12 scales (including enharmonic equivalents)
C Major Pentatonic Scale
C – D – E – G – A
C# or Db Major Pentatonic Scale
C# / Db – D# / Eb – F – G# / Ab – A# / Bb
D Major Pentatonic Scale
D – E – F# – A – B
D# or Eb Major Pentatonic Scale
D# / Eb – F – G – A# / Bb – C
E Major Pentatonic Scale
E – F# – G# – B – C#
F Major Pentatonic Scale
F – G – A – C – D
F# or Gb Major Pentatonic Scale
F# / Gb – G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C# / Db – D# / Eb
G Major Pentatonic Scale
G – A – B – D – E
G# or Ab Major Pentatonic Scale
G# / Ab – A# / Bb – C – D# / Eb – F
A Major Pentatonic Scale
A – B – C# – E – F#
A# or Bb Major Pentatonic Scale
A# / Bb – C – D – F – G
B Major Pentatonic Scale
B – C# – D# – F# – G#
ANATOMY
Major Pentatonic Scale Formula
The 5 scale degrees that build every major pentatonic scale — in any key.
The major pentatonic is the major scale with two notes removed — the 4th and the 7th. That leaves five notes (degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6) and, crucially, no half-steps. With no adjacent semitones there are no "avoid notes": every tone is consonant over the I chord, which is exactly why the pentatonic is the safest scale for beginners to improvise with.
Applied to C: C – D – E – G – A (drop the F and B from C major). Applied to G: G – A – B – D – E (drop the C and F#). Applied to A: A – B – C# – E – F# (drop the D and G#).
About Major Pentatonic Scales on Guitar
The major pentatonic scale is the five-note backbone of melodic guitar playing. Take any major scale, remove the 4th and 7th degrees, and you are left with five notes that contain no half-steps and no clashing tones — a scale that sounds resolved over almost any major-key backing. On guitar it maps onto the neck in five overlapping box shapes, and because it shares its notes with the relative minor pentatonic (C major pentatonic = A minor pentatonic), learning one box quietly teaches you two scales at once. It is the foundation of country, folk, pop, and the bright side of blues and rock soloing.
- 01Built from 5 notes — scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 of the major scale
- 02Formed by removing the 4th and 7th from the major scale
- 03Contains no half-steps, so every note is consonant
- 04Bright, open, beginner-safe "no wrong notes" sound
- 05Maps onto the guitar fretboard in 5 overlapping box positions
- 06Shares its notes with the relative minor pentatonic
- 0712 unique major pentatonic scales cover every possible root note
Frequently Asked Questions
A major pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees of the major scale. In C that gives C, D, E, G, A. Because it removes the 4th and 7th, it has no half-steps and no clashing notes, making it the most beginner-friendly scale for soloing.
The notes depend on the root. C major pentatonic is C, D, E, G, A; G major pentatonic is G, A, B, D, E; D major pentatonic is D, E, F#, A, B; A major pentatonic is A, B, C#, E, F#. Every major pentatonic follows the same 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 pattern — pick any of the 12 roots above to see and hear its exact notes.
There are 12 major pentatonic scales — one for each note in the chromatic scale: C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, and B. Each contains the same five-note pattern starting from a different root.
The major pentatonic uses scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 — in semitones, 0, 2, 4, 7, 9 from the root. It is the major scale with the 4th and 7th removed.
Major pentatonic uses degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and sounds bright. Minor pentatonic uses degrees 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7 and sounds darker. They are relatives: C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic contain the exact same five notes.
It removes the 4th and 7th degrees — the two notes most likely to clash in a major key — and contains no half-steps. With no adjacent semitones there are no "avoid notes", so every tone is consonant over the I chord.
G major pentatonic (or its relative, E minor pentatonic) and C major pentatonic are great starting points. G has three open strings as scale tones, and both underpin a huge amount of country, folk, and rock.
The major pentatonic is a subset of the major scale — the same scale with the 4th and 7th removed. If you know a full major scale shape, you already contain the pentatonic inside it; just leave out two notes.