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C Major Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

The same five notes as A Minor Pentatonic, centred on a brighter root.

The exact same five notes as A Minor Pentatonic, reordered around a new root.
Bright and consonant — one of the safest scales over major progressions.
At home in country, pop and folk.
Switching between the two mid-solo is a common, effective technique.

Position 1 — root on the 6th string, 8th fret

Root2nd3rd5th6th

Notes: C – D – E – G – A · Formula: 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6

Across the Fretboard — Full Neck

Root2nd3rd5th6th

Position 5 continues further up the neck.

One common CAGED approach; positions vary between teachers/methods.

Every C Major Pentatonic note from the open strings to the 17th fret — the root (white ring) repeats every octave.

Hear It For Yourself

This scale sounds even better than it looks.

Light up C Major Pentatonic across the whole fretboard and hear every note in context.

Play C Maj Pent in the Studio →

Questions about C Major Pentatonic

What notes are in the C Major Pentatonic scale?

The C Major Pentatonic scale contains the notes C, D, E, G, A. Its interval formula is 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6, built from C as the root.

What is the difference between C major and A minor pentatonic?

Nothing, in terms of notes — they contain the identical five pitches. The difference is which note the ear hears as home. Played over C major the scale sounds bright; played over A minor the same notes sound dark. That's why guitarists slide between the two shapes freely.

How it compares

Major Pentatonic vs Minor PentatonicComparison Major vs Major PentatonicComparison Compare any two scalesInteractive tool