BazzLow
ENIT
Module 12 · Lesson 1

The major pentatonic scale

Build and play the major pentatonic scale and know why it is so "safe".

Before this lesson: 5.3 Major scale fingerings · 4.7 Consonance and dissonance

Fewer notes can be better. A five-note scale is easy to play, and it avoids the notes most likely to clash.

Five notes

Pentatonic means five notes. The major pentatonic is the major scale without its 4th and 7th: 1 2 3 5 6. C major pentatonic is C D E G A.

Removing the 4th and 7th removes the two half steps of the major scale (E–F and B–C) and its tritone (F–B). No two notes clash strongly, so the scale fits over the I chord and many others in the key. Its pattern is W – W – (W+H) – W – (W+H), that is 2-2-3-2-3 frets.

The one-octave shape

With the root on the E or A string, from a root at fret f: on the root string, 1 and 2 (frets f and f+2); on the next string up, 3 and 5 (frets f−1 and f+2); on the next string up, 6 and 8 (frets f−1 and f+2).

TonicThirdFifthSeventh2nd, 4th, 6th
Bass neck, frets 0–12A major pentatonic from the root at fret 5 on the E string, with degree numbers: A B | C♯ E on the A string (frets 4, 7) | F♯ A on the D string (frets 4, 7).DAE345678123568
A major pentatonic from the root at fret 5 on the E string, with degree numbers: A B | C♯ E on the A string (frets 4, 7) | F♯ A on the D string (frets 4, 7).

On the whole neck

TonicThirdFifthSeventh2nd, 4th, 6th
Bass neck, frets 0–12C major pentatonic (C D E G A) on frets 0–12 of all four strings.GDAE0123456789101112GACDEGDEGACDACDEGAEGACDE
C major pentatonic (C D E G A) on frets 0–12 of all four strings.

On the bass, the major pentatonic is a ready-made source of lines over major chords. Its notes are the chord tones 1 3 5 plus the two “colour” notes 2 and 6, which work as passing notes.

Try it

Play the shape above up and down, then improvise a one-bar line over A major using only these notes, ending on A. Move it to C (root at fret 3 on the A string).

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