A Major Pentatonic Scale
Next, lets look at the A Major Pentatonic scale. You derive the Major Pentatonic scale by just dropping the 4th and 7th scale degree from the A Major scale. Although it is not technically correct, you can think of relating the A Major Pentatonic to the A Mixolydian mode the same way.
It is a good discipline to count the notes in the scale as you play them. It is also good to say the notes out loud as you play them. The numbers of the A Major scale would look like this:
- A - I - Tonic
- B - ii - Super Tonic
- C# - iii - Mediant
- D - IV - Subdominant
- E - V - Dominant
- F# - vi - Subdominant
- G# - vii - Leading tone or sub-tonic
The Mixolydian mode comes out of the D scale which doesn't have a G#. You can think of the A Mixolydian mode as a G Major scale with a flatted 7th. In the same way a dominant 7th (A7) is like a major 7th (Ama7) with a flatted 7th. The notes for the Mixolydian mode look like this:
- A
- B
- C#
- D
- E
- F#
- G
In either case, if you leave the 4th and the 7th out of the loop, you get A Major Pentatonic scale. The notes look like this
- A - I - Tonic
- B - ii - Super Tonic
- C# - iii - Mediant
- E - V - Dominant
- F# - vi - Subdominant
