24.2 · The Pentatonic Scale

The guitar's home scale

Rotate the major pentatonic to start on its 6th note and you get the minor pentatonic: same five notes, darker home. It's the relative-minor move again, now with five notes. A minor pentatonic is arguably the most-played scale on Earth, because it sits under the fingers of every guitarist in one famous shape.

Same five notes, darker home

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic share every note. Only home changes.

The box

A minor pentatonic on the neck, root A ringed. The shaded window at frets 5 to 8 is 'the box': the whole scale, two notes per string, under one hand. It's the first shape every guitarist memorizes.

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Quiz

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A minor pentatonic relates to C major pentatonic how?

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Add the blue note →