Pentatonic scales are very common. The difference to major and minor scales is that pentatonic scale consist of five keys. Major pentatonic scales skip the 4th and 7th keys, while minor pentatonic scales skip the 2nd and the 6th keys.
Pentatonic scales are commonly used in Asian music and, therefore, can remind you of Chinese music, in particular!
Let’s take a look at the major pentatonic scale in all 12 keys:
- C pentatonic: C, D, E, G, A, C.
- C# pentatonic: C#, D#, F, G#, A#, C#
- Db pentatonic: Db, Eb, F, Ab, Bb, Db.
- D pentatonic: D, E, F#, A, B, D.
- Eb pentatonic: Eb, F, G, Bb, C, Eb.
- E pentatonic: E, F#, G#, B, C#, E.
- F pentatonic: F, G, A, C, D, F.
Have a go at playing some pentatonic scales & listen to how the sound is different to major and minor scales!
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