A pentatonic scale in music is a 5 note scale that has been around since ancient times in Greece and other civilizations.
In a major 7 note diatonic scale, the pentatonic omits the 4th (half-step up from the 3rd) and 7th (half-step down from the 8th or 1st).

In the key of F#, one of twelve keys (by sound), the pentatonic scale is represented by the black notes on the (piano) keyboard. The keys being black and white is a historical accident.

An urban legend is that the pentatonic scale is the "slave scale". It happens that a few Negro spirituals are in the pentatonic scale, but so are some melodies of almost all genres.

Taking a few examples and generalizing to a rule for all is one type of logical fallacy. Aristotle calls this logical fallacy the "converse accident". That is, generalizing a rule from a specific example. Another name is the "hasty generalization". Such logical fallacies are often used to deceive others. Sometimes the person does not know as in "ignorance" or "incompetence".

Here are some examples of "hasty generalizations" from the Greek language that arise, sometimes in sermons, from taking a few specific examples as a general rule.

• The Greek prefix "meta" in the Greek word for "repentance" and in "metamorphosis" mean that "meta" means "changed". The Greek word "meta" means "after" as in an "after thought" or "after form" that is different from what was before.
• A Greek prefix "intensifies" the word to which it is joined. This may be true in a few instances. In general, like in English, a prefix "modifies" the word to which it is pre-pended. Some languages have postfixes in addition to prefixes.

Showing someone only pictures of glaciers that are melting and getting smaller is deceptive if one omits pictures of glaciers that are getting bigger. One needs to look at the entire picture.
In this case:

• The person seeing the selected images/facts could make a hasty generalization based on what they are shown.
• The person showing the selected images/facts is using the suppressed evidence deception technique, sometimes called cherry picking.



More: Selective evidence fallacy: Cherry picking

Here are some hymns using the pentatonic scale.

• Song: Jesus loves me
• Song: Amazing grace
• Song: Aude Lang Syne

Secular songs:

• Song: Another brick in the wall (minor pentatonic scale)

Here are some other hymns that use a pentatonic scale.

• When the saints go marching in
• How firm a foundation
• Come thou font of every blessing

Children's songs:

• Mary had little lamb
• Old MacDonald had a farm
• Camptown races
• Ring around the Rosie

• "Windy" by The Association (1967)
• "Those Were The Days" by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (theme song for "All in the family")
• "My Girl" by The Temptations
• "Better Together" by Jack Johnson
• "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder
• "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson
• "Stairway to heaven" by Ledd Zeppelin
• "Somewhere over the rainbow"

Here are some popular Negro spirituals.

• Swing low sweet chariot (pentatonic)
• He's got the whole world in his hand
• Balm in Gilead
• All God's children got shoes