B major pentatonic scale on mandolin
The B major pentatonic scale has five notes: B, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯ (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 | B | C♯ | D♯ | F♯ | G♯ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | 1½ | whole | 1½ |
5 positions to learn it in
The B major pentatonic scale is learnt in five boxes, each two notes a string under the hand, joined end to end up the neck. Start with box 1 and learn one at a time; together they cover the whole fretboard. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the B 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; B (B) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B) | Bhome | – |
| 2 (C♯) | C♯sus4the lift | – |
| 5 (F♯) | F♯sus4the pull | – |
| 6 (G♯) | G♯mthe shadow | G♯m7the shadow |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor pentatonic is the G♯ minor pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from G♯.
Questions
What notes are in the B major pentatonic scale?
B, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. 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 B major pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: B, C♯sus4, F♯sus4 and G♯m, and as seventh chords G♯m7. B is home: B is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor pentatonic of the B major pentatonic scale?
The G♯ minor pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from G♯.
The major pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in B
B majorB minorB minor pentatonicB bluesB DorianB MixolydianB LydianB PhrygianB harmonic minorB melodic minorB Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: mandolin scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.