Major pentatonic
The bright side of the pentatonic: five notes with a happy, open sound, all over country, folk and pop. And the same shape as the minor one, shifted.
What it is
The major pentatonic starts from the major scale and drops two notes: the fourth and the seventh. Its formula is 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.
In C, that gives you: C, D, E, G, A.
The sound
Happy, open, with no tension at all. It’s the sound of country and folk solos, and of lots of pop melodies. It works over major chords and songs in a major key; over a minor chord, it sounds wrong.
Same shape as the minor
Compare the C major pentatonic and the A minor pentatonic: they’re exactly the same notes. The only thing that changes is the note you lean on, in orange.
High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.
High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.
In practice: if you know the minor pentatonic positions, you already know the major one. To play the major pentatonic of a note, play the minor pentatonic three frets lower. G major uses the E minor shapes, C major the A minor shapes.
Where to start
Pick a key you already know the chords for, like G or C. Play its major pentatonic over those chords, ending your phrases on the root.
In all 12 keys
| Scale | Notes |
|---|---|
| C major pentatonic | C, D, E, G, A |
| D♭ major pentatonic | D♭, E♭, F, A♭, B♭ |
| D major pentatonic | D, E, F♯, A, B |
| E♭ major pentatonic | E♭, F, G, B♭, C |
| E major pentatonic | E, F♯, G♯, B, C♯ |
| F major pentatonic | F, G, A, C, D |
| F♯ major pentatonic | F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯, D♯ |
| G major pentatonic | G, A, B, D, E |
| A♭ major pentatonic | A♭, B♭, C, E♭, F |
| A major pentatonic | A, B, C♯, E, F♯ |
| B♭ major pentatonic | B♭, C, D, F, G |
| B major pentatonic | B, C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ |