Several people wanted to know how I figured out some pentatonic 
relationships. On secret is to read a ton of stuff, and then trying to expand 
the concepts. I read somewhere that playing a pentatonic something like a 
fourth over the intended scale leads to a lydian scale. I then tried to 
figure what a pentatonic over other intervals would sound like. However my 
biggest trick is my keyboard/scale sheet I made. 

One trick that I recommend is to take two sheets of normal paper and have 
both sheet long-to-long end over lap by about an inch and a half. Staple the 
sheets together and cover one side with duct tape to make it somewhat rigid. 
With a pencil draw a line dividing 3/4 of the sheet from 1/4. The 
three/forths side draw a fairly realistic piano keyboard stating with C and 
ending with C with one C in the middle. Two octaves. With the mock keyboard, 
it can be easier to see chords and count steps. On the smaller divide make a 
grid with the major scale going accross and the keys going down. the verticle 
axis will be from top to bottom C,Db,D,Eb to B and the horizional axis will 
be for C: C D E F G A B C, on down to B. I also put the whole-tone scale: C D 
E F# G# A# and C# D# F G A B, as well as the two diminished scales, C C# D# E 
F# G A# , and C D D# F F# G# A B C. Luckily the two whole-tones and two 
diminished scales are one size fits all, so one just has to derive the twelve 
major keys and two whole=ton and two diminished. Since this is a banjo forum, 
make a representation of a banjo neck in place of the keyboard as well. The 
real secret is to carry these two contructions with you on long trips such as 
airplane flights. I got more millage out of my keyboard mock up. The keyboard 
part is good to visualize certain chords like diminished, and the scale side 
is good for unlocking scale relations and voicings. 

Ron Frashure 1/17/00