pentatonic

The pentatonic scale uses five notes per octave instead of the seven used in major and minor scales. The most common form — the major pentatonic — consists of the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth degrees of the major scale, omitting the fourth and seventh. This omission removes all semitones, creating a scale with no harsh dissonances. The pentatonic scale appears in the folk music of nearly every culture on Earth — from Chinese and Japanese traditional music to Celtic folk songs, African music, and Native American chant. Its universality suggests something fundamental about how human ears process pitch. Blues and rock music rely heavily on the minor pentatonic scale, and many of the most iconic guitar solos are built entirely from its five notes.