A major pentatonic scale
2 sharps: C♯ F♯ · pattern W–W–W+H–W–W+H
A – B – C♯ – E – F♯
Step patternWWW+HWW+H
About this scale
Five notes, no half steps: the major scale without its 4th and 7th. With nothing to clash, any note sounds good over the I chord — the reason it’s everywhere in folk, country and pop melodies.
Relative key: F♯ minor pentatonic.
Other A scales
Major pentatonic scale in other keys
Questions
What are the notes of the A major pentatonic scale?
A, B, C♯, E, F♯.
How many sharps or flats are in A major pentatonic scale?
2: C♯, F♯.
What is the step pattern of the major pentatonic scale?
W–W–W+H–W–W+H, where W is a whole step (two keys) and H is a half step (the next key). Start that pattern on A to get this scale.
What is the relative minor of A major pentatonic?
F♯ minor pentatonic. Both scales use the same notes but start on a different tonic.