pentatonic scale

American  

[pen-tuh-ton-ik, pen-] / ˈpɛn təˈtɒn ɪk, ˌpɛn- /

noun

Music.

1. a scale having five tones to an octave, as one having intervals that correspond to the five black keys of a piano octave.

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pentatonic scale British  

/ ˌpɛntəˈtɒnɪk /

noun

1. music any of several scales consisting of five notes, the most commonly encountered one being composed of the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth degrees of the major diatonic scale

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Etymology

Origin of pentatonic scale

First recorded in 1860–65; penta- + tonic

Example Sentences

Built on a pentatonic scale, “Summertime” gathers within its modest frame the sound world of black folk tradition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory created what they call “music of the spheres” for the TOI 178 system by associating a sound on a pentatonic scale to each of the five planets.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2024

"They comprise, in substance, the use of the first four notes of the minor pentatonic scale combined with the use of octaves and harmonies in a vocal chant," he argued.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2022

And he performed in the five-note pentatonic scale common to sub-Saharan Africa — a sound that distinguishes Sudanese music from the seven-note heptatonic scale more common to the Middle East and North Africa.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2021

The easiest way to experiment on the Orff instruments is to begin with the pentatonic scale, a scale with only five pitches.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin