Major Pentatonic Scales

One of the most often used scales in Rock, Country, Jazz and to a certain extent Blues, the Major Pentatonic scale is very closely related to its cousin, the Major Blues Scale, with only one note difference between them. The Major Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes, and they are arranged as such.

Root – M2nd – M3rd – P5th – M6th

So, for example, a C Major Pentatonic Scale would be spelled with the following notes:

C – D – E – G – A

Because the Major Pentatonic Scale doesn’t have a 7th in it, you can use it to solo over a Major 7th Chord, but also a Dominant 7th Chord, as the 6th over a Major chord produces a M6 sound and over a Dominant chord produces a 7(13) sound, both very cool colors to add to your solos.

The following Major Pentatonic Scales are written out in the key of C, but make sure you practice them in all keys so you have them at your fingertips no matter what key you’re soloing in. As well, you’ll find the stock fingerings for these scales in tons of books and on countless websites, so I’ve decided to give you a different perspective on these scales, laying them out in one octave fingerings, and then combining those fingerings to produce two octave scales.

Major Pentatonic Scales One Octave

******

Major Pentatonic Scales Two Octave

Click to return to the Essential Jazz Guitar Scales Page