Also written Diatonic, Gong or Mongolian
F♯ major pentatonic uses F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯, and D♯. Box 1 spans frets 2–4 with roots on the sixth, fourth, and first strings.
F♯ major pentatonic removes the fourth and seventh from F♯ major, leaving intervals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. The parent scale is F♯ major. The omitted B and E♯ remove the tritone and leading tone, creating a stable, consonant sound.
F♯ major pentatonic fits F♯ major and F♯ 5th chords, and it also works over G♯ 5th and C♯ 5th. Use it for rock and pop in the key of F♯ major. Try it over F♯ major or F♯ 5th.
Learn Box 1 first. Its root on the sixth string, second fret gives a compact shape that connects to the open F♯ chord.
F♯ major pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 4, 9 notes across 6 strings, from F♯ on the low E string at fret 2 up to G♯ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 2, the D string at fret 4 and the high e string at fret 2.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4 | F♯, G♯ |
| 5 (A) | 4 | C♯ |
| 4 (D) | 4 | F♯ |
| 3 (G) | 3 | A♯ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | F♯, G♯ |
F♯ major pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 11 notes across 6 strings, from G♯ on the low E string at fret 4 up to A♯ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the D string at fret 4 and the B string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | C♯, D♯ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | F♯, G♯ |
| 3 (G) | 6 | C♯ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | D♯, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
F♯ major pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 12 notes across 6 strings, from A♯ on the low E string at fret 6 up to C♯ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the A string at fret 9 and the B string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | A♯, C♯ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9 | D♯, F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | G♯, A♯ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8 | C♯, D♯ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | F♯, G♯ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | A♯, C♯ |
F♯ major pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 11, 10 notes across 6 strings, from C♯ on the low E string at fret 9 up to D♯ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 9 and the G string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11 | F♯, G♯ |
| 4 (D) | 11 | C♯ |
| 3 (G) | 11 | F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | G♯, A♯ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
F♯ major pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 12 notes across 6 strings, from D♯ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F♯ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the low E string at fret 14, the G string at fret 11 and the high e string at fret 14.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14 | D♯, F♯ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | G♯, A♯ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | F♯, G♯ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14 | A♯, C♯ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14 | D♯, F♯ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
F♯ major pentatonic contains F♯, G♯, A♯, C♯, and D♯. These are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees of the F♯ major scale. The fourth and seventh are omitted. It is also spelled G♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
F♯ major pentatonic fits F♯ major and F♯ 5th chords directly. It also works over G♯ 5th and C♯ 5th in progressions. The scale avoids the fourth and seventh, so it rarely clashes.
F♯ major pentatonic shares the same notes as D♯ minor pentatonic. The difference is the tonal center: F♯ major pentatonic resolves to F♯, while D♯ minor pentatonic resolves to D♯.