A Major Pentatonic Scale (A B C♯ E F♯)
A major pentatonic is the country half of the A vocabulary. Same notes as F♯ minor pentatonic, a different home. Jessica runs on it for seven minutes.
Fretboard diagram
Every A major pentatonic note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | A |
| 2 | major second | B |
| 3 | major third | C♯ |
| 5 | perfect fifth | E |
| 6 | major sixth | F♯ |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets A sits on the low E string at fret 5, the A string open and at fret 12, the D string at fret 7, the G string at fret 2, the B string at fret 10, and the high E string at fret 5. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
Over an A major chord, A, C♯, and E are chord tones and land clean anywhere in the bar. The F♯ sits close enough to the fifth to resolve down into it, which is the classic country move.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
F♯ minor pentatonic is these five notes with F♯ as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
A, Amaj7, and A7 when the song is country or major-key blues.
Nearby keys
A major pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the A major pentatonic scale?
A major pentatonic contains A, B, C♯, E, and F♯. That's the root, the major second, the major third, the perfect fifth, and the major sixth.
What fret does A major pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is A at fret 5 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What is the difference between A major and A minor pentatonic?
A major pentatonic is A B C♯ E F♯. A minor pentatonic is A C D E G. They share only the root and the fifth, and major-key country and minor-key blues split along exactly that line.