G major pentatonic scale

The notes of the G major pentatonic scale

G A B D E

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

In Hz, from G4: G4 392.0 · A4 440.0 · B4 493.9 · D5 587.3 · E5 659.3.

The G major pentatonic scale on the piano

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

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

The G major pentatonic scale on guitar

One position, frets 2–6, low E string first: low E: 3 5 (G A) · A: 2 5 (B D) · D: 2 5 (E G) · G: 2 4 (A B) · B: 3 5 (D E) · high E: 3 5 (G A). 0 = open string.

The root G sits at fret 3 on the low E string and at fret 10 on the A string. Slide the same shape there for any other root.

Same notes as E minor pentatonic

G A B D E are also E minor pentatonic, so on a guitar G major pentatonic is the open-string box with G as home, or the box at the 3rd fret. It suits songs with G, C and D chords; over the C chord, lean on G and E, over D on D and A.

More scales

Major pentatonic scale C major pentatonic scale A major pentatonic scale E major pentatonic scale D major pentatonic scale G major scale on guitar G 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.

No microphone here, and the page keeps nothing. How the site counts visits.