Major Pentatonic Scale

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The major pentatonic scale is as useful a scale as the minor pentatonic. Just like it's counter part, the major pentatonic is made of five notes that work well on genres from Blues, Rock 'n' Roll to jazz, pop, etc. 

The major pentatonic scale is made of: Root (1), second (2), major third (3), fifth (5) and major sixth (6). So, if you were in the key of C, the notes would be: C, D, E, G, A

Below is a graphic showing what the pentatonic scale looks like on the guitar. The green colour is the root note. So, you simply need to find the root note for the key signature you are playing in and start the scale from there.

Major Pentatonic Scale (Guitar)

Major Pentatonic Scale (Guitar)

This scale is used to improvise solos, create riffs and melodies. The best way to work this scale is to practice playing going up and down the scale in different keys, so that your fingers get used to it. Once you are comfortable with it, you can start improvising with it, playing the notes of the scale with a rhythm and order of your choice. You can try to practice improvising using this blues track below. The Blues is in E, so use E major Pentatonic.

If you have any questions, please contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com