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Home > Guitar Scales > Major Pentatonic Scale

The Major Pentatonic Scale
Unbox the major pentatonic scale on guitar

By the end of this lesson you'll know how to play the major pentatonic scale right across the guitar fretboard, and you'll be ready to try your own ideas over the backing tracks. First though, we need to get to know the notes/tones of major pentatonic and how they work over chords.

Major pentatonic, similar to its minor counter-part, contains just 5 tones and is used in most genres of music. It's a simple and accessible major scale, works over all types of major chord and can be mixed with other major scales in your music for variety.

So without further ado...

Major pentatonic scale - the basic pattern

Let's start with the "boxed" pattern. We can expand out of this box later on.

The most practical way to see major pentatonic at first is as a cut-down version of the fuller major scale. Here's a common boxed major scale pattern from which we'll draw the notes of major pentatonic in a minute:

Major Scale boxed pattern

The lowest root note lies on the E string. Since major pentatonic consists of only 5 notes, we'll need to cut that fuller major scale down to the 5 most important notes. A major triad consists of the tones - 1, 3 (major 3rd) and 5, so these should be included to keep that major flavour.

Major pentatonic scale

So we've cut out the 4th and 7th tones of the major scale (those tones aren't as "neutral" as the other tones over all types of major chord). Again, the 1 is the root note and wherever this lies, that is the key of the scale. For example, if the root was the note A, the scale would be A major pentatonic.

Here's a suggested fingering for the above pattern:

Major pentatonic fingering

We can also build a major pentatonic pattern from an A string note (e.g. to conveniently play around chords with an A string root note):

Major pentatonic with A string root

Now we know the main boxed patterns, let's try some exercises to get thinking about moving around the scale in interesting ways.

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Major pentatonic tab exercises

As we should know by now, major pentatonic works over major chords and major-key chord progressions.

Rather than just playing the scale in sequence, from root note to root note, you should try skipping around the scale and find interesting phrasings and hooks. Move up and down the scale, vertically and horizontally.

Some of the techniques we can use for playing around scales were covered in the minor pentatonic lesson, such as "call and response", runs and staggered patterns. We can apply exactly the same techniques to major pentatonic.

Let's focus some more on the different types of phrases we can draw from major pentatonic. We'll play in the key of B for this.

Here's an interesting pattern to try working up the scale:

Major pentatonic run

Also experiment with string skipping, which is where you jump over a string to get to the next note in the sequence. In the following sequence, we're working down the scale:

Major pentatonic string skipping

This is great exercise for those fingers! You'll need to start out slow and use a metronome to gradually build up speed.

I've shown you just 2 examples there, out of a near infinite number of combinations, so experiment with your own string skipping and staggered pentatonic patterns. You can try your ideas over the backing tracks later on this page if you want.

The big major pentatonic picture

Just as we did in the minor pentatonic lesson, let's extend that boxed scale pattern either side to give us some more freedom for movement across the scale. First, know the order of tones in major pentatonic. We know from earlier that those are, with 1 being the root note and 3 as the major 3rd:

1 2 3 5 6 1 2 etc.

It's also useful to learn the intervals between these notes so you know how to get to the next note no matter where you are.

We're in the key of B major (due to the root notes being B) here:

Tip: It's a good idea to learn the relationship between intervals in the scale. For example, the root - 3rd interval has a distinct sound, as does the 5th - root interval.

Notice how the A string boxed pattern we looked at earlier would link onto the ends of that large pattern - find where the A string root note lies (which will again be the note B) if you're unsure.

Don't just see it as scales stuck together, try to see it as one big scale. Look at the tones across individual strings and learn what interval pattern is created on each. This will soon get your brain out of "box mode" and into free-flow mode. You'll then be able to create runs and use techniques such as slides over a larger fretboard area. More on this in the final part.

Incidentally, because all the root notes land on the note B in the diagram above, that's the key this whole scale will be in. To change key just shift the whole pattern up or down the neck, based on the new root note positions.

See if you can link up the end of that pattern with the beginning, knowing that the 12th fret notes are the same as the open string notes, just an octave higher. Fret 14 notes will be the same as fret 2, fret 17 the same as fret 5 etc.

Major pentatonic backing tracks

Ok, let's put our newly found knowledge into practise over some chord progressions. Below are a selection of major key backing tracks over which major pentatonic will be compatible.

Just a recap on what to think about when crafting your own solos:

Don't just wander up and down the scale in sequence. Skip, run and phrase your movements. Listen to how each tone of major pentatonic compliments (or not) the backing music.
Think about highlighting chord changes in the backing tracks. When the chord changes from that root/tonic major chord, major pentatonic may still be compatible, but think about the landing notes you can use within the scale to highlight that change.
Experiment! Trial and error. Trust your ears as to what sounds good and what sounds crap.

Enjoy!

Download/Play	Key	E string root note	A string root note
Click here >	A	Fret 5, Fret 17	Fret 12
Click here >	C	Fret 8, Fret 20	Fret 3, Fret 15
Click here >	F	Fret 1, Fret 13	Fret 8, Fret 20
Click here >	G	Fret 3, Fret 15	Fret 10

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