C major pentatonic scale

The notes of the C major pentatonic scale

C D E G A

Formula: 1 2 3 5 6. Steps from note to note: 2 2 3 2 3 semitones (whole, whole, one and a half, whole, one and a half).

The C major scale without its 4th and 7th (F and B): no half steps left, so no note clashes. The same five notes are the A minor pentatonic scale.

In Hz, from C4: C4 261.6 · D4 293.7 · E4 329.6 · G4 392.0 · A4 440.0.

The C major pentatonic scale on the piano

White keys: C D E G A; no black keys.

For the fingering, slide the thumb under after the black keys, never onto one.

The C major pentatonic scale on guitar

One position, frets 7–11, low E string first: low E: 8 10 (C D) · A: 7 10 (E G) · D: 7 10 (A C) · G: 7 9 (D E) · B: 8 10 (G A) · high E: 8 10 (C D). 0 = open string.

The root C sits at fret 8 on the low E string and at fret 3 on the A string. Slide the same shape there for any other root.

All white keys, nothing clashes

C D E G A are the five white keys that never rub against each other: pick any two and play them together, it sounds fine. That is why C major pentatonic is a good first improvising scale on the piano. Over a C chord it sounds bright; over Am the same notes sound like A minor pentatonic.

More scales

Major pentatonic scale A major pentatonic scale E major pentatonic scale G major pentatonic scale D major pentatonic scale C major scale on guitar C major: scale and chords

How this page works

Hear it plays the scale up and down at 100 BPM on one of four Brumm sounds. Take it gives the same notes as a MIDI file and a WAV. − and + move the root. Every note here is computed from the formula.

Sources

Scales and modes: Open Music Theory, musictheory.net. Piano fingerings: the standard scale-book fingerings (ABRSM scale books; Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist, part 3). Trumpet valves: the standard B♭ trumpet fingering chart (Yamaha, Bach). Hz: A4 = 440 Hz, ISO 16.

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