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