Skip to content

Guitar scales · Minor pentatonic

F minor pentatonic scale on guitar

The F minor has five notes: F, A♭, B♭, C and E♭. As degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5 and ♭7.

Notes and pattern

The F minor pentatonic scale

The first scale most guitarists learn: the backbone of blues and rock soloing. Play it to hear it up and down.

From note to note it climbs 3, 2, 2, 3 and 2 : there are no , which is why it is so hard to hit a wrong note.

F minor has the same notes as A♭ major pentatonic, starting from F. See that scale.

  1. F1
  2. A♭♭3
  3. B♭4
  4. C5
  5. E♭♭7
EADGBE0135791215FFFFFFFFFA♭B♭CE♭B♭CE♭A♭B♭CE♭A♭B♭CE♭A♭B♭CE♭A♭B♭CE♭A♭B♭CA♭B♭CE♭
  • F, the root
  • Other scale notes

Positions

F minor pentatonic in five positions

The splits the neck into five overlapping positions, one per shape. Learn one, then join it to the next.

Box 1 starts at 1, with the , F, under your first finger on the low E string.

F minor · G-shape position · box 1

Frets 1–4. The Fm chord (Em form) is in ink.

EADGBE0135791215FFFCA♭CA♭B♭E♭B♭E♭A♭
  • Root (F)
  • Chord shape
  • Pentatonic tone

Chords

What to play F minor pentatonic over

Play it over songs in F minor or A♭ major, and over a 12-bar blues in F (F7, B♭7 and C7).

Same root

Change a note or two and the same takes on a new mood.

Questions

F minor pentatonic, in short

What notes are in the F minor pentatonic scale?
The F minor has five notes: F, A♭, B♭, C and E♭. As degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5 and ♭7.
What chords go with the F minor pentatonic scale?
Play it over songs in F minor or A♭ major, and over a 12-bar blues in F (F7, B♭7 and C7).
What is the relative major of F minor pentatonic?
F minor pentatonic has the same notes as A♭ major pentatonic, starting from F.
All guitar scales