Major Pentatonic vs Major Blues
The C major pentatonic and the C major blues share 5 notes — C, D, E, G, A. From there, the C major blues adds Eb.
Ukulele, tuned low to high: G, C, E, A. 12 frets.
- G string: fret 0 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 2 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major Blues), fret 5 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major Blues), fret 7 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major Blues), fret 8 Eb (flat 3), fret 9 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major Blues), fret 12 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Blues).
- C string: fret 0 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major Blues), fret 2 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major Blues), fret 3 Eb (flat 3), fret 4 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major Blues), fret 7 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 9 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major Blues), fret 12 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major Blues).
- E string: fret 0 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major Blues), fret 3 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 5 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major Blues), fret 8 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major Blues), fret 10 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major Blues), fret 11 Eb (flat 3), fret 12 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major Blues).
- A string: fret 0 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major Blues), fret 3 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major Blues), fret 5 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major Blues), fret 6 Eb (flat 3), fret 7 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major Blues), fret 10 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 12 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major Blues).
Both scales above are drawn on one ukulele fretboard in the key of C. Notes belonging to both are drawn as a split two-color dot, so the notes they share and the notes unique to each are visible in one picture.
How the formulas differ
Scale degrees are the key-independent way to compare two scales — these stay the same in every key, and they are what actually distinguishes one scale from another.
| Scale | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Major Pentatonic | R · 2 · 3 · 5 · 6 |
| Major Blues | R · 2 · b3 · 3 · 5 · 6 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Major Pentatonic | In Major Blues |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| D | 2 | 2 |
| E | 3 | 3 |
| G | 5 | 5 |
| A | 6 | 6 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the major blues: Eb (b3)