pentatonic major
A five-note scale omitting the fourth and seventh degrees of the major scale, creating an open, universal sound.
In Depth
The major pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, sol, la) appears in virtually every musical culture on Earth, from African drumming to Chinese classical music to Celtic folk to American blues. Its absence of semitones means every note sounds consonant with every other note, making it nearly impossible to play a wrong note. This universality suggests the pentatonic scale may be rooted in fundamental properties of human auditory perception rather than cultural convention.
Bobby McFerrin demonstrated pentatonic universality in a famous TED talk by having an audience spontaneously sing a pentatonic melody, proving the scale is instinctive, not learned.