Pentatonic scales

[fretdancer]

I am a little confused still about Pentatonic scales.
I know the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale, or boxes or shapes as they are sometimes called.
What I am confused about is the name of the scale you are playing.
for instance, if I play the scale with the following shape at the fifth fret:
5/8 5/7 5/7 5/7 5/8 5/8, I am starting with the note at the fith fret on the low E (6th) string so I would call that a A pentatonic.
Using the same shape starting at the nut - ie 0/3 0/2 0/2 0/2 0/3 0/3 would be starting of with the E note (played open) on the E string so this is a "E" pentatonic. shifting up one fret makes that a "F" pentatonic...right?

I have seen the first example above called an "a minor" or a "C" pentatonic scale. How do you determine the name of the scale and with which shape (of the 5) you you decide the starting point. I believe, and I may be wrong that the shape described above is the first shape taught as the first note is the root note of the scale....so what makes it called Major or Minor and why?

[Vix]

You’re right about the scale names of that shape. For that particular shape, the first note you play (if you’re starting on the 6th string) will be the key of the scale. Start the scale on the 8th fret, you get a C minor pentatonic…start it on the 5th fret, you get an A minor pentatonic, ect.

What makes a pentatonic scale major or minor is simply what degrees of the major scale that you use to create it. For example, the ‘spelling’ of the minor pentatonic is: 1, b3, 4, 5, b7. So, to find the notes of any minor pentatonic, you’d take the relative major scale and work out the notes. Let’s take the A minor pentatonic as an example. You take the A major scale:

A B C# D E F# G#
1.2.3..4.5.6..7

And taking the minor pentatonic ‘spelling’, you figure out what notes to take. So, you need the 1st degree (A), b3 (C), 4 (D), 5 (E), b7 (G). That gives you the notes: A, C, D, E, G. So the A minor pentatonic scale consists of these five notes. To figure out the notes in any key, you just take the major scale of that note and find the corresponding degree notes. I hope this is making sense.

For the major pentatonic, you have to apply the same principle. The only difference is the ‘spelling’ of the scale. The major pentatonic ‘spelling’ is: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. So you take the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of the corresponding major scale and voila!

What makes them major or minor, from what I’ve gathered, is the 3rd degree. Notice that the 3rd degree of the minor pentatonic is flatted while the 3rd degree of the major pentatonic is not. It’s the same thing for a minor chord and a major chord. A minor chord has a flatted 3rd degree and the major chord does not. I’m not sure that’s the only reason though.

I hope I’ve helped cleared things up a bit. If you need more help, just let me know and I’ll try to explain it clearer. J

[Danny Poole]

Thanks Vix it's good to have someone else responding on the forum.

Your response is spot on, I usually dumb it down a little and say "If you want to play a minor pentatonic scale then start the "Pentatonic Scale Pattern" with your first finger and if you want to play a Major Pentatonic Scale then start the "Pentatonic Scale Pattern" with your 4th finger.

MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE

|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---

MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE

|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|-4-|---|---

* A minor pentatonic scale: start 1st finger on the 5th fret (sounds a little Rock & Roll)
* A major pentatonic scale: start 4th finger on the 5th fret (sounds a little Country)