What's The Difference Between Major And Minor Pentatonics Scales

Very simply put, the difference between the major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic scales is three frets. You can take the notes of your minor scale and move it down the fret board three frets towards the head of the guitar and you then have your major scale in the same key.


Or, take the minor scale three frets lower and that becomes your major scale. Eg, the G major pentatonic scale is the same as the E minor pentatonic scale.

One last method you can use to work out the notes of a major pentatonic scale is to take the second box of the minor pentatonic scale and move it to the root note and it becomes the first box of the major pentatonic scale.

It's much easier to explain with diagrams. The diagram below shows all the notes on the fretboard for the G Major pentatonic scale. Compare this to the one for E Minor pentatonic scale and you will see that it is exactly the same.

G Major Pentatonic Scale - All Notes

This is the tab and diagram for the fifth position, one octave lower, of the G Major pentatonic scale. Notice that it's the same as the first shape of the E Minor pentatonic scale. It's also the first shape of the G Minor pentatonic scale moved down the fretboard by three frets:

e |----------------|----------------|--------0---3---|
B |----------------|----------------|0---3-----------|
G |----------------|--------0---2---|----------------|
D |----------------|0---2-----------|----------------|
A |--------0---2---|----------------|----------------|
E |0---3-----------|----------------|----------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Fifth Box One Octave Lower

First box pattern of the G Major pentatonic with the root note, G, on the third fret of the sixth string:

e |----------------|----------------|--------3---5---|
B |----------------|----------------|3---5-----------|
G |----------------|--------2---4---|----------------|
D |----------------|2---5-----------|----------------|
A |--------2---5---|----------------|----------------|
E |3---5-----------|----------------|----------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - First Box

Second box of the five patterns:

e |----------------|----------------|--------5---7---|
B |----------------|----------------|5---8-----------|
G |----------------|--------4---7---|----------------|
D |----------------|5---7-----------|----------------|
A |--------5---7---|----------------|----------------|
E |5---7-----------|----------------|----------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Second Box

Third box of the five positions:

e |-----------------|----------------|--------7---10---|
B |-----------------|----------------|8---10-----------|
G |-----------------|--------7---9---|-----------------|
D |-----------------|7---9-----------|-----------------|
A |--------7---10---|----------------|-----------------|
E |7---10-----------|----------------|-----------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Third Box

Fourth box::

e |-----------------|------------------|--------10---12---|
B |-----------------|------------------|10---12-----------|
G |------------------|--------9---12---|------------------|
D |------------------|9---12-----------|------------------|
A |--------10---12---|-----------------|------------------|
E |10---12-----------|-----------------|------------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Fourth Box

Fifth of the five boxes:

e |------------------|------------------|--------12---15---|
B |------------------|------------------|12---15-----------|
G |------------------|--------12---14---|------------------|
D |------------------|12---14-----------|------------------|
A |--------12---14---|------------------|------------------|
E |12---15-----------|------------------|------------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Fifth Box

The last of the tabs and scale diagrams shows the first box one octave higher:

e |------------------|------------------|--------15---17---|
B |------------------|------------------|15---17-----------|
G |------------------|--------14---16---|------------------|
D |------------------|14---17-----------|------------------|
A |--------14---17---|------------------|------------------|
E |15---17-----------|------------------|------------------|

G Major Pentatonic Scale - Fifth Box One Octave Higher