Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C Major Pentatonic Scale
Sweet 5-note major scale used for uplifting melodies in country, southern rock, and acoustic pop.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Major Pentatonic Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------8-10-| B|--------------8-10------| G|------------9-----------| D|---------10-------------| A|------10----------------| E|-8-10-------------------|
e|----------------------------10-12-| B|----------------------10-13-------| G|-------------------12-------------| D|-------------10-12----------------| A|-------10-12----------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------12-15-| B|-------------------------13-15-------| G|-------------------12-14-------------| D|-------------12-14-------------------| A|-------12-15-------------------------| E|-12-15-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------15-17-| B|-------------------15-17-------| G|----------------17-------------| D|-------------17----------------| A|-------15-17-------------------| E|-15-17-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------17-20-| B|-------------------------17-20-------| G|-------------------17-19-------------| D|-------------17-19-------------------| A|-------17-19-------------------------| E|-17-20-------------------------------|
How to play C Major Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 8–11. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
C major pentatonic has the same five notes as A minor pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the A Minor Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| 2 | D |
| 3 | E |
| 5 | G |
| 6 | A |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Major Pentatonic anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Major Pentatonic Scale?
- The C Major Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: C, D, E, G, A.
- What is the formula of the major pentatonic scale?
- 1 2 3 5 6, which is the step pattern W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Major Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.