Trumpet Pro Pentatonic Tonalization
Introduction
Pro Pentatonics is a new book from the constantly growing Total Tonalization Series. It is book number five in the pentatonic series.

Technique in the form of pentatonic scales is most enthusiastically sought after by jazz musicians. Although the scale and its compositional uses are not limited to jazz, the practice of those scales is almost exclusively a "jazz thing." Not only is the pentatonic scale the root of the blues scale, but it is also used to varied degrees by most modern jazz musicians.

That said, there are certain benefits to practicing pentatonic scales that apply to all musicianship. For example, I believe that the best way to begin to learn and understand quartal harmony is via practicing the pentatonic scales. Pentatonic scales are constructed in perfect fourths. Let's look at the C pentatonic as an example:

E - A - D - G - C

Five notes a fourth apart from each other, beginning on E, produces all of the notes of the C pentatonic scale:

C - D - E - G - A

For this reason, the traditional scale patterns come alive with the sound of perfect fourths when applied to the pentatonic scale.

Quartal harmony is not limited to jazz compositions or improvisation. Many musicians since the early twentieth century have written compositions utilizing quartal harmony, and I believe that the first step to understanding those compositions and performing them is in practicing the pentatonic scales.

Aside from the theoretical applications of the pentatonic scale, there are also technical reasons to practice them. The removal of the fourth and seventh scale degrees (the tritone) creates a scale and inherent patterns which become far clumsier to perform than the traditional major scales. The agility and flexibility required offer the diligent practicer an edge over those who do not practice such things.