Minor Pentatonic vs Major Pentatonic
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.
Ukulele, tuned low to high: G, C, E, A. 12 frets.
- 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).
- C string: fret 0 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic), fret 2 D (2), fret 3 Eb (flat 3), fret 4 E (3), fret 5 F (4), fret 7 G (5 of C Minor Pentatonic and 5 of C Major Pentatonic), fret 9 A (6), fret 10 Bb (flat 7), fret 12 C (root of C Minor Pentatonic and root of C Major Pentatonic).
- 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).
- 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).
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 |
|---|---|
| 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)