What Is a Pentatonic Scale?

A pentatonic scale is a five-note scale (penta = five). The two flavors guitarists use constantly are the minor pentatonic (1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7) and the major pentatonic (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) — the natural minor and major scales with two notes deleted.

Why five notes beat seven

The deleted notes are the ones that create half-step friction against the key's chords. What's left is almost all safe: nearly any pentatonic note sounds decent over nearly any chord in the key. That forgiveness is why the minor pentatonic "box 1" is the first solo shape everyone learns — and why it works from garage rock to Nashville.

The famous trap

The same forgiveness creates the most common plateau in guitar: living in one box shape for years. The escape routes — connecting the five boxes, following roots, and choosing notes by degree — are mapped in How to Break Out of the Pentatonic Box. And knowing when to use major vs minor pentatonic is half the blues.

Related terms

• Scale — the general concept
• Blues scale — minor pentatonic plus the blue note
• Fretboard position — what the "boxes" are