Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
F major pentatonic scale on guitar
The F 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.
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 1. 1st position: frets 1–4.
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 has no sharps or flats: every note is a natural.
| 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.
- IFF · A · C
- iiGmG · B♭ · D
- iiiAmA · C · E
- IVB♭B♭ · D · F
- VCC · E · G
- viDmD · F · A
- vii°E°E · G · B♭
Progressions to try
- F – B♭ – C I–IV–V · country, rock
- F – C – Dm – B♭ I–V–vi–IV · pop
- F – Dm – 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 D minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See D 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) | 1 |
| B (2nd) | 6 |
| G (3rd) | 10 |
| D (4th) | 3 |
| A (5th) | 8 |
| Low E (6th) | 1 |
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 has no sharps or flats: every note is a natural.
What chords go with the F major pentatonic scale?
The F major pentatonic scale is drawn from F major, whose chords are F, Gm, Am, B♭, C, Dm and E°.
Where do you play the F major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, F, is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 1–4, 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 D minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.