Chord & FretMajor pentatonic (C)
Take the major scale and drop the 4th and 7th degrees — the two notes that form semitones, that is, the half-step moves where most of the friction lives. You're left with five notes that sound clean and open over major chords, with almost no way to land on a 'wrong' note. It's the sound of country, folk, pop and gospel melodies; just remember that a convincing line also depends on rhythm, phrasing and target notes — in other words, the chord tones you choose to aim for.
Example: C – D – E – G – AFormula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6In the formula, the numbers are degrees — positions counted in the reference major scale; "b" lowers a half step and "#" raises one.
Family: Pentatonics.
Five notes, without the characteristic semitones of the diatonic scales. They are easy to apply because they avoid friction — but they are not a universal solution: the phrase depends on rhythm, articulation and target notes.
The same scale on all four instruments
In the diagrams, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.
Each instrument above shows one box of major pentatonic — a slice of the whole neck. In Chord & Fret, you hear the scale in each of the four instruments' own voices; walk the scale's positions along the whole neck; and run it up, down or in a full round trip. Start free. Unlock everything with Pro. 100% offline. See it in Chord & Fret →