Little Wing and Pentatonics: Establishing Chord–Scale Relationships

Ed Levy
10 hours ago
2 min read

Happy New Year 2026!

It’s going to be a swingin’ great year. I haven’t knocked out a post in a while, and what better way to start than in the new year with some Hendrix.

One of the most effective ways to approach Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing is through pentatonics. While the tune offers plenty of harmonic color, its largely diatonic nature makes it an ideal progression for learning how scales relate directly to chords.

The first step is identifying which pentatonic scales work over each chord.

In the accompanying etude, each chord is followed by its corresponding pentatonic scale. Because the progression is mostly diatonic, very little needs to change from chord to chord—often just a single note adjustment within the same fingering area.

Technically speaking, the scales are generally positioned where the chord sits on the instrument. This keeps the focus on hearing harmony rather than jumping around the neck. Think of this as a first exercise in establishing clear chord–scale relationships and learning how small note changes redefine the sound of a chord.

Listening focus:

As you play through the progression, listen for how a single note change reshapes the harmony. The goal isn’t to hear a “new scale,” but to hear the chord clearly redefined while your hand position stays largely the same.

There are many possible pentatonic choices in this tune, but the ones used here are the most fundamental and do the best job of outlining the harmony.

Pentatonic Choices Over the Progression

Over Em7, G, and Am7, we’ll use E minor pentatonic:
E – G – A – B – D
The first scale change occurs over Bm7.
Here, we simply change G to F♯, giving us B minor pentatonic:
B – D – E – F♯ – A
The same parallel minor pentatonic approach is used over the B♭m7 and Am7 that follow.
Over the remaining major chords (G, F, C, D), we’ll switch to the corresponding major pentatonic for each chord.

Little Wing- Pentatonics__Identifying

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This progression is an excellent environment for developing time, phrasing, and harmonic awareness. There are plenty of opportunities to add color tones or tensions later on, but for now the goal is to get these sounds solidly under your fingers.

Practice slowly at first, aiming for even time and consistent articulation. As this becomes comfortable, work toward playing steady 16th notes straight through the chord changes, allowing the harmony to shift beneath a continuous rhythmic flow.

We’ll be expanding on this concept—and pushing it much further (rhythmically, harmonically, phrasing) —in the New Year’s Bebop Scale Bootcamp. You can sign up for this session individually or join the membership for highly discounted tickets to all upcoming workshops and courses. This is where your scales start functioning musically rather than mechanically.