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