Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
F♯ major pentatonic scale on guitar
The F♯ major pentatonic scale (F sharp major pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯. The sweet, singable five-note scale behind country licks, Southern rock and pop hooks. You may also see it written as G♭ major pentatonic.
Notes
- F♯
- G♯
- A♯
- C♯
- D♯
Formula
1 2 3 5 6
Steps
W – W – W+H – W – W+H
Sound
Sweet, open and happy
F♯ major pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every F♯ major pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F♯, 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
F♯ at fret 2. 2nd position: frets 2–5.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F♯ major pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F♯, the F♯ major pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 5 sharps (F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | 0 |
| 2 | G♯ | major 2nd | 2 |
| 3 | A♯ | major 3rd | 4 |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | D♯ | major 6th | 9 |
Chords that go with F♯ major pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, F♯ major. Every note of F♯ major pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- IF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯
- iiG♯mG♯ · B · D♯
- iiiA♯mA♯ · C♯ · E♯
- IVBB · D♯ · F♯
- VC♯C♯ · E♯ · G♯
- viD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯
- vii°E♯°E♯ · G♯ · B
Progressions to try
- F♯ – B – C♯ I–IV–V · country, rock
- F♯ – C♯ – D♯m – B I–V–vi–IV · pop
- F♯ – D♯m – B – C♯ I–vi–IV–V
How to use F♯ 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.
- F♯ major pentatonic has the same five notes as E♭ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See E♭ minor pentatonic.
Where to find F♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 2 |
| B (2nd) | 7 |
| G (3rd) | 11 |
| D (4th) | 4 |
| A (5th) | 9 |
| Low E (6th) | 2 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F♯ major pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F♯ major pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ major pentatonic scale?
The F♯ major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6. It contains 5 sharps (F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯ and D♯).
What chords go with the F♯ major pentatonic scale?
The F♯ major pentatonic scale is drawn from F♯ major, whose chords are F♯, G♯m, A♯m, B, C♯, D♯m and E♯°.
Where do you play the F♯ major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, F♯, is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 2–5, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as F♯ major pentatonic?
F♯ major pentatonic has the same five notes as E♭ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.