Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
A♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar
The A♭ major pentatonic scale (A flat major pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: A♭, B♭, C, E♭ and F. The sweet, singable five-note scale behind country licks, Southern rock and pop hooks. You may also see it written as G♯ major pentatonic, but A♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- E♭
- F
Formula
1 2 3 5 6
Steps
W – W – W+H – W – W+H
Sound
Sweet, open and happy
A♭ major pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every A♭ major pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, A♭, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
A♭ at fret 4. 4th position: frets 4–7.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of A♭ major pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from A♭, the A♭ major pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 3 flats (A♭, B♭ and E♭).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | B♭ | major 2nd | 2 |
| 3 | C | major 3rd | 4 |
| 5 | E♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | F | major 6th | 9 |
Chords that go with A♭ major pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, A♭ major. Every note of A♭ major pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- IA♭A♭ · C · E♭
- iiB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F
- iiiCmC · E♭ · G
- IVD♭D♭ · F · A♭
- VE♭E♭ · G · B♭
- viFmF · A♭ · C
- vii°G°G · B♭ · D♭
Progressions to try
- A♭ – D♭ – E♭ I–IV–V · country, rock
- A♭ – E♭ – Fm – D♭ I–V–vi–IV · pop
- A♭ – Fm – D♭ – E♭ I–vi–IV–V
How to use A♭ major pentatonic
Reach for it over major-key songs, country, Southern rock and pop, and over major chords and major blues. Its sound is sweet, open and happy.
Tip: The major pentatonic uses the same shapes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower. G major pentatonic is E minor pentatonic with G as home.
- A♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as F minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See F minor pentatonic.
Where to find A♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every A♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with A♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 4 |
| B (2nd) | 9 |
| G (3rd) | 1 |
| D (4th) | 6 |
| A (5th) | 11 |
| Low E (6th) | 4 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as A♭ major pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
A♭ major pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the A♭ major pentatonic scale?
The A♭ major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: A♭, B♭, C, E♭ and F. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6. It contains 3 flats (A♭, B♭ and E♭).
What chords go with the A♭ major pentatonic scale?
The A♭ major pentatonic scale is drawn from A♭ major, whose chords are A♭, B♭m, Cm, D♭, E♭, Fm and G°.
Where do you play the A♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, A♭, is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 4–7, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as A♭ major pentatonic?
A♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as F minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.