The pentatonic scale: major and minor explained
A pentatonic scale has five notes per octave. The major pentatonic is 1 2 3 5 6 and sounds open and happy. The minor pentatonic is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 and sounds bluesy. Folk songs, rock solos and children's tunes use them all over the world.
The word pentatonic means five tones. A pentatonic scale has five different notes in each octave instead of the seven in a major or minor scale. Dropping two notes makes the scale simpler, easier to improvise with and hard to play wrong, and that is why it turns up in folk music from many cultures, in blues and rock guitar solos, and in the first songs that children sing.
Why only five notes?
A major scale contains two half steps, and those half steps are where the tension lives. The tritone between the fourth and seventh degrees of the scale, and the half-step pulls to the tonic and the third, cause the notes to clash with certain chords. Remove the fourth and the seventh, which are the notes that form those half steps, and the tension goes away. The result is a scale in which almost any combination of notes sounds pleasant over almost any chord from the key.
The major pentatonic scale
The major pentatonic uses degrees 1 2 3 5 6 of the major scale. In C that is C D E G A. The steps are whole, whole, step and a half, whole, step and a half. It sounds open, sunny and relaxed, and a great deal of folk, country and pop melody lives in it.
There is more on this scale on the major pentatonic scale page.
The minor pentatonic scale
The minor pentatonic uses degrees 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. In A that is A C D E G. The steps are step and a half, whole, whole, step and a half, whole. It sounds earthy and strong, and it is the first scale most rock and blues guitarists learn. Its page is minor pentatonic scale.
Major and minor pentatonic are relatives
C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic share exactly the same five notes: C D E G A. They are relatives in the same way as C major and A minor are. Starting the same set on C gives the major sound, and starting on A gives the minor sound. Each major pentatonic therefore has a relative minor pentatonic, found a minor third below, the same as with the full scales. The relative minor page explains that relationship.
The pentatonic scale and the blues scale
Adding one note to the minor pentatonic gives the blues scale: the flat fifth, sometimes called the blue note, goes between the fourth and fifth degrees. In A, that is E♭, which sits between D and E. The blues scale is the next step once the minor pentatonic is comfortable.
Where you hear pentatonic scales
- Folk tunes from Scotland, Ireland, China, West Africa and the Americas.
- Spirituals and gospel songs.
- Rock and blues guitar solos, mostly in the minor pentatonic.
- Children's songs and playground chants.
- Xylophone and Orff instrument music in school classes.
Many school instruments are set up as pentatonic on purpose, so that students can improvise without clashing.
Practice tip: Play only the black keys of a piano, starting on F♯. They form the F♯ major pentatonic scale: F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯. Any tune you make up will sound good.
Pentatonic scales in every key
Pentatonic scales around the world
Pentatonic scales appear in the music of many cultures that developed apart from each other. Folk melodies from Scotland and Ireland, traditional Chinese tunes, West African songs and many Native American songs use five-note scales. Their wide spread has led some writers to treat the pentatonic scale as a kind of natural scale for the human voice, since its notes are easy to sing in tune.
The five notes also make the scale easy to teach. A class can play it on bars or keys with two notes removed, and every combination will sound fine.
One more thing to try
Try this at the piano: hold a low C with your left hand and play the notes C D E G A with your right, in any order and rhythm you like. Then switch to A as the low note and use the same five notes again. The mood changes from bright to dark although no note has changed, which shows how the home note shapes the sound of a scale.
The chart under this text lists the major and minor pentatonic scales in all twelve keys. Each uses notes taken from the matching major or natural minor scale, so if you know the full scale you can find the five notes quickly. The page for each key, such as C major, shows the full scale.
Major pentatonic scale in every key
| Key | Notes |
|---|---|
| C major pentatonic | C D E G A C |
| D♭ major pentatonic | D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭ |
| D major pentatonic | D E F♯ A B D |
| E♭ major pentatonic | E♭ F G B♭ C E♭ |
| E major pentatonic | E F♯ G♯ B C♯ E |
| F major pentatonic | F G A C D F |
| F♯ major pentatonic | F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯ F♯ |
| G major pentatonic | G A B D E G |
| A♭ major pentatonic | A♭ B♭ C E♭ F A♭ |
| A major pentatonic | A B C♯ E F♯ A |
| B♭ major pentatonic | B♭ C D F G B♭ |
| B major pentatonic | B C♯ D♯ F♯ G♯ B |
Minor pentatonic scale in every key
| Key | Notes |
|---|---|
| C minor pentatonic | C E♭ F G B♭ C |
| C♯ minor pentatonic | C♯ E F♯ G♯ B C♯ |
| D minor pentatonic | D F G A C D |
| D♯ minor pentatonic | D♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯ |
| E minor pentatonic | E G A B D E |
| F minor pentatonic | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ F |
| F♯ minor pentatonic | F♯ A B C♯ E F♯ |
| G minor pentatonic | G B♭ C D F G |
| G♯ minor pentatonic | G♯ B C♯ D♯ F♯ G♯ |
| A minor pentatonic | A C D E G A |
| B♭ minor pentatonic | B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ |
| B minor pentatonic | B D E F♯ A B |
Check yourself
1. How many notes does a pentatonic scale have per octave?
Answer: Five. The word means five tones.
2. Which scale degrees are in the major pentatonic?
Answer: 1 2 3 5 6. It leaves out the 4th and 7th of the major scale.
3. Which scale is relative to C major pentatonic?
Answer: A minor pentatonic. They share the same five notes, C D E G A.
4. What is the blues scale?
Answer: Minor pentatonic plus a flat fifth. The added ♭5 is the blue note.