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Guitar scale · suspended pentatonic

A Egyptian Pentatonic Scale

Pentatonic scale 1 2 4 5 ♭7, also called the suspended pentatonic. It has no 3rd and no half steps.

Notes ABDEG
Formula 1 2 4 5 ♭7
Steps W W+H W W+H W
Mood Open, Suspended, Floating
Heard in Modal Improvisation, Folk-inspired Melodies

Interactive scale diagram

A Egyptian Pentatonic Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

A Egyptian Pentatonic Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 5–8
e|-------------------5-7-|
B|---------------5-8-----|
G|-------------7---------|
D|---------5-7-----------|
A|-----5-7---------------|
E|-5-7-------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 7–10
e|------------------------7-10-|
B|-------------------8-10------|
G|---------------7-9-----------|
D|-----------7-9---------------|
A|------7-10-------------------|
E|-7-10------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 9–12
e|-----------------------------10-12-|
B|-----------------------10-12-------|
G|------------------9-12-------------|
D|-------------9-12------------------|
A|-------10-12-----------------------|
E|-10-12-----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 12–15
e|-------------------------------12-15-|
B|-------------------------12-15-------|
G|-------------------12-14-------------|
D|-------------12-14-------------------|
A|-------12-14-------------------------|
E|-12-15-------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 14–17
e|-------------------------------15-17-|
B|-------------------------15-17-------|
G|-------------------14-16-------------|
D|-------------14-17-------------------|
A|-------14-17-------------------------|
E|-15-17-------------------------------|

How to play A Egyptian Pentatonic on guitar

Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (4, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 A
2 B
4 D
5 E
♭7 G

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Questions

What notes are in the A Egyptian Pentatonic Scale?
The A Egyptian Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: A, B, D, E, G.
What is the formula of the egyptian pentatonic scale?
1 2 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W+H W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play A Egyptian Pentatonic on the guitar?
The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Egyptian Pentatonic Scale in every key

More scales in A