Irish bouzouki (GDAD) pentatonic scales
Four five-note scales in GDAD tuning, with printable tab, playback and note names. Start with one chart and play it slowly in both directions.
By TradTabPublished Updated
G major pentatonic
G, A, B, D and E: the first, second, third, fifth and sixth degrees of G major. The chart leaves out C and F#.
E minor pentatonic
E, G, A, B and D: the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh degrees of E natural minor. These are also the notes of G major pentatonic.
D major pentatonic
D, E, F#, A and B: D major with its fourth and seventh degrees, G and C#, left out. Notice the larger steps between F# and A and between B and D.
A minor pentatonic
A, C, D, E and G: A natural minor with B and F left out. Return to the tune’s full melody when it uses either missing note.
Practise five notes, then return to the tune
Play G, A, B, D and E, then come back down to G. Keep a steady pulse and notice the larger jumps from B to D and E to G. Listen with the Play button before trying the pattern yourself.
Next, compare the pattern with G major, which adds C and F#. Choose a familiar phrase and check which of those two notes it needs. Keep them when playing the melody. A five-note pattern does not guarantee that every note will suit the chord underneath it.
These diagrams use GDAD. The top D course has different frets from the E course on a GDAE instrument. Check the Irish bouzouki tuner before practising.
Questions about pentatonics
A scale with five notes per octave. Major pentatonic uses degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of a major scale. Minor pentatonic uses degrees 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of natural minor. These four charts give one low-fret fingering in GDAD tuning.
G, A, B, D and E. Drop the C and the F sharp from the G major scale and they are what remains. E minor pentatonic is the same five notes centred on E.
A tune may use five notes, a fuller scale or notes that change between phrases. Check its actual melody. A pentatonic exercise gives you a small set of notes to practise, but it cannot supply the missing notes or rhythm of a tune you have not learned.
The note names can be the same, but the fret positions depend on the tuning. These charts are drawn for GDAD. A five-string chart in open G uses different strings and frets. GDAD has a fifth, a fifth and a fourth between its courses; use the GDAD chart for the top course.
Theory references: Open Music Theory on pentatonic collections and modes andnotes outside a chord. The charts and practice steps are TradTab’s own examples.