Pentatonic help!!???

[bubinga5]

Hey people.please help. Can any one tell me every time i read an instructional book why the Major Pentatonic is shown with an additional 3 modes. Why in particular those three modes?? Also why not show the modes to the Minor Pentatonic..

Is there any significance to these particular 3 Maj Pent modes..??

[DudeistMonk]

Minor pentatonic is a mode of pentatonic.

When you start C major pentatonic on A your are playing the A minor pentatonic.

This link is pretty clear about how the Pentatonic Scale works

[mutedeity]

If you are talking about what I think you are talking about it has to do with the notes the modes all have in common.

For example if you look at the Major, Lydian and Mixolydian and take the notes they have in common and leave out the notes that are different you have the degrees {1,2,3,5,6}.

These three modes will each have a major chord attached to them. This means that if you are playing over a major chord you can generally get away with a major pentatonic over a major chord regardless of the "key of the song".

The same is true of the minor pentatonic. Take the Aeolian, Dorian and Phrygian and leave out the different notes you end up having the degrees {1,b3,4,5,b7} and since these three modes have a minor chord in common you will be generally able to play a minor pentatonic over a minor chord.