If you play piano, the pentatonic scale is one of the most useful tools you can learn. The pentatonic scale sounds good nearly all the time. It will also appeal to most listeners because it appears in practically every musical human culture in the world.
In this post, we’ll discuss how to create a pentatonic scale, why it works so well, and tips on how to use it to improvise.
Table of Contents:
Subscribe to The Note for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.
When people talk about “the pentatonic scale,” they’re usually referring to the major pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale is built on degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the major scale. For example, this is the pentatonic scale in C Major:
Here are the major pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. If you find these graphics useful, you can find more chords and scales diagrams in our Chords & Scales library.
C Major Pentatonic Scale
D-Flat Major Pentatonic Scale
D Major Pentatonic Scale
E-Flat Major Pentatonic Scale
E Major Pentatonic Scale
F Major Pentatonic Scale
F-Sharp Major Pentatonic Scale
G Major Pentatonic Scale
A-Flat Major Pentatonic Scale
A Major Pentatonic Scale
B-Flat Major Pentatonic Scale
B Major Pentatonic Scale
The minor pentatonic scale is built on degrees 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the minor scale. In A Minor, the minor pentatonic looks like this:
Here are the minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. If you find these graphics useful, you can find more chords and scales diagrams in our Chords & Scales library.
C Minor Pentatonic Scale
C-Sharp Minor Pentatonic Scale
D Minor Pentatonic Scale
E-Flat Minor Pentatonic Scale
E Minor Pentatonic Scale
F Minor Pentatonic Scale
F-Sharp Minor Pentatonic Scale
G Minor Pentatonic Scale
A-Flat Minor Pentatonic Scale
A Minor Pentatonic Scale
B-Flat Minor Pentatonic Scale
B Minor Pentatonic Scale
Don’t want to memorize all these formulas? Download posters of all pentatonic scales in every key. Just enter your email below. You’ll also exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.
If the pentatonic scale sounds familiar to you, you’re on to something. It’s incredibly popular in modern pop and rock music. It also has a long history stretching back thousands and thousands of years. Here are some more intriguing reasons why the pentatonic scale is so magical:
Not everything in music is universal. For example, the seven-note diatonic scale common in Western music doesn’t exist in other cultures. But practically every music-making culture in the world recognizes the pentatonic scale. It’s been found everywhere, from Asia and Africa to Europe and North America.
The pentatonic scale seems embedded into our psyche as humans. You can see Bobby McFerrin demonstrate this phenomenon in the following video. He sings a scale with a missing note and the audience intuitively fills in the right note. According to McFerrin, this works in every audience he’s presented to, no matter where they are in the world.
Consider the standard C Major scale:
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
The bolded notes are the ones missing from the C Major pentatonic scale. They are the fourth and seventh degree of the scale. Together, these notes form a tritone, a particularly harsh-sounding interval. Apart, you’ll also notice that F and B form semitones with their neighboring notes. These attributes make them more difficult to work with because these notes are more prone to dissonance.
But if you stick to pentatonic scale notes, you automatically omit these notes. This makes the scale very “safe” and versatile.
Another reason you might like the sound of the pentatonic scale is because of its similarity to the blues scale. While the blues scale is less universal than the pentatonic one, it is widely used in popular music and will sound familiar and pleasant to most modern music lovers.
So what’s the difference between the pentatonic and the blues scale? The standard blues scale is just a pentatonic scale with an added “blue” note. In the major pentatonic scale, the blue note is ♭3. In the minor pentatonic scale, the blue note is ♭5.
A common habit beginners fall into is playing the pentatonic scale up and down over a chord progression. While this sounds perfectly fine, it can quickly get stale. If you want to challenge your creativity and come up with more interesting and unique pentatonic improvisations, here are some tips:
You’re not limited to playing notes one after another! Simply doubling up your notes to play dyads or even triads can level up the sophistication of a solo. When you double up notes, thirds and sixths are perhaps the “safest” combinations to sound nice. But experiment with different note combinations from your pentatonic scale.
And don’t forget to add interesting articulations to your notes. Try trilling two notes. Or, slide into a pentatonic note from a passing tone a semi-tone away. Experiment with dynamics and don’t forget about using a variety of rhythms!
A good solo doesn’t need to have as many notes as possible! You can take breaks. And in fact, rests between notes can be the difference between an elementary solo and a more sophisticated one. Knowing how to use silence is a big part of playing music.
The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.
W.A. Mozart
Just like diatonic scales, pentatonic scales have modes too! And each mode evokes its own style or mood. More advanced pianists may want to learn how pentatonic modes work and how they can be used to avoid Avoid Notes in jazz theory.
The pentatonic scale is just one of many music theory tools we use when we make music. Remember: improvisation isn’t a magical ability you need to be born with. It’s a skill. As you become more comfortable with improvisation, the pentatonic scale, and the language of music in general, your solos will improve.
If you want more tips on leveling up your improvisation, check out these lessons:
As a Pianote+ Member, you’ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists who have played with rock stars.
Charmaine Li is a Vancouver writer who has played piano for over 20 years. She holds an Associate diploma (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music and loves writing about the ways in which music—and music learning—affects the human experience. Charmaine manages The Note. Learn more about Charmaine here.
By signing up you’ll also receive our ongoing free lessons and special offers. Don’t worry, we value your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
/marketing/pianote/promos/april/trial-banner.png)