A pentatonic scale is a scale narrowed down to five notes within an octave. It produces relatively few clashes, which is why it is so often used for vocal melodies, guitar solos and as an entry point to improvising.
The basic idea
The major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic are the two common forms. Because there are fewer notes to work with, rhythm and phrasing do more of the work in creating an impression.
What to check when using it
Loop a chord progression and build short phrases with only those five notes, which lets you concentrate on the flow of the melody.
Since it has fewer notes than the standard major and minor scales, it is easy for beginners to handle.
