Major Pentatonic Scale
The Major Pentatonic Scale has a Major quality due to its Major Third E. The Major Pentatonic Scale, like Major Pentatonic, is similar to the Major Scale but without the Fourth and Seventh degrees. This produces a simpler melodic flow that is commonly heard in blues and country music among others. The Major Pentatonic Scale has five notes, C, D, E, G, A.
Below you will find the Major Pentatonic Scale notes, notation, patterns, degrees, intervals and more. You can also opt to see the Major Pentatonic Scale on your preferred instrument.
Notes Ascending
C, D, E, G, A, C
Notes Descending
C, A, G, E, D, C
Notation Ascending
Notation Descending
Pattern Ascending
T, T, TS, T, TS
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Pattern Descending
TS, T, TS, T, T
S = Semitone, T = Tone (2 Semitones)
Degrees Ascending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Tonic |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| E | 3 | Mediant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| A | 6 | Submediant |
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
Degrees Descending
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C | 8 | Tonic (Octave) |
| A | 6 | Submediant |
| G | 5 | Dominant |
| E | 3 | Mediant |
| D | 2 | Supertonic |
| C | 1 | Tonic |
Intervals Ascending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > D | 2 | Major 2nd (M2) |
| C > E | 4 | Major 3rd (M3) |
| C > G | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
| C > A | 9 | Major 6th (M6) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Intervals Descending
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| C > C | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| C > A | 3 | minor 3rd (m3) |
| C > G | 5 | Perfect 4th (P4) |
| C > E | 8 | minor 6th (m6) |
| C > D | 10 | minor 7th (m7) |
| C > C | 12 | Perfect Octave (P8) |
Scales related to C Major Pentatonic Scale
Enharmonic Equivalent Scale
Scale with the same root and notes as the C Major Pentatonic Scale but different spelling.
B♯ Major Pentatonic Scale
Relative Minor Scale
Minor scale with the same notes as C Major Pentatonic Scale but in a different order.
A Minor Pentatonic Scale
Chords related to C Major Pentatonic Scale
Related Triads
The related chords cannot be built using the notes of C Major Pentatonic Scale alone so they have been substituted with the chords of the C Major Scale. The chords are in degree order and shown in Roman numerals (lowercase = minor/diminished, uppercase = Major/Augmented).
I Chord - C Major
ii Chord - D Minor
iii Chord - E Minor
IV Chord - F Major
V Chord - G Major
vi Chord - A Minor
viio Chord - B Diminished
Learn to Play Major Pentatonic Scale
If you want to learn what scales and modes are and much more, check out our free Fundamentals of Music Theory course. If you already know some of the basics, you can jump straight into the scales lesson.
