The major pentatonic scale is five notes taken from the major scale: the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. In C that’s C, D, E, G and A. On guitar you can play it from the shape you already know as A minor pentatonic, as long as you hear C as the center instead of A.
One of my biggest regrets playing and learning music is not paying attention to this simple scale. I checked out the minor pentatonic, like probably a lot of you, but for me major pentatonic was just a random word. This lesson goes from singing the notes, to one string, to a position, to soloing with lines and double stops over two chords.
What notes are in the major pentatonic scale?
Five notes: the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the major scale. Penta means five. In C major, that’s C, D, E, G and A. You leave out the 4th and the 7th of the major scale, F and B.
In the video I’m playing over a little bass line and two chords in the key of C major: C major 7/6 going to F major 7/6. Simple. The first thing we do is sing the scale note by note. Sing the C. Really simple, right? I’m doing it because I want to feel the relationship with each one of the notes. Music is all about tension and release, so we want to feel every note in relation to the center.
You don’t need to be an opera singer. I’m just trying to match my voice with the sound so I can feel it and hear it. As you sing each note, ask yourself what it makes you feel. You can use solfège or just letters. Either one is totally fine.
How do you play the major pentatonic on one string?
Start on a C and walk the five notes up a single string. Before we do it in position, I want to challenge us to see it on one string, because there you can really see the spacing of the scale visually.
I do it on the B string first, because we have a C right there. From C it’s a whole step, a whole step, then up to the 5th, then to the 6th, and then another minor 3rd back to the 1. Then do it on a different string, just for the exercise. I do it on the G string next. You can play it in time or even loosely.
When I’m playing it, I’m thinking about the relationship to the center (five, six, one, two, three) and at the same time I’m aware of the note names. It’s like asking whether this thing is a piece of wood or a guitar. The answer is yes. It’s both. In the same way, I try to see each note in a few ways: its relationship to the center, its name and the feeling it gives me.
Which position should you learn first?
Learn the one you already know. The shape I use in the video is the one you probably know as the A minor pentatonic position. Same five notes, but I don’t want the A minor. I want to see major, so I see it literally from C.
C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic share exactly the same notes. That’s why this works. Knowing it’s an A position isn’t bad, because A is part of the scale. But you need to drop the A in a sense and feel C as the center. That’s how we hear and feel the relationships within the center.
Play it in time, in eighth notes and maybe triplets. Framework is crucial with anything we learn. If the shapes and where things are aren’t easy, your CPU works overtime trying to figure them out, and you’ll probably lose the time or won’t be able to focus on the emotional side of the sound. It’s like learning a language and thinking about how to conjugate every verb. It takes time and it’s a process, and that’s fine. We all know we want to speak the language of music, so we take our time.
How do you solo with the major pentatonic?
Start on one string, keep it simple, and repeat your ideas so they’re clear and locked in time. Then let yourself use the whole position. After that, mix in the minor pentatonic and add double stops.
- One string, repeated. I play a little phrase twice. I’m not sure it’s the greatest line of my life, but it’s in time and it’s clear. Then another one. Finding a line you like is a process, so try changing the last note, or the last two notes, and feel the pauses.
- The full position. Now allow yourself to use the position we just talked about.
- Mix in the minor pentatonic. At one point I slide from E flat to D, which hints at the minor pentatonic. On this progression C minor pentatonic is a little more crunchy, and it’s definitely cool. I’m just moving between C blues and C minor pentatonic and then going back to the major pentatonic. It’s not complicated.
- Add double stops. Double stops, or dyads, are two notes at once. In the position, grab two notes that are basically thirds in the major pentatonic. Play them melodically first, one after the other, slowly and in time. Then play them harmonically, two notes together.
Double stops were something I was always really into, but I never knew how to do them. They sounded really cool and I didn’t understand how they worked. One way to internalize them is to learn the grid, see it, hear it and sing it. The other way is to bring it to the playground and try stuff out. So I play a line and contrast it with a double stop, sort of like question and answer.
In the video I make a mistake doing this. I land on a B where it needed to be a C. It’s not wrong with the chords, but for our scale it should have been C, so I play it again. That’s part of the lesson too.
We make a mistake and that mistake triggers us to learn better.
Rotem Sivan
We can all make mistakes and it’s totally fine, as long as you know what you’re doing and then you correct it. This is the process of learning.
A practice idea for today
Loop two chords, C major 7 to F major 7, like the progression in the video. Sing C, D, E, G and A against it and notice how each note feels. Play the scale on the B string, then on the G string. Move to the shape you know as A minor pentatonic and play it in eighth notes while hearing C as home. Then solo on one string, repeating each phrase twice before you change it. Finish with a few thirds as double stops, answering each line with two notes together.
Another simple thing that really helps you stop judging yourself: close your eyes for a second and say, okay, let me just listen. This is how the G feels. Then keep going. I would do all of this in a few positions, mapping the scale as much as possible and taking your time. If you want to go further across the neck, the pentatonic scale challenge for all five positions is a good next stop, and the blues scale lesson covers the minor side of that crunchy sound.
If you feel stuck in one pentatonic box, Solo Vision is built for you: hear each sound, sing the note names, and work the position through double stops, three-note groupings and legato. And if you want the whole neck mapped on purpose, Unlocking the Fretboard covers the C major scale in five positions and the A minor pentatonic in all five positions.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between the major and minor pentatonic?
They can share the same five notes and still sound different, because the center changes. C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are both C, D, E, G and A. Hear C as home and it’s major. Hear A as home and it’s minor.
Can I use the A minor pentatonic shape to play C major pentatonic?
Yes. It’s the same position. The work is in your ears: drop the A in a sense, start from C, and feel C as the center. Sing the notes over the chords so you feel each one in relation to C.
Can you mix major and minor pentatonic in one solo?
Yes. Over C major 7 to F major 7, I move between C major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic or C blues, then come back to the major. The minor side sounds a little more crunchy. A slide from E flat to D is one way to hint at it.
How do you play double stops with the major pentatonic?
In one position, pair up notes that are basically thirds within the major pentatonic. Play each pair melodically first, one note then the other, slowly and in time. Then play both notes together. Use them to answer a single-note line, like question and answer.
Put on those two chords tonight, sing the five notes, and play your first one-string phrase twice until it’s clear.
