Major chords this and diminished triad chords that! You want to break out and be an individual. Rip off a string of notes that sound right and feel good. Pentatonic scales are the way to go. Each pentatonic scale has five notes. Penta – means five and tonic – means notes.

Major pentatonic scales consist of the 1st – 2nd – 3rd – 5th – and 6th notes in any given major scale. You may also hear the term root note. Just remember that the first note in a scale is also known as the root note. A common place that everyone starts with is the C major scale. The notes of the C scale is the root note – C, then D – E – F – G – A – and B. In order to play a C major pentatonic chord you need to play the root note – C, the 2nd note D, the 3rd note E, the 5th note G, and the 6th note A.

Following the same pattern you can apply this to any one of the major scales. For example, the D major pentatonic scale you would play D – E – F# – A – and B. The G major pentatonic scale would be the notes, G – A – B – D – and E.

Play all of the notes forwards and backwards. The major pentatonic scales have a clear and straight forward sound to them. This is the sound you may hear in a country or rock song.

The major pentatonic scales are listed below for you.

Root      2    3    5    6
C    D    E    G    A
D    E    F#    A    B
E    F#    G#    B    C#
F    G    A    C    D
G    A    B    D    E
A    B    C#    E    F#
B    C#    D#    F#    G#

A variation of the major pentatonic scales is the minor pentatonic scales. Minor pentatonic scales consist of the 1st – flat 3rd – 4th – 5th – and flat 7th notes in any given major scale. In order to play a flat 3rd you need to take the 3rd note in a major scale and play it a half-step lower and to play a flat 7th you need to take the 7th note in a major scale and play it a half-step lower. So if we begin again with the C scale, a minor pentatonic scale would be the root note – C, the flat 3rd note D#, the 4th note F, the 5th note G, and the flat 7th note Bb.

Following the same pattern you can apply this to any one of the major scales to create a minor pentatonic scale. For example, the D minor pentatonic scale you would play D – F – G – A – and C. The G minor pentatonic scale would be the notes, G – Bb – C – D – and F.

Play all of the notes forwards and backwards. The minor pentatonic scales have a dark and uniformly mismatched sound to them. This is the sound you may hear in a blues or jazz song.

Unfortunately there are no rules etched in stone as to when exactly you play a major or minor pentatonic scale. It is something you will need to use your hearing on. You don’t have to be a whiz at playing by ear to listen to a major pentatonic scale, then listen to a minor pentatonic scale to determine if it sounds good or if it not a good fit for the song. Every once in a while you may find that they both will work in the same song for you too.