In the ABRSM Jazz syllabus it requires playing 3 different pentatonic scales: Major (1,2,3,5,6), minor (1,2,b3,5,6), and something called a flat 3 pentatonic. Specifically, it states "Major pentatonic on F; b3 pentatonic on C; Minor pentatonic on A (five notes)". So what do they mean by a b3 pentatonic? A google search came up empty as well.

Thanks,
Matt

You've got the minor pentatonic wrong...according to Willie Myette's jazz lesson site:

The minor pentatonic is 1, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 7
The flat 3 pentatonic, or bluesy pentatonic, is the blues scale without the tritone, so 1, 2, flat 3, natural 3,5, 6

So C major pentatonic is: C, D, E, G, A
C minor pentatonic is: C, Eflat, F, G, Bflat
C bluesy pentatonic is: C, D, Eflat, E, G, A

So the flat 3 pentatonic is the major pentatonic with the addition of the flat 3 (both flat and natural 3)
And you need to flat the 7 on the minor pentatonic

Hi Kolbi,

a "flat 3 pentatonic scale" could be 1 2 b3 5 6. i.eg. d e f a b.

This scale is derived from a major scale. If you are aware that a major-scale is in reality builded up by 7 fifth on top of eachother ---> f c g d a e b = C Major Scale.

now just take 5 fifth out of this fifth-row and you will recieve a pentatonic scale -->
f c g d a is the F pentatonic scale.

From the same fifth-row f c g d a e b you can also start on the second note to get a pentantonic scale --> c g d a e = C Pentatonic.

Or you start at the thrid note --> g d a e b = G Pentatonic.

But if you start at the fourth note you have to add a note at the end to get 5 notes. This added note at the end will be the same note as at the beginning of the fifth-row --> f

So if you start at the fourth note you'll get --> d a e b f

This is the scale we are looking for. It is called Kumoi. It is a japonese scale. Some people call it also In-Sen, like Mark Levin does.

So it looks like what I originally had for the minor scale is really the b3 scale (1,2,b3,5,6), and the correct minor scale is 1,b3,4,5,b7.

Thanks for the help with this.

Matt