Pentatonic Scale on Guitar: Minor and Major
The minor pentatonic is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 and the major pentatonic is 1 2 3 5 6: five notes each, played in five box shapes. Switch the Scale menu between minor and major; the five box shapes are the same.
Showing A minor pentatonic: A C D E G
Scale on the fretboard
A minor pentatonic: A C D E G · Box 1 · frets 5–8 · starts on the root (A) on the 6th string
Tap a dot to hear it. Drone holds the root. Brightest dot = root. High e on top. Swipe for higher frets.
Minor pentatonic formula, in A
| Degree | Interval | Frets above root | Note in A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | 0 | A |
| ♭3 | minor 3rd | 3 | C |
| 4 | perfect 4th | 5 | D |
| 5 | perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| ♭7 | minor 7th | 10 | G |
Major pentatonic formula, in A
| Degree | Interval | Frets above root | Note in A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | 0 | A |
| 2 | major 2nd | 2 | B |
| 3 | major 3rd | 4 | C♯ |
| 5 | perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| 6 | major 6th | 9 | F♯ |
Use the pentatonic scale
- Pentatonic scale on the fretboard mapfrets 0 to 15, any key and tuning
- Chords in E minoropen-string box at fret 0
- Chords in A minorchords to solo over
How guitarists use the pentatonic scale
The minor pentatonic (1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7) is where most rock and blues soloing starts. It has no half steps, so over the chords of its key no note clashes hard, and box 1 fits under the fingers without moving the hand.
Minor and major pentatonic come in relative pairs: A minor pentatonic (A C D E G) and C major pentatonic (C D E G A) are the same five notes. Choose C major pentatonic above and the dots match A minor; only the root markers move.
Major pentatonic (1 2 3 5 6) is the brighter version for major keys, country and folk melodies. Players often move between the two over a blues: minor pentatonic for the bluesy sound, major pentatonic for a sweeter one.
The five boxes, in A minor pentatonic
Five boxes, two notes on every string. Box 1 starts on the root on the 6th string, each box starts on the next scale note up, and after box 5 the shapes repeat twelve frets higher.
| Box | Frets | Starts on (6th string) |
|---|---|---|
| Box 1 | 5–8 | A (1) at fret 5 |
| Box 2 | 7–10 | C (♭3) at fret 8 |
| Box 3 | 9–13 | D (4) at fret 10 |
| Box 4 | 12–15 | E (5) at fret 12 |
| Box 5 | 14–17 | G (♭7) at fret 15 |
In A, each box shares 6 notes with the next, so you can change box without stopping.
Tap a number above the fretboard to show that box in any key. The five boxes line up with the CAGED chord shapes: CAGED system scales.
Connecting box 1 to box 2, in A minor pentatonic
Most players get stuck in box 1. These steps use the default key above and the notes the two boxes share.
- Box 1. Frets 5–8. Play it up and down until you do not have to look.
- Box 2. Frets 7–10. It starts at 6th string fret 8, the higher box 1 note on that string.
- The shared notes. Boxes 1 and 2 share 6 notes: 6th string fret 8, 5th string fret 7, 4th string fret 7, 3rd string fret 7, 2nd string fret 8 and 1st string fret 8. Those are the doors between the boxes.
- Cross over. Climb box 1, step onto a shared note and finish in box 2, ending on its top note, D at 1st string fret 10.
Pentatonic scales in every key
| Root | Minor pentatonic | Major pentatonic |
|---|---|---|
| C | C E♭ F G B♭ | C D E G A |
| C♯ | C♯ E F♯ G♯ B | D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ |
| D | D F G A C | D E F♯ A B |
| E♭ | E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭ D♭ | E♭ F G B♭ C |
| E | E G A B D | E F♯ G♯ B C♯ |
| F | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ | F G A C D |
| F♯ | F♯ A B C♯ E | F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯ |
| G | G B♭ C D F | G A B D E |
| G♯ | G♯ B C♯ D♯ F♯ | A♭ B♭ C E♭ F |
| A | A C D E G | A B C♯ E F♯ |
| B♭ | B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ | B♭ C D F G |
| B | B D E F♯ A | B C♯ D♯ F♯ G♯ |
Related scales
- Blues scalethe minor pentatonic plus the ♭5, for 12-bar blues and rock
- Natural minor scalemelodies and chords of minor keys
- Major scalethe scale every major key and its chords are built from
Keep practising
- All guitar scalesevery scale in one fretboard tool
- Keyschords and progressions in every key
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along
FAQ: pentatonic scale
Which pentatonic box should I learn first?
Box 1 of the minor pentatonic, with the root on the 6th string. In A it sits at the 5th fret, and most beginner licks are taught there.
What is the difference between minor and major pentatonic?
Minor pentatonic is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 and suits minor keys and blues; major pentatonic is 1 2 3 5 6 and suits major keys. Each one is the other started on a different note: A minor pentatonic has the notes of C major pentatonic.
Why is it called pentatonic?
Penta means five. The scale has five notes per octave instead of the seven of the major and minor scales.