pentatonic

Pentatonic refers to any scale or mode that uses five distinct pitch classes per octave. The term is most often used in Western and world music to describe two common forms: the major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic. These scales are derived by removing two degrees from the diatonic major scale, producing melodies with an inherently consonant sound.

The major pentatonic scale consists of the steps 1-2-3-5-6 within a given key. For example, C major pentatonic is C-D-E-G-A. The minor pentatonic scale, built relative to minor tonality, uses 1-3-4-5-7; in A minor, this yields A-C-D-E-G. A hallmark of pentatonic scales is the absence of semitone intervals between neighboring notes in many positions, which often makes melodies easy to sing and improvise over.

Pentatonic scales have ancient and widespread use across cultures. They appear in traditional music of East Asia, Africa, the Americas, and indigenous peoples, as well as in folk and classical repertoires. In Western popular and jazz contexts, pentatonic scales serve as fundamental building blocks for improvisation and melodic design due to their versatility and consonance.

A common variant is the blues scale, often constructed as a minor pentatonic scale with an added blue note (a lowered fifth). This six-note collection yields a characteristic blues sound and is widely used in rock, jazz, and pop.

Etymology arises from Greek pente, meaning five, and tonos, meaning tone. Pentatonic scales are valued for their simplicity, cross-cultural reach, and adaptability in melodic writing and soloing.