C Major Pentatonic Scale
Happy, simple 5-note scale
What is the C Major Pentatonic Scale?
The major pentatonic is the major scale with the 4th and 7th degrees removed — five notes (root, 2, 3, 5, 6) that keep all the bright, consonant intervals and skip the two notes most likely to create dissonance with the chord. The result is a sweet, open scale that sits at the heart of country, gospel, classic rock and any genre that prizes melodic clarity over harmonic complexity.
Notes in the scale: C – D – E – G – A
Intervals: Root, 2, 3, 5, 6 (measured from the root)
Parent key: C major — shares the same seven notes
Progressions where the C Major Pentatonic Scale fits
I-V-vi-IV — in C major
C → G → Am → F
I-IV-V — in C major
C → F → G
When to use the C Major Pentatonic Scale
C Major Pentatonic Scale shares its five notes with A minor pentatonic and sits brightly over C major progressions. Use the major pentatonic over major-key progressions, especially country, gospel, southern rock, classic rock and folk. The same five notes are the relative minor pentatonic at the 6th degree (e.g. C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic share all five notes), so guitarists often switch between the two by shifting the perceived 'root' rather than the shape.
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See how the C Major Pentatonic Scale works over chord progressions.
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