Major Pentatonic vs Major (Ionian) on Ukulele
The C major pentatonic and the C major (ionian) share 5 notes — C, D, E, G, A. From there, the C major (ionian) adds F, B.
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 (Ionian)), fret 2 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 4 B (7), fret 5 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major (Ionian)), fret 7 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 9 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 10 F (4), fret 12 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major (Ionian)).
- C string: fret 0 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major (Ionian)), fret 2 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 4 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 5 F (4), fret 7 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 9 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 11 B (7), fret 12 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major (Ionian)).
- E string: fret 0 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 1 F (4), fret 3 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 5 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 7 B (7), fret 8 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major (Ionian)), fret 10 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 12 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major (Ionian)).
- A string: fret 0 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 2 B (7), fret 3 C (root of C Major Pentatonic and root of C Major (Ionian)), fret 5 D (2 of C Major Pentatonic and 2 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 7 E (3 of C Major Pentatonic and 3 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 8 F (4), fret 10 G (5 of C Major Pentatonic and 5 of C Major (Ionian)), fret 12 A (6 of C Major Pentatonic and 6 of C Major (Ionian)).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
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 (Ionian) | R · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Major Pentatonic | In Major (Ionian) |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| D | 2 | 2 |
| E | 3 | 3 |
| G | 5 | 5 |
| A | 6 | 6 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the major (ionian): F (4), B (7)