A minor pentatonic: A C D E G
Standard tuning. The thin high E string is at the top. Filled circles mark roots; outlined circles mark the other notes. Fret 0 is an open string.
Five pentatonic positions
Tap a box to hear its notes ascending. Numbers follow the minor-pattern shapes; major mode keeps those shapes with a different root highlighted. A box shifts by an octave when needed to fit frets 0–15.
Connecting the five boxes
A pentatonic scale has five notes per octave. A minor pentatonic uses A C D E G: degrees 1, ♭3, 4, 5 and ♭7. Each box repeats that same set in a different part of the neck; it is not a new scale.
In A minor, Position 1 runs from frets 5–8. Its higher notes on each string also belong to Position 2. Play A–C on string 6 at frets 5 and 8, then slide to D at fret 10. That connects two boxes without a leap across strings. Position 5 appears lower on this chart because its higher-octave version extends past fret 15.
Practice a short phrase across a box boundary, then return to a root. Running every pattern from bottom to top is useful for learning the map, but phrases need pauses and a destination.
Minor pentatonic in blues and rock
The minor pentatonic works naturally over many minor riffs. Blues players also use it against major or dominant chords, where its minor third rubs against the chord's major third. Listen to that tension instead of treating every marked note as equally settled.
Over an A blues, C can lean toward C♯ as the A chord sounds. Over changing rock chords, test your ending note against the chord underneath. The same box can sound settled or tense depending on where a phrase stops. See blues guitar lessons for work on phrasing and listening.
Bending toward a note
In the A minor first box, bend D at fret 7 on string 3 up a whole step to E: degree 4 moving to 5. G at fret 8 on string 2 can bend a whole step to A. Play the target as an ordinary fretted note first, then match it with the bend.
The common degree-2 bend belongs to major pentatonic: bend 2 up to 3. In A major that is B toward C♯. Minor pentatonic has no degree 2. These numbers describe scale degrees, not finger numbers or frets. Support a bending finger with the fingers behind it, and check the pitch rather than pushing a fixed distance.
The blue note and the major sound
Add ♭5 to minor pentatonic for the six-note blues scale. In A, that extra note is E♭, between D and E. Play D–E♭–E at frets 7–8–9 on string 3, using E♭ as a passing note. The chart marks pentatonic notes only, so the added E♭ is intentionally absent.
Major pentatonic uses degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. C major gives C D E G A, the same pitches as A minor with C as home. Country and pop solos often draw on this major sound. Switch between those two settings above and watch the root markers change while the note locations stay put.
B# Music offers guitar lessons in Charlottesville for putting scales into songs.
Questions
Which pentatonic position should I learn first?
Begin with the first A minor box. Play it slowly enough that the next string stays quiet until you pick it. Learn to find its A notes without counting up from the lowest fret before adding another position.
Is pentatonic the same as the natural minor scale?
No. Natural minor has seven notes. In A minor, B and F join the pentatonic set. Those two notes add half-step relationships that the five-note version leaves out.
Can one pentatonic scale work over an entire song?
Sometimes, particularly when a riff stays around one tonal center. A key change or a chord outside that key can call for different notes. Follow the harmony and adjust the phrase when a note clashes.
Do I need to start every solo on the root?
No. Starting elsewhere can leave a phrase feeling open. Landing on a root at a pause makes the tonal center easier to hear; landing on another chord tone can connect the phrase to the accompaniment.
