Erykah Badu - “Cleva”
Because there are only 5 black keys for each octave on a keyboard, these will be pentatonic scales meaning they are made up of only 5 notes. Curiously, pentatonic scales were developed independently by many different ancient civilizations and commonly used in folk music from many cultures.
Let’s check out an example of the scale being used by the inimitable Erykah Badu. The studio version of “Cleva” features on Erykah Badu’s second album, Mama’s Gun and was produced by Badu and J Dilla. It also features Roy Ayers performing on the vibraphone.
Start the video above to begin!
Listening notes will appear here as you move through the track.