About the A sharp Major Pentatonic scale
A sharp Major Pentatonic is used for folk, country, pop, gospel and countless melodies and solos. Think of it as the five-note major scale, open and singable with no notes that clash. It is A♯ Dorian Pentatonic with the third raised.
Its notes are A♯, B♯, D, E♯, and G. The formula is W W 1½ W 1½.
Also called Bhoopali and Mohanam.
D and G are open guitar strings that sit inside the scale, ready to drone under a riff. A guitarist finds the lowest A♯ at the 1st fret of the A string. The first three frets carry a complete octave of A♯ Major Pentatonic, a genuine open-position shape.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
Pentatonic boxes
The five shapes blues and rock are built on, the first scale most guitarists ever solo with, one box per note up the neck.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | A#A♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | B#B♯ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | DD | Major 3rd |
| 4 | E#E♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 5 | GG | Major 6th |
| Steps | W W 1½ W 1½ |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-3-2-3 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 5 6 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Major Pentatonic in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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