
Now see a shape for the A minor pentatonic scale:Ĭompare these scales (C pentatonic and A minor pentatonic) with the scales of C major and A minor, respectively. The major pentatonic scale contains 5 notes of the major scale, and the minor pentatonic scale contains 5 notes of the minor scale.Ī shape for the C major pentatonic scale can be: The pentatonic scale can be major or minor. If you don’t have a keyboard, don’t worry, we will explain in detail how this scale is formed. There are many shapes for pentatonic scales this example of the black keys was just one that facilitates observation because it is very practical.

Okay, if you’ve never heard the pentatonic scale in your life, go to a keyboard or piano and play the black keys one after the other. The pentatonic scale played back and forth is cool, from front to back it is also cool, from middle to end, from end to beginning, from beginning to middle, cool, cool, cool. Just memorize the pentatonic scale and when you improvise a song on the major tonality, instead of “elaborating” a sentence with the major scale you play the pentatonic scale which is already guaranteed success! Okay, it is a reason for celebration: the pentatonic scale has notes that when played generate a pleasant melody, even if it is only the execution of the scale up and down. When the major scale stops having 7 notes and starts to have 5, it gets the name of Penta. The pentatonic scale chose 5 of these notes and created another scale. We know that the major scale has 7 notes. The concept is very simple: the major pentatonic scale is a collection of notes from the major scale. Today it is not so easy to get rich by playing the pentatonic scale, after all, any beginner musician already learns to use this scale (and usually spends the rest of his life doing just that). A few decades ago, some musicians made millions on just playing that scale.

And it is not difficult to find out why everyone uses this scale to exhaustion: it is easy to do and easy to apply.

The pentatonic scale is the guru of improvisers.
