Mon Prof Augmenté
The Five-Note Scale on the Black Keys
Age 12 · Music
A pentatonic scale has only five different notes in each octave, while most everyday scales have seven. If you play only the five black keys of a piano, you are playing a pentatonic scale, and it is hard to make it sound wrong.
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In the picture
- Group of two black keys: the first two notes of the five-note scale
- Group of three black keys: the other three notes of the scale
- Plain white key: a note left out of this pentatonic scale
Examples
- The melody of "Amazing Grace" uses only the five notes of a pentatonic scale.
- Rock and blues guitar solos are often built on the minor pentatonic scale.
Key takeaways
- A pentatonic scale has five notes per octave; "penta" means five.
- The five black keys of a piano form a pentatonic scale on their own.
Quiz: The Five-Note Scale on the Black Keys (Age 12)
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How many different notes does a pentatonic scale have in each octave?
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If you play only the black keys of a piano, what kind of scale are you playing?
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When you play the pentatonic scale on the black keys, what happens to the white-key notes?
The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.
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