Scales make creating guitar solos a lot easier and if you understand the main scale patterns, you can better understand which chords go well together and create a cool sound.

The major pentatonic scale isn’t necessarily the favourite scale to learn among guitarists, but it nonetheless adds much more depth to your guitar playing.

If you’ve not yet looked at the major scale and the minor pentatonic scale, it’s a good idea to do so before venturing into the world of major pentatonic scale. 

Scale Formula

The reason why you should understand the minor pentatonic scale first is mainly down to it essentially being the same scale as the major pentatonic scale. Both scales have five notes in the sequence instead of the seven notes in the other common scales, like the major scale.

What separates the minor pentatonic scale from the major pentatonic scale is the root note and the tonal centre.

The scale formula, therefore, looks a bit different. For major pentatonic scale the formula looks like this:

In the formula, the letters represent the interval distances of the notes. The letter T stands for tone (whole step), S for semitone (half step) and TS for tone + semitone (minor 3^rd interval). The numbers represent the note.

The C major pentatonic scale, therefore, looks like this:

We’ve added the C major scale as a comparison for you to look at. In essence, the major pentatonic is a major triad of C major scale, with the exception of the 2^nd and 6^th degrees added to the major scale.

If you think about the sequence, you can see how the formula works. From the first note C it takes a whole step to D, another whole step to E and then a minor 3^rd interval step to G, and so on.

The Chords

The chords used in major pentatonic scale are often applied in a very specific way. You often hear the scale used in blues and country music, for example. Listen to the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd song to hear howthe major pentatonic scale can be used in songs.

The chords used are often diatonic chords. For example, C major diatonic chords in C major pentatonic scale would look like this:

Practice Tips

The major pentatonic scale is a cool addition to your guitar lessons, as it adds an earthy, country sound to your music.

The fingering technique depends a lot on your own preferences, so just see what sort of style works the best for you. The major pentatonic scale, like all the others, will take a while to master, but just stay patient.

As with the other scales, it is a good idea to practise the scale by using the five common scale positions. The CAGED system is a helpful tool, but you need to pay extra attention when using it for the major pentatonic scale.

The visual shapes of the positions are the same to the minor pentatonic, so you need to pay a lot of focus on getting the root note right.

Understanding the major pentatonic scale can help you develop a cool sound. It is a fun scale to use and it will help you develop your skills further.

Just put on your Stetson and start practising!