A Pentatonic Scale

If the music calls for A major pentatonic, use degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of A major: A-B-C sharp-E-F sharp. It leaves out D and G sharp from the seven-note major scale.

If it calls for A minor pentatonic, use degrees 1, flat 3, 4, 5 and flat 7: A-C-D-E-G. It leaves out B and F from A natural minor. Those two versions share A and E, but their remaining notes differ. The Pentatonic and Blues Scales overview shows how both formulas work from any root.

Check the chord and the sound you want. A major pentatonic contains the chord tones A-C sharp-E, so those notes sit naturally over an A-major chord. A minor pentatonic contains A-C-E, the A-minor triad. Over an A7 blues chord, musicians also use A minor pentatonic; the C natural rubs against the chord's C sharp, so its phrasing matters.

If a chart merely says "A pentatonic," ask whether the context is major or minor. The root name by itself does not settle it.

The major version removes scale degrees 4 and 7. The minor version removes 2 and flat 6. In each case, the neighboring notes within the resulting scale have no half-step gaps. That makes the five-note line easy to move through, but it does not mean every note fits every chord equally well.

Play A-C-D-E, then G-E-C-A. Pause on A at the end. Now try A-B-C sharp-E, then F sharp-E-C sharp-A. Keep the rhythm identical so you can hear what the changed note set does. For an extra bit of bite, A Blues Scale adds E flat to the minor set.