A major pentatonic scale on banjo
The A major pentatonic scale has five notes: A, B, C♯, E and F♯ (1 2 3 5 6). The major scale without its 4th and 7th: sweet and open. Country, pop and Southern rock solos live here; its boxes are the minor pentatonic's, moved down three frets.
| Note | A | B | C♯ | E | F♯ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | 1½ | whole | 1½ |
3 positions to learn it in
Each stretch here is a few frets you can play without moving the hand: the open position, then from the root on the lowest string. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A major pentatonic scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A (A) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A) | Ahome | – |
| 2 (B) | Bsus4the lift | – |
| 5 (E) | Esus4the pull | – |
| 6 (F♯) | F♯mthe shadow | F♯m7the shadow |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor pentatonic is the F♯ minor pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from F♯.
Questions
What notes are in the A major pentatonic scale?
A, B, C♯, E and F♯. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 5 6, and the steps between its notes are W W W+H W W+H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A major pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: A, Bsus4, Esus4 and F♯m, and as seventh chords F♯m7. A is home: A is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor pentatonic of the A major pentatonic scale?
The F♯ minor pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from F♯.
The major pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in A
A majorA minorA minor pentatonicA bluesA DorianA MixolydianA LydianA PhrygianA harmonic minorA melodic minorA Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: banjo scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and mandolin.