The pentatonic scale uses 5 tones in an octave.
The black notes on a keyboard
Pentatonic. Penta means 5.
To determine what the seventh note (leading note) is in a minor scale, you need to determine which minor scale you are playing. The seventh note of a natural minor scale, you take the note which is a whole tone (2 notes) below your tonic (the note which is the name of your scale). Example: In A natural minor scale the leading note is G. The seventh note of a harmonic minor scale is a semitone (1 note) below your tonic note. Ex: In E harmonic minor scale, the leading note is D sharp. The seventh note of a melodic minor scale (ascending) will be a semitone below your tonic note, like your harmonic minor scale. Descending the melodic minor scale reverts to its natural state, therefore your seventh note will be a whole tone below your tonic.
C is the third note of an A minor scale.
The first note of the major scale is the tonic.
Pentatonic
The typical five-note scale that is still until today used in Asian music is called pentatonic (pente = five in greek).
pentatonic scale
pentatonic scale
The black notes on a keyboard
Pentatonic. Penta means 5.
pentatonic
The dominant note is the 5th note in the scale. In the B Major scale, F is the dominant note.
To determine what the seventh note (leading note) is in a minor scale, you need to determine which minor scale you are playing. The seventh note of a natural minor scale, you take the note which is a whole tone (2 notes) below your tonic (the note which is the name of your scale). Example: In A natural minor scale the leading note is G. The seventh note of a harmonic minor scale is a semitone (1 note) below your tonic note. Ex: In E harmonic minor scale, the leading note is D sharp. The seventh note of a melodic minor scale (ascending) will be a semitone below your tonic note, like your harmonic minor scale. Descending the melodic minor scale reverts to its natural state, therefore your seventh note will be a whole tone below your tonic.
The subdominant note is D in an A major scale
The first note of the major scale is the tonic.
C is the third note of an A minor scale.