Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
B major pentatonic scale on guitar
The B major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. The sweet, singable five-note scale behind country licks, Southern rock and pop hooks.
Notes
- B
- C♯
- D♯
- F♯
- G♯
Formula
1 2 3 5 6
Steps
W – W – W+H – W – W+H
Sound
Sweet, open and happy
B major pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every B major pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, B, 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
B at fret 7. 7th position: frets 7–10.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of B major pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B, the B major pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 sharps (C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | root | 0 |
| 2 | C♯ | major 2nd | 2 |
| 3 | D♯ | major 3rd | 4 |
| 5 | F♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | G♯ | major 6th | 9 |
Chords that go with B major pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, B major. Every note of B major pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- IBB · D♯ · F♯
- iiC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
- iiiD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯
- IVEE · G♯ · B
- VF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯
- viG♯mG♯ · B · D♯
- vii°A♯°A♯ · C♯ · E
Progressions to try
- B – E – F♯ I–IV–V · country, rock
- B – F♯ – G♯m – E I–V–vi–IV · pop
- B – G♯m – E – F♯ I–vi–IV–V
How to use B 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.
- B major pentatonic has the same five notes as G♯ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See G♯ minor pentatonic.
Where to find B on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every B between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with B |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 7 |
| B (2nd) | 0, 12 |
| G (3rd) | 4 |
| D (4th) | 9 |
| A (5th) | 2 |
| Low E (6th) | 7 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as B major pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B major pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the B major pentatonic scale?
The B major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6. It contains 4 sharps (C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯).
What chords go with the B major pentatonic scale?
The B major pentatonic scale is drawn from B major, whose chords are B, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯, G♯m and A♯°.
Where do you play the B major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, B, is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 7–10, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as B major pentatonic?
B major pentatonic has the same five notes as G♯ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.