Editing Pentatonic scale (section)

=== Major pentatonic scale ===
Anhemitonic pentatonic scales can be constructed in many ways. The major pentatonic scale may be thought of as a gapped or incomplete major scale, using scale tones 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the major scale.<ref name="B&S" /> One construction takes five consecutive pitches from the [[circle of fifths]];<ref>[[Paul Cooper (composer)|Paul Cooper]], ''Perspectives in Music Theory: An Historical-Analytical Approach''(New York: Dodd, Mead, 1973), p.&nbsp;18. . {{ISBN|0-396-06752-2}}.</ref> starting on C, these are C, G, D, A, and E. Rearranging the pitches to fit into one [[octave]] creates the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, A.

:<score sound="1"> {
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' {
  \time 5/4
  c d e g a c
} }
</score>
Another construction works backward: It omits two pitches from a [[diatonic scale]]. If one were to begin with a C [[major scale]], for example, one might omit the fourth and the seventh [[scale degree]]s, F and B. The remaining notes then make up the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, and A.

Omitting the third and seventh degrees of the C major scale obtains the notes for another transpositionally equivalent anhemitonic pentatonic scale: F, G, A, C, D. Omitting the first and fourth degrees of the C major scale gives a third anhemitonic pentatonic scale: G, A, B, D, E.

The black keys on a piano keyboard comprise a G-flat (or equivalently, F-sharp) major pentatonic scale: G-flat, A-flat, B-flat, D-flat, and E-flat, which is exploited in [[Chopin]]'s [[Étude Op. 10, No. 5 (Chopin)|black key étude]].

:<score sound="1"> {
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c'' {
  \time 5/4
  ges aes bes des ees ges
} }

</score>