Minor Pentatonic vs Major Pentatonic on Bass
The C minor pentatonic and the C major pentatonic share 2 notes — C, G. From there, the C minor pentatonic adds Eb, F, Bb, while the C major pentatonic adds D, E, A.
Bass · 4-string, tuned low to high: E, A, D, G. 24 frets.
- E string: fret 0 E (3), fret 1 F (4), fret 3 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 5 A (6), fret 6 Bb (flat 7), fret 8 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 10 D (2), fret 11 Eb (flat 3), fret 12 E (3), fret 13 F (4), fret 15 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 17 A (6), fret 18 Bb (flat 7), fret 20 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 22 D (2), fret 23 Eb (flat 3), fret 24 E (3).
- A string: fret 0 A (6), fret 1 Bb (flat 7), fret 3 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 5 D (2), fret 6 Eb (flat 3), fret 7 E (3), fret 8 F (4), fret 10 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 12 A (6), fret 13 Bb (flat 7), fret 15 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 17 D (2), fret 18 Eb (flat 3), fret 19 E (3), fret 20 F (4), fret 22 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 24 A (6).
- D string: fret 0 D (2), fret 1 Eb (flat 3), fret 2 E (3), fret 3 F (4), fret 5 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 7 A (6), fret 8 Bb (flat 7), fret 10 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 12 D (2), fret 13 Eb (flat 3), fret 14 E (3), fret 15 F (4), fret 17 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 19 A (6), fret 20 Bb (flat 7), fret 22 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 24 D (2).
- G string: fret 0 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 2 A (6), fret 3 Bb (flat 7), fret 5 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 7 D (2), fret 8 Eb (flat 3), fret 9 E (3), fret 10 F (4), fret 12 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 14 A (6), fret 15 Bb (flat 7), fret 17 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 19 D (2), fret 20 Eb (flat 3), fret 21 E (3), fret 22 F (4), fret 24 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
Both scales above are drawn on one bass 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 |
|---|---|
| Minor Pentatonic | R · b3 · 4 · 5 · b7 |
| Major Pentatonic | R · 2 · 3 · 5 · 6 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Minor Pentatonic | In Major Pentatonic |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| G | 5 | 5 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the minor pentatonic: Eb (b3), F (4), Bb (b7)
- Only in the major pentatonic: D (2), E (3), A (6)