Minor Pentatonic vs Major Pentatonic on Piano
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.
Piano, C3 to C5. Notes in this scale, low to high: C3 (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), D3 (2), Eb3 (flat 3), E3 (3), F3 (4), G3 (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), A3 (6), Bb3 (flat 7), C4 (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), D4 (2), Eb4 (flat 3), E4 (3), F4 (4), G4 (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), A4 (6), Bb4 (flat 7), C5 (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
Both scales above are drawn on one piano keyboard 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)