Minor Pentatonic Scale
A Minor pentatonic
- Notes
- A C D E G
- Formula
- 1 &♯9837;3 4 5 &♯9837;7
Dots show
Colors
Strings
Five notes, endless solos. The minor pentatonic is the first scale most guitarists learn and the one they keep coming back to. It's the sound of blues, classic rock and metal lead guitar, and it fits under your fingers in five easy boxes.
Notes in AA C D E G
Formula1 b3 4 5 b7
Notes5
Positions5
What is the minor pentatonic scale?
The minor pentatonic scale has five notes: the root, the flat 3rd, the 4th, the 5th and the flat 7th. In A that's A, C, D, E and G. Leave out the 2nd and the 6th of the natural minor scale and you get a scale with no half steps, which is why almost every note sounds good over a minor chord or a blues.
On guitar it falls into five box shapes that link up the neck. Most players start with position 1, the shape that starts on the root on the low E string: in A that's the 5th fret, the box behind a huge number of rock and blues solos.
Its formula is 1 b3 4 5 b7: root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 7th. Counted from one note to the next, that's a step and a half, whole step, whole step, step and a half, whole step.
Guitarists who made the minor pentatonic famous
Some of the most famous solos in rock history are built on these five notes. Each card shows the key of the song and where that box sits on the neck, so you can find it on your own guitar.
Blues & classic rock
Long, singing bends and phrases that breathe. These players made the minor pentatonic box the sound of the rock guitar solo.
Jimmy Page
“Stairway to Heaven” Led Zeppelin, 1971
Most of the solo comes from A minor pentatonic, starting in 5th position, with an added F to follow the F chord underneath.
A minor pentatonic · 5th fret
Photo: Dana Wullenwaber, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
David Gilmour
“Comfortably Numb” Pink Floyd, 1979
The solos lean on B minor pentatonic, often staying in the first box and making every bend count.
B minor pentatonic · 7th fret
Photo: Klaus Hiltscher, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
Hard rock & metal
Same five notes, more gain and more speed. Fast pull-offs, wide vibrato and the box at the 12th fret.
Angus Young
“Back in Black” AC/DC, 1980
The solo is E minor pentatonic with a few blues-scale notes, worked across the box at the 12th fret.
E minor pentatonic · 12th fret
Photo: Matt Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
Jimmy Page
“Whole Lotta Love” Led Zeppelin, 1969
The solo opens with a fast E minor pentatonic run down from the 12th position, full of pull-offs.
E minor pentatonic · 12th fret
Photo: Agency for the Performing Arts, public domain
Kirk Hammett
“Enter Sandman” Metallica, 1991
The solo starts in E minor pentatonic before stretching outside the box.
E minor pentatonic · 12th fret
Photo: Kreepin Deth, CC BY 3.0, cropped
The 5 minor pentatonic positions
Here are all five boxes in A. Position 1 starts on the root on the low E string, and each next box starts a little further up the neck until the pattern repeats an octave higher. Press Show positions in the chart above to light each one up and hear it.
The minor pentatonic scale in every key
Same shapes, different starting fret. Find your key, then start position 1 at that fret on the low E string.
| Key | Notes | Position 1 starts at |
|---|---|---|
| A minor pentatonic | A C D E G | 5th fret |
| B♭ minor pentatonic | B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ | 6th fret |
| B minor pentatonic | B D E F♯ A | 7th fret |
| C minor pentatonic | C E♭ F G B♭ | 8th fret |
| C♯ minor pentatonic | C♯ E F♯ G♯ B | 9th fret |
| D minor pentatonic | D F G A C | 10th fret |
| D♯ minor pentatonic | D♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ | 11th fret |
| E minor pentatonic | E G A B D | Open strings (or the 12th fret) |
| F minor pentatonic | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ | 1st fret |
| F♯ minor pentatonic | F♯ A B C♯ E | 2nd fret |
| G minor pentatonic | G B♭ C D F | 3rd fret |
| G♯ minor pentatonic | G♯ B C♯ D♯ F♯ | 4th fret |
Scales related to the minor pentatonic
- Major pentatonic: Same five shapes, different root: A minor pentatonic has exactly the same notes as C major pentatonic.
- Blues scale: Add one note, the flat 5th, and the minor pentatonic becomes the blues scale.
- Natural minor: Add the 2nd and the flat 6th back in and you have the full natural minor scale.
All of them are in the guitar scales chart, in every key.
Learn the minor pentatonic scale with a teacher
See it played and try it yourself with these video lessons from the Infinite Guitar library:
Minor Pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A, C, D, E and G. The table above lists the notes of the minor pentatonic in all 12 keys.
What is the minor pentatonic formula?
Root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th (1 b3 4 5 b7). Counted in steps from the root that's a step and a half, a whole step, a whole step, a step and a half and a whole step back to the root.
What's the difference between the minor pentatonic and the blues scale?
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus one note, the flat 5th. In A that's an E flat, the "blue note" that gives the blues scale its edge.
Is the minor pentatonic the same as the major pentatonic?
They use the same five shapes, but each starts from a different note. A minor pentatonic and C major pentatonic contain exactly the same notes. What changes is the root you build your lines around.
Which position should I learn first?
Position 1, the box that starts on the root on the low E string. In A it sits at the 5th fret. Learn it until you can play it without looking, then add position 2 and connect them.