The Pentatonic Minor Scale

We now have all the intervals to create the primary scale of the Native American flute: the root note, the minor third, the perfect fourth from the root, the perfect fifth from the root, the minor seventh from the root, and the octave from the root. This scale is well-known as the pentatonic minor scale.

Most contemporary six-hole Native American flutes will play the pentatonic minor scale with the fingerings:

The Pentatonic Minor Scale

On most contemporary five-hole Native American flutes the fingerings are . It sounds like this:

Pentatonic Minor Scale

Clint Goss. E minor flute of Spalted Maple by Barry Higgins.

These are the notes of the pentatonic minor scale written in Nakai Tablature:

On a piano, the scale would contain the notes:

... and has the scale steps 3-2-2-3-2.