Chapter 10 | Pentatonic Scales

Five notes can give you plenty to say.

A pentatonic scale contains five different notes per octave. Its two most common forms are major pentatonic and minor pentatonic.

These smaller collections of notes give you a manageable place to explore melodies, hear relationships and shape a phrase.

Building the Major Pentatonic Scale

Start with a major scale and leave out the fourth and seventh notes. Keep the first, second, third, fifth and sixth.

Here is the G major scale:

The G major triad—G, B and D—is still inside the scale. The second and sixth provide additional notes for melodic movement.

Fewer Notes, Different Choices

The fourth and seventh can create useful tension. Removing them changes the available colours; it does not automatically make every note you play sound better.

Over a G major progression, try a phrase using only two or three notes. Repeat it with a different rhythm before adding more notes.

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Major Pentatonic on the Guitar

Learn one useful area, then listen for the root.

Read the pattern from the low E string upwards, playing each string’s lower fret first. The pattern covers more than one octave, but it still uses only five different note names.

Make a Phrase Before a Solo

Use just these three notes:

• G: high E string, fret 3.
• A: high E string, fret 5.
• D: B string, fret 3.

Play a short idea, leave a breath, then answer it. Finish one phrase on G and another on A. Listen to the difference.

Now add B at fret 4 on the G string. Over a G chord, B is the major third. Notice how it changes the colour compared with the root.

Move the Pattern

To move this entire shape from G to A, shift every note two frets higher. The low E root moves from fret 3 to fret 5.

Your new notes are A – B – C♯ – E – F♯: A major pentatonic.

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Minor Pentatonic

Change the ingredients, rather than guessing from the shape.

The A minor triad—A, C and E—is inside the scale. The fourth and minor seventh supply the other two notes.

These interval numbers are measured against the major scale built on the same root. Compared with A major, C is the flat third and G is the flat seventh.

Try It Over Am

Strum Am, then play a short idea using these notes:

• A: high E string, fret 5.
• C: high E string, fret 8.
• E: B string, fret 5.

Alternate between the chord and your phrase. Leave space so you can hear how the notes relate to the chord.

Minor pentatonic is a useful starting point for many minor-key melodies and rock solos. To move this box to B minor, shift every note two frets higher. The low E root will be at fret 7.

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The Blues Note

Add a note for colour. Listen to how it moves.

The common six-note minor blues scale adds a flat fifth to minor pentatonic. A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E and G. Add E♭ to get A minor blues.

Hear It Passing Through

On the A string, play frets 5–6–7: D – E♭ – E.

Try the three notes quickly, then pause on E♭. The flat fifth often works as a passing colour. Holding it lets you hear its tension.

Minor Pentatonic Over Major Blues Chords

In blues, minor pentatonic is often used over dominant seventh chords such as A7. Its C natural rubs against the C♯ in A7. Bends, slides and phrasing can make that relationship expressive.

This is a blues practice, not a promise that minor pentatonic will fit every major-key song. Listen to the chord and the style. Major pentatonic may suit the sound better.

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Check Your Understanding

1. How many different notes does a pentatonic scale contain per octave?
2. What are the formulas for major pentatonic and minor pentatonic?
3. D major contains D, E, F♯, G, A, B and C♯. Which notes form D major pentatonic?
4. Build E minor pentatonic.
5. Which three notes of D major pentatonic form the D major triad?
6. Which note is added to E minor pentatonic to make E minor blues?
7. Move the A minor pentatonic box to C minor. Where is the root on the low E string, and how many frets does the pattern move?
8. Does removing notes from a scale guarantee a good melody? What other choices matter?

Playing Task

Create a two-bar phrase using either major or minor pentatonic. Play it twice, changing the rhythm the second time. Finish on the root.

Check your answers

1. Five different notes per octave.
2. Major pentatonic: 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6.
   Minor pentatonic: 1 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭7.
3. D – E – F♯ – A – B. Remove G and C♯, the fourth and seventh.
4. E – G – A – B – D.
5. D – F♯ – A: the root, major third and perfect fifth.
6. B♭, the flat fifth of E. E minor blues is E – G – A – B♭ – B – D.
7. The C root is at fret 8 on the low E string. Move the whole pattern three frets higher from A at fret 5.
8. No. Rhythm, phrasing, repetition, space, articulation and the relationship between your notes and the chords all matter.

Check the Playing Task by Ear

There are many possible answers. Listen for intentional repetition, a changed rhythm that sounds like a variation, and a clear ending on the root. Keep the pulse steady.

Next lesson: Add two notes to minor pentatonic to build the natural minor scale.