C Major Pentatonic (Right Hand)

Five notes, no half steps, no wrong notes. A gentle way into improvising.

Level:
2 of 6
Hands:
Right hand
Key:
C major pentatonic
Notes:
11
Range:
C4 to C5
One run:
about 9 seconds at 80 bpm

The notes, in order

11 notes, one at a time.

  1. C4
  2. D4
  3. E4
  4. G4
  5. A4
  6. C5
  7. A4
  8. G4
  9. E4
  10. D4
  11. C4

How to practise it

  1. C-D-E-G-A: the fourth and seventh degrees are simply missing
  2. Every note sounds good over a C chord, so try improvising afterwards
  3. Fingering: 1-2-3-1-2-3

The scale behind it

This one is built on the C Major Pentatonic scale: C D E G A (no sharps or flats). Its right-hand fingering runs 1-2-3-1-2-3, and the scale page has the full diagram if you want to hear the shape on its own first.

How to play it here

Play along on the keys with your mouse, your computer keyboard, a touch screen, or a MIDI keyboard you have plugged in. Every key can show its own name, and the metronome will hold the tempo while you work through the 11 notes.

What it trains

  • scale
  • pentatonic
  • improvisation

More major scales

Passing the thumb under and the hand over, one key signature at a time.

All piano exercises