The major pentatonic is the bright, open-sounding cousin of the minor pentatonic. It has five notes — the root, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th — and leaves out the two notes of the major scale (the 4th and 7th) that sit a half step from their neighbors. You hear it in country licks, Southern rock, pop melodies and gospel.
Like the minor pentatonic, it is played as five box shapes that link across the neck, and the shapes are the same in every key.
Take a major scale (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) and drop the 4th and 7th. In C, the major scale is C D E F G A B; the major pentatonic is C D E G A.
C major pentatonic from the open strings to fret 15. Each color is one box; red dots are the root, C.
Box 1 is built around the root on the low E string. In C major it covers frets 7–10:
Box 1 in C major, with the root C at fret 8 on the low E string. Every C major box →
Find the root on the low E string and start Box 1 around it. Each key links to a full page with all five boxes, diagrams and a free printable chart.
| Key | Notes | Root on low E (fret) | Box 1 (frets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A major | A · B · C# · E · F# | 5 | 4–7 |
| Bb major | Bb · C · D · F · G | 6 | 5–8 |
| B major | B · C# · D# · F# · G# | 7 | 6–9 |
| C major | C · D · E · G · A | 8 | 7–10 |
| Db major | Db · Eb · F · Ab · Bb | 9 | 8–11 |
| D major | D · E · F# · A · B | 10 | 9–12 |
| Eb major | Eb · F · G · Bb · C | 11 | 10–13 |
| E major | E · F# · G# · B · C# | open / 12 | 11–14 |
| F major | F · G · A · C · D | 1 | 0–3 |
| F# major | F# · G# · A# · C# · D# | 2 | 1–4 |
| G major | G · A · B · D · E | 3 | 2–5 |
| Ab major | Ab · Bb · C · Eb · F | 4 | 3–6 |
Every minor and major pentatonic key on its own page, plus fretboard notes and CAGED. Print the keys you need.
Download all charts All 26 free charts →Every major pentatonic shares its notes with a minor pentatonic three frets lower: C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes. The difference is which note feels like home. See the minor pentatonic scale and how to mix the two.
Learn how to practice the boxes, then connect them across the neck. Each box also holds one shape of the major chord — see the CAGED system.
The major pentatonic formula is 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. It is the major scale with the 4th and 7th removed.
C, D, E, G and A.
They use the same five box shapes, and every major pentatonic has the same notes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower (C major = A minor). What changes is the root you treat as home.
Box 1 is built around the root on the low E string. In C major it covers frets 7–10, with C at fret 8.