F major pentatonic scale on mandolin
The F major pentatonic scale has five notes: F, G, A, C and D (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 | F | G | A | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | 1½ | whole | 1½ |
5 positions to learn it in
The F 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 F 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; F (F) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (F) | Fhome | – |
| 2 (G) | Gsus4the lift | – |
| 5 (C) | Csus4the pull | – |
| 6 (D) | Dmthe shadow | Dm7the shadow |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor pentatonic is the D minor pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from D.
Questions
What notes are in the F major pentatonic scale?
F, G, A, C and D. 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 F major pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: F, Gsus4, Csus4 and Dm, and as seventh chords Dm7. F is home: F is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor pentatonic of the F major pentatonic scale?
The D minor pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from D.
The major pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in F
F majorF minorF minor pentatonicF bluesF DorianF MixolydianF LydianF PhrygianF harmonic minorF melodic minorF 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.