About the A Major Pentatonic Scale
The A major pentatonic scale is a 5-note scale. Bright and happy sound, great for country and pop. Its notes are A, B, C#, E and F#, built from the formula 1 2 3 5 6.
- Notes
- A – B – C# – E – F#
- Formula
- 1 2 3 5 6
- Steps
- W W W+H W W+H (2–2–3–2–3 semitones)
- Root
- A
A Major Pentatonic Scale degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Root |
| 2 | B | Major 2nd |
| 3 | C# | Major 3rd |
| 5 | E | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | F# | Major 6th |
Where to play the A Major Pentatonic Scale on guitar
Frets 0–12 in standard tuning (E A D G B E), lowest string first. Root notes (A) are highlighted; the pattern repeats from the 12th fret up.
| String | Frets |
|---|---|
| E2 | 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12 |
| A2 | 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12 |
| D3 | 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 |
| G3 | 2, 4, 6, 9, 11 |
| B3 | 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12 |
| E4 | 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12 |
How to practice the major pentatonic scale
- Practice country-style double stops
- Work on hybrid picking patterns
- Try sliding between positions
- Play over major chord progressions
- Mix with minor pentatonic for variety
Scales with the same notes as A Major Pentatonic Scale
These scales share every note with the A major pentatonic scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Major Pentatonic scale in other keys
Other scales in A
- A Minor Pentatonic
- A Mixolydian Pentatonic
- A Natural Minor
- A Major (Ionian)
- A Blues
- A Dorian
- A Mixolydian
- A Phrygian
- A Harmonic Minor
- A Lydian
- A Locrian
- A Diminished (Half-Whole)
- A Diminished (Whole-Half)
- A Whole Tone
- A Augmented (Hexatonic)
- A Altered (Super Locrian)
- A Phrygian Dominant
- A Lydian Dominant
- A Mixolydian ♭6 (Hindu)
- A Bebop Dominant
- A Quartal (Stacked 4ths)
- A Quartal Minor (Stacked 4ths)