Scales › major pentatonic

major pentatonic scale

open major pentatonic

major pentatonic on the guitar: the fretboard diagram

Here is the major pentatonic scale laid out across the whole neck, from fret 0 to fret 15. The guide tones (3rd and 7th) are highlighted — they're what makes the scale's color sing. Use the key selector above to shift the shape along the neck and find the positions in your key.

What color?

Major stripped of its half steps (3, 5, 13, 9): five fully consonant notes, with no avoid note, of an open, singable clarity. A universal tool for safe, melodic lines over any major context.

Origin & history

The "bright" five-note scale, omnipresent in the folk musics of the world (Celtic, Chinese, African, gospel). Without a half step, it contains no dissonance.

Listen

• "Amazing Grace"
• "My Girl" — The Temptations

Which chords to play it on?

The jazz consensus (Aebersold) recommends it on:

Try it in a real chart

Paste a chord chart into the tool: Pentania tells you, chord by chord, when this scale fits — and what other colors are open to you. Open the tool →