The minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built from the 1st, minor 3rd, 4th, 5th and minor 7th degrees of the natural minor scale. A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E and G, and it is the most widely used scale in rock, blues and pop guitar.
What is the minor pentatonic scale?
The minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built from the 1st, minor 3rd, 4th, 5th and minor 7th degrees of the natural minor scale, leaving out the 2nd and 6th degrees. A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E and G: the A natural minor scale without B and F. The name means five notes, and the scale is the most widely used scale in rock, blues and pop guitar, because it sounds good over almost any minor chord and over many major chords too. The minor pentatonic scale sounds dark, soulful and safe, because the two notes it leaves out are the ones that cause the most tension in the minor scale. The 2nd degree can clash with the root, and the 6th degree can clash with the 5th, so removing them leaves a scale with no wrong notes: every note sounds good over the tonic minor chord, and the scale is forgiving enough that beginners can improvise with it on the first day. That safety, combined with its bluesy character, is why the minor pentatonic scale is the first scale most guitarists learn.
How the minor pentatonic scale works
The interval pattern of the minor pentatonic scale is 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 semitones above the root, which is the minor 3rd, whole step, whole step, minor 3rd, whole step pattern. The gaps between the notes are never smaller than a whole tone, which is why the scale has no semitone clashes: the smallest distance between any two notes is two semitones, and that is what makes it sound so open. Compare it with the full natural minor scale, where the semitone steps between B and C and between E and F create the tension that the pentatonic scale removes. The minor pentatonic scale is the relative minor of the major pentatonic scale: A minor pentatonic, A, C, D, E, G, shares its notes with C major pentatonic, C, D, E, G, A, which is the same five notes starting from a different root. That relationship means that learning one pentatonic scale teaches you two, and that the same shape on the guitar can be a minor pentatonic or a major pentatonic depending on which note you treat as the root. The A minor pentatonic scale and the C major pentatonic scale show the pair, and the scale finder builds a minor pentatonic scale from any root.
Worked example — E minor pentatonic. Take the E natural minor scale, E, F#, G, A, B, C, D, and remove the 2nd degree, F#, and the 6th degree, C. The result is E, G, A, B, D, the E minor pentatonic scale. Check the intervals: E to G is three semitones, G to A is two, A to B is two, B to D is three, and D to E is two, which is the minor 3rd, whole step, whole step, minor 3rd, whole step pattern. On guitar the E minor pentatonic scale is the first shape most players learn, because it sits in open position and fits over E minor, A minor and B minor. The key of E minor shows those chords.
How to practise the minor pentatonic scale
Practise the minor pentatonic scale as a tool for improvisation, not just as a finger exercise, so you learn to make music with it from the first day.
- Play the A minor pentatonic scale ascending and descending on your instrument, and listen for the dark, bluesy sound of the five notes.
- Improvise over an A minor chord using only the notes of the A minor pentatonic scale, and notice that every note sounds good, with no wrong choices.
- Play the minor pentatonic scales of E, D and B in turn, and notice that each one is the same shape moved to a new root.
- On guitar, learn the minor pentatonic shape in one position, then move it up the neck to play the same scale in a different octave.
- Use the scale finder to find the minor pentatonic scale for the key you are playing in, and check that its notes fit the chords.
Common mistakes
- Playing the full natural minor scale instead — The minor pentatonic scale leaves out the 2nd and 6th degrees for a reason: they are the notes that clash. Adding them back turns the scale into the full natural minor scale, which is fine, but it is a different sound, and it needs more care.
- Staying in one box shape forever — The minor pentatonic scale has five positions on the guitar, and staying in one box limits your playing to a small area of the neck. Learn all five positions and connect them, so you can play the scale anywhere.
- Forgetting the relative major — Every minor pentatonic scale shares its notes with a major pentatonic scale a minor 3rd above it. If you learn the minor pentatonic without learning its relative major, you are learning half the scale.
Quick reference
This table lists the minor pentatonic scale in six keys, with the relative major pentatonic scale in the last column so you can see that the two scales share the same five notes. The relative major is always a minor 3rd above the minor root, which is why A minor pentatonic pairs with C major pentatonic, and E minor pentatonic pairs with G major pentatonic.
| Key | Minor pentatonic notes | Relative major pentatonic |
|---|---|---|
| A minor | A – C – D – E – G | C major |
| E minor | E – G – A – B – D | G major |
| D minor | D – F – G – A – C | F major |
| B minor | B – D – E – F# – A | D major |
| C minor | C – D# – F – G – A# | D# major |
| G minor | G – A# – C – D – F | A# major |
Work through the table by taking the natural minor scale on each root and removing the 2nd and 6th degrees, checking your answers against the rows. When you can build all six without looking, play each minor pentatonic scale and then its relative major, and listen for the same five notes sounding minor in one place and major in the other.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A, C, D, E and G. They are the 1st, minor 3rd, 4th, 5th and minor 7th degrees of the A natural minor scale, with the 2nd degree, B, and the 6th degree, F, left out.
Why is the minor pentatonic scale so popular on guitar?
Because it sounds good over almost any minor chord, it has no wrong notes, and its five shapes fit the guitar fretboard neatly. It is the scale that most rock and blues solos are built from, and it is the first scale most guitarists learn.
What is the difference between minor and major pentatonic?
The notes: A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E, G, while C major pentatonic is C, D, E, G, A. The two scales share the same five notes, but they start from different roots and have different interval patterns.
Can I use the minor pentatonic over a major chord?
Yes, often. The minor pentatonic scale sounds bluesy over a major chord, especially in rock and blues, where the clash between the minor 3rd of the scale and the major 3rd of the chord is part of the sound.
How many positions does the minor pentatonic have on guitar?
Five, one starting from each note of the scale. Learning all five positions and connecting them lets you play the scale anywhere on the neck, instead of being stuck in one box.