Get these two scale patterns under your fingers and practice moving between them using a backing track. Sing along as well to help internalize their notes and melodies.
Notice how each scale shape closely approximates a major shaped chord, making it much simpler to play over any major or dominant chord without having to alter your scale pattern too drastically.
Key of C
The major pentatonic scale can be directly derived from the major scale by subtracting away four and seven scale degrees, leaving C D E G A as its complete major pentatonic scale.
Learning the major pentatonic scale may involve using similar shapes as when learning minor pentatonic, only starting on different notes. While this is certainly helpful in getting started, it is vitally important that you familiarise yourself with all scale boxes in their written forms so you can play them consistently across any key and maintain an efficient fingering pattern.
A scale is simply an arrangement of notes arranged according to pitch. A standard major scale contains whole steps and half steps (major and minor second intervals) in a specific order, making it easy to hear when ascending or descending scales occur, while major pentatonic does not contain these dissonant intervals; its tone will sound the same no matter whether it is played up or down the neck.
To help get you started, we have prepared a chart containing five patterns for you to practice. When you feel confident with these, try memorizing them – focus on one pattern at a time before moving onto the next – this will not only increase memory retention but will make playing them feel natural.
Pattern 1
Though only consisting of five notes, the major pentatonic scale offers plenty of melodic variety and is perfect for creating chords and melodies to enhance any music composition.
If you are familiar with the minor pentatonic scale, switching over to its major version should be seamless as its shapes move around the fretboard in a similar manner. However, one key difference is that shape number now refers to scale degree rather than root note of scale – for instance the first position in minor pentatonic begins on A while C is first position of major pentatonic.
Therefore, practicing each of the scale shapes in their respective keys as you increase finger independence will give you a clearer idea of how they relate to one another on the fretboard.
Once you feel confident playing each pentatonic scale pattern individually, try combining them to form diagonal pentatonic scale shapes on the fretboard. This will help break out of any mental habitualities you might be in when playing only one scale shape at a time and help facilitate seamless switching between scale shapes. Below are some licks you could try using these diagonal pattern combinations.
Pattern 2
Introducing yourself to the major pentatonic scale can be daunting, so this pattern provides a good place to begin. It contains both root notes and some key tones (third and fifth tones) that correspond with key/backing chords around which this scale was built. Acquiring this knowledge will give you safe targets when improvising over backing chords while keeping your scale movements connected with its progression.
To begin learning this pattern, just start from the root note and move up the fretboard/neck. As soon as you recognize its similarities to minor pentatonic scale, its patterns should quickly become evident; you’ll quickly see that each pattern and its roots resemble it – with exception to starting point/root notes (if playing A key based music, play pattern 2 but start on 5th fret of 6th string G string instead of A).
One effective method to strengthen your understanding of scales is singing through them. Singing forces you to learn each note within a musical context, which will help you better comprehend their relationships to key and chord progressions. Furthermore, singing through a scale allows you to internalize how it should sound when played over chord progressions – an essential step to make playing it feel much more natural when performing it on guitar or bass.
Pattern 3
As we progress from the root note of the major pentatonic scale up the fretboard towards the sixth string, paying particular attention to how each shape connects and outlines chord voicings that may be useful to us. Please take time memorizing both shapes as they ascend. As well as connecting these patterns sequentially up the fretboard. When doing so, pay close attention to how each connection shapes chord shapes that we can use later.
As with other fretboard pentatonic scale patterns we’ve explored, this one employs the same interval pattern as a regular major scale; what separates this scale is its lack of major seventh notes.
This diagram for this scale position depicts root note patterns for each note in the scale and suggested fingering for each pattern. Since each fretboard pentonic scale pattern doesn’t adhere to one key specifically, you can start your position anywhere along its five fretboard keys and obtain its own distinct scale from it.
Keep this in mind when learning major pentatonic scale: you aren’t learning individual fingerings for each scale position – rather, you are learning a pattern which contains all the notes necessary to play any key on the fretboard using major pentatonic scales. With an understanding of this and some music theory knowledge behind you can play these scales anywhere on your fretboard in any key!
Pattern 4
Pattern 4 in our major pentatonic scale road map is key to learning it effectively. Just as with minor pentatonic, learning this pattern requires paying close attention to where its root note lies on the fretboard – this will help develop your understanding of intervals (the distance between two notes) while keeping you in key when playing a guitar solo solo.
This pattern can be found on the 5th string and features three root notes arranged triangulally, creating a triangular form. Furthermore, its scale position matches directly above it; to practice each position starting and ending on its root note for maximum effect and to quickly recognise how these shapes relate to one another.
Acquiring these diagonal pentatonic shapes will help break you out of the habit of solely using minor pentatonic scale patterns. Once you know all five, you’ll be able to slide these box patterns up and down the fretboard, accessing its full tonal range. When you feel ready, play some licks over this vi IV I V backing track in C Key for some practical application of these patterns – I know you will find this scale just as helpful as its minor pentatonic predecessors! Good luck – I know you won’t find this scale as helpful!
Pattern 5
As you practice each scale pattern, try singing through them rather than simply playing them – this will give your hands more sense of the scale as a whole while providing musical context that helps build fretboard awareness and produce fluid sounds.
Position five of the major pentatonic scale contains all of the same root notes as position one but an octave higher, so your fingers must move higher on the fretboard in order to play it. By connecting patterns together, playing this scale should become simpler without constantly having to move your hands up and down on it.
This scale shape provides another great place to begin playing the major pentatonic in any key, as its familiar look makes learning it easy. Like pattern 1, this scale shape contains three root notes arranged triangularly. Furthermore, note how its bottom note shares one note with that of its predecessor shape as shown below.
Once you’re comfortable with this pattern, use it to improvise over the backing track above and work on your fingerings. Keep practicing each of the patterns until they feel natural to you before taking some time to combine and play them melodies with them.