Also written Egyptian, Shang or Standard Slendro
A♭ neutral pentatonic contains A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. Box 2 places the root on string 6, fret 4 for a mid-neck shape.
A♭ neutral pentatonic is built from A♭ minor pentatonic by raising the ♭3 to a major 2nd, giving intervals 1, 2, 4, 5, ♭7. Compare it with A♭ minor pentatonic to hear the change. The scale contains no tritone or leading tone. Its step pattern is W, 1½, W, 1½, W.
A♭ neutral pentatonic fits A♭ 5th and A♭ suspended 2nd chords, plus C♯ 5th and E♭ minor. Use it for modal rock or world music lines in A♭. The scale also works over F♯ major for a suspended colour.
Practise Box 2 first. It keeps the root on string 6, fret 4 and covers frets 4–7, making it easy to shift to Box 3.
A♭ neutral pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 4, 9 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4 | D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4 | G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3 | B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
A♭ neutral pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 11 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6 | D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
A♭ neutral pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 12 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the D string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9 | E♭, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8 | D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | B♭, D♭ |
A♭ neutral pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 11, 10 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11 | G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11 | D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11 | G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
A♭ neutral pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 12 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14 | B♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ neutral pentatonic contains A♭, B♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. The intervals are 1, 2, 4, 5, and ♭7. It has no tritone or leading tone. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ neutral pentatonic fits A♭ 5th and A♭ suspended 2nd chords. It also works over C♯ 5th and E♭ minor. The scale avoids the third, so it suits open fifth chords.
A♭ neutral pentatonic raises the minor third of A♭ minor pentatonic to a major second. This removes the minor quality and creates a suspended sound. The note B♭ replaces C♭.
The step pattern is whole, one and a half, whole, one and a half, whole. This gives the scale its neutral, open character. It is also known as Egyptian or Shang.