pentatonic scale explained
A five-note scale found in virtually every musical culture on earth
In Depth
The major pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) removes the fourth and seventh degrees from the major scale, eliminating all semitones and tritones. The result is a scale with no dissonance and no strong tendencies — every note sounds comfortable. The minor pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) is the same collection starting from a different note. Pentatonic melodies appear in Chinese, Japanese, African, Celtic, Native American, and many other musical traditions independently. The scale's universal appeal may stem from its alignment with the most consonant intervals of the harmonic series.
Bobby McFerrin demonstrated the universality of the pentatonic scale in a famous TED talk by getting an audience to spontaneously sing a pentatonic melody with no instruction.