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The Major Pentatonic Scale | Guitar Lesson & Diagrams

The major pentatonic scale is a five-note musical scale derived from the major scale and widely used in many genres of music.

How is Built The Major Pentatonic Scale?

As its name implies the major pentatonic scale is made up of five notes, "penta" means five and "tonic" means notes.

It is built with a tonic (1), major second (2), major third (3), perfect fifth (5) and sixth (6).

C major pentatonic scale C D E G A
Formula 1 2 3 5 6
Intervals W W W+H W W+H

Comparison With The Major Scale

The major pentatonic scale is taken from the major scale (aka Ionian mode), it has no fourth (4) and no seventh (7). 

Major pentatonic scale 1 2 3 X 5 6 X
Major scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Major scale vs major pentatonic

What is The Relative Minor?

In jazz music the two most played pentatonic scales are the major and the minor pentatonic scales.

These two scales are interconnected, they are built with the same notes.

The guitar positions are the same only the root position is different. 

As you can see in the examples below, the minor pentatonic scale starts on the sixth of the major pentatonic scale.

A minor pentatonic is the relative minor scale of C major pentatonic. 

Relative minor pentatonic scale
Major pentatonic scale and relative minor

One Octave Shapes

The four one-octave shapes show you how to play the major pentatonic scale on guitar.

The diagram 1 has tonic note on the sixth and fourth string.

The shape 2 have the tonic on the fifth and third string.

The third form have the tonic on the fourth and second string whereas the fourth shape have the tonic on the G and E string.

Major pentatonic scale guitar

Two Octave Shapes

These two neck diagrams show how to cover the six strings of the guitar with the major pentatonic scale.

Be sure to play them in twelve keys.

Major pentatonic scale shapes for guitar

5 Positions

Here are the five positions of the major scale starting on each degree (1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6) of the major pentatonic scale.

Major pentatonic scale guitar chart

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Last edited: 2024-06-15

Comments

  • Jeffrey Boyle

    1 Jeffrey Boyle On 2024-06-15

    Very nice website. Is there a way to get some major pentatonic licks in this page?
    Thx
    jEFF
    jazz-guitar-licks

    jazz-guitar-licks On 2024-06-15

    Hello , I will put some major penta lick asap. In the meantime you can find some in the PDF methods available on the website.
    Thanks

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