Major Pentatonic Scales
Another useful scale in Blues is the major pentatonic. It is constructed from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the major scale. Study the following example of the G major pentatonic.
The notes in a major pentatonic scale are identical to those of its relative minor scale. The fingering for the major pentatonic is the same as for the minor pentatonic but the form names change because all the root notes are now in a different place. Let's look at the pentatonic scales of two relative keys; G major and E minor.
G Major Pentatonic - G Form
E Minor Pentatonic - E Form
Looking at these diagrams it is easy to see that the only difference between them is the positions of the root notes. The G major pentatonic is made up of the notes G A B D E G, and the E minor pentatonic is made of the notes E G A B D E.
Here is the E form of the G major pentatonic.
An effective way to hear the difference between the major and minor pentatonic scales is to play a lick in one scale (in this case G major pentatonic) and then play the same lick in the parallel minor scale (G minor pentatonic). Here is a lick played in the E form of the G major pentatonic.
The same lick using the D form of the G minor pentatonic.
