How many distinct notes are in a pentatonic scale per octave?

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Multiple Choice

How many distinct notes are in a pentatonic scale per octave?

Explanation:
Five notes per octave. A pentatonic scale is named for its five tones; within one octave you encounter five different pitch classes before the octave repeats the root. For example, the C major pentatonic uses C, D, E, G, A, and then the next C marks the octave restart. So it isn’t seven or eight notes in the octave—the seven would be a diatonic scale, and counting the octave as a separate note would give eight, which isn’t how distinct notes per octave are counted.

Five notes per octave. A pentatonic scale is named for its five tones; within one octave you encounter five different pitch classes before the octave repeats the root. For example, the C major pentatonic uses C, D, E, G, A, and then the next C marks the octave restart. So it isn’t seven or eight notes in the octave—the seven would be a diatonic scale, and counting the octave as a separate note would give eight, which isn’t how distinct notes per octave are counted.

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