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how does the pentatonic scale work

by Tina Turcotte PhD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Pentatonic scales contain five notes, which is how it gets its name (Penta=5, tonic = tones). There is a major pentatonic scale and a minor pentatonic scale. The awesome part is that they contain the same note intervals (with differing roots), so the patterns are the same. You just need to learn a new root note.

What are the 5 notes in pentatonic scale?

Unlike the major scale, which is a seven note scale, the major pentatonic scale consists of five notes (“penta” = five, “tonic” = notes). The five notes of the major pentatonic scale are the root, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th intervals of the major scale (the 4th and 7th scale degrees are left out).

What is special about pentatonic scale?

Why does the Pentatonic Scale sound so good? The reason why the pentatonic scale sounds so good is because it has no semitones which means that there is no tension between the notes in the scale.

What makes up a pentatonic scale?

The major pentatonic scale shares five notes with the major scale. The first, second, third, fifth, and sixth notes of the major scale become the five notes in the major pentatonic scale.

What notes are missing in A pentatonic scale?

Look at the intervals in a pentatonic scale, and going up from the root note you'll find a major second, major third, perfect fifth, and major sixth. Both the perfect fourth and the major seventh are omitted in the pentatonic scale, leaving only consonant intervals!

What pentatonic scales should I learn first?

The E minor pentatonic is easy for beginners to learn because it only contains five notes. Better yet, those notes (in the open position) can be played across open strings, and the second and third frets of your guitar.

How do you memorize pentatonic scales?

3:005:461 Weird Trick to Memorizing Pentatonic Patterns | GuitarZoom.comYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThree you see or the uh third position you've got one four one four one four excuse me what am iMoreThree you see or the uh third position you've got one four one four one four excuse me what am i saying one three one three one three and then what do you have after that one four one four.

What pentatonic scale is the key of G?

In the G major pentatonic scale, you will play the seven notes repeated in the G major scale, minus the fourth and seventh note. Similar to the C major, the G major pentatonic scale has no sharps or flats.

Which pentatonic scales go with which chords?

It is hard to go wrong with Pentatonic Scales. They limit themselves to 5 notes that work well over many different chords. The rule is to use Major pentatonic scales over major chords and minor pentatonic scales over minor chords. This works well for most chords.

What famous songs use the pentatonic scale?

Major Pentatonic Scale Songs“Honky Tonk Woman” The Rolling Stones — G major pentatonic.“Wish You Were Here” Pink Floyd — G major pentatonic.“Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd — G major pentatonic.“Centerfold” The J. ... “Cannonball” Duane Eddy — G major pentatonic.“Amazing Grace” Hymn — Any major pentatonic.More items...

Why do guitars have pentatonic scales?

0:0120:55The 5 Pentatonic Scale Shapes - Guitar Lesson - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd they're relatively easy to start improvising.MoreAnd they're relatively easy to start improvising.

1.Pentatonic Scale Guitar - A Guide To The Major & Minor Pentatonic …

Url:https://nationalguitaracademy.com/pentatonic-scale-guitar/

14 hours ago The minor pentatonic scale has two notes less than the minor diatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale has two notes less than the major diatonic scale. Regardless of being major or minor in nature, both of these pentatonic scale guitar shapes work perfectly over genres like blues, rock, country and even pop music.

2.How to Use The Pentatonic Scale (A Complete Guide)

Url:https://www.musicianonamission.com/pentatonic-scale/

2 hours ago  · That will keep your root note of the minor pentatonic scale the same as the major pentatonic scale. But there’s a simpler way… start with a major pentatonic scale (notes: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) and keep the same notes. But instead of starting on the 1, shift the scale down to the 6 (notes: 6, 1, 2, 3, and 5).

3.The Pentatonic Scale: A Complete Guide For Guitar

Url:https://andyrobinetguitar.com/pentatonic-scale/

20 hours ago The pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale hence the name pentatonic, penta is a latin term meaning 5 and tonic means tone or note. Though the pentatonic scale is widely used in many modern forms of music, the pentatonic scale has been around for hundreds if not thousands of years.

4.How to Play the Pentatonic Scale | Beginner Guitar HQ

Url:https://beginnerguitarhq.com/pentatonic-scale/

20 hours ago  · The Major pentatonic scale boxes. Major Pentatonic. The major pentatonic scale works just as the minor pentatonic scale when it comes to understanding and using the scale boxes. If you want to play A-major pentatonic scale all the blue notes has to be A. In the 1st position then it means that the 2nd fret on the scale box would be the 5th fret ...

5.Dickey Betts style lead - Major Pentatonic Scale - EP404 - Active …

Url:https://www.activemelody.com/lesson/dickey-betts-style-lead-major-pentatonic-scale-ep404/

26 hours ago  · Some of these licks use the notes exclusively of the minor pentatonic. Would these therefore be licks and patterns to use in the minor pentatonic? And that fourth…would it work? The extension that I learned and use of the minor pentatonic is 1/3/4 on the second and second and first string while the fourth involves 1/2/4 on the second string ...

6.Guitar Scales - The 6 Most Common Guitar Scales - GuitarOrb.com

Url:https://www.guitarorb.com/guitar-scales/

7 hours ago  · Scale 1: The Minor Pentatonic Scale. A pentatonic scale is a scale that has 5 notes per octave. The minor pentatonic scale is typically the first scale guitarists learn to solo with and is very commonly used to form solos in rock, blues, and other popular styles. The two main positions this scale is played in are: The scale is quick to learn and easy to learn to improvise …

7.The Ultimate Guide to the Pentatonic Scales - EP436 - Active …

Url:https://www.activemelody.com/lesson/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-pentatonic-scales-ep436/

23 hours ago  · This lesson will keep giving and be one great theory resource. The stadium lights came on when explaining why two notes are taken away from the major or minor scale to make the 5 note pentatonic scales. Those notes would then become problematic when improvising in the Key of a song. So that is why the pentatonic scales work so well in any key ...

8.5 Essential Guitar Scales For Beginners | Fender

Url:https://www.fender.com/articles/how-to/5-essential-guitar-scales-for-beginners

30 hours ago A pentatonic scale is an abbreviated five-note scale that is made up of notes based on its corresponding eight-note scale. This isn’t unusual since all pentatonic scales (by virtue of their name, “penta’ means “five” in Greek) contain five notes instead of eight. These shortened scales are great for beginners to learn because it means fewer notes to memorize. Plus, formulating …

9.Guitar Scales Chart - An Essential Tool For Guitarists

Url:https://nationalguitaracademy.com/guitar-scales-chart/

1 hours ago Guitar Scales Chart: The Minor Pentatonic Scale. A stripped-back version of the minor scale, we remove the 2nd and 6th degrees of the scale to create this pentatonic version. If you are reading from the major scale example above, the notes we are removing are Ti & Fa. If you are reading from the minor scale example, it looks like this:

10.Beginner’s guide to the world of scale degrees - Skoove

Url:https://www.skoove.com/blog/scale-degrees/

12 hours ago  · The technical names of a scale degrees The tonic. The tonic is the first degree of the scale. Every scale has a tonic, whether it is the natural minor scale, the A major scale degrees, or the minor pentatonic scale degrees. The tonic note defines the name of the scale and also serves as the tonal center of gravity for the scale. In other words ...

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