A minor pentatonic scale on guitar
Every note of the scale on the neck, 5 positions with tab, and the chords to play it over. Tap a note on the fretboard to hear it.
A Minor pentatonic: A (1) · C (♭3) · D (4) · E (5) · G (♭7)
Swipe the neck sideways to see frets up to 15.
Tap any fret to hear its note.
About the A minor pentatonic scale
A minor pentatonic is a five-note scale: the A minor scale without its second and sixth. With no half steps between its notes, it is hard to play a wrong note, which is why it is the first scale most guitarists learn for rock and blues solos.
Notes of the A minor pentatonic scale
A minor pentatonic has 5 notes: A, C, D, E, G. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are 3-2-2-3-2 frets.
- A1
- C♭3
- D4
- E5
- G♭7
A minor pentatonic scale positions
Five positions, or boxes, cover the whole neck. Each one joins the next: the top notes of one box are the bottom notes of the next. Position 1 starts on the root, A, on the low E string.
Position 1
Frets 5–8e|---------------------5-8-5---------------------| B|-----------------5-8-------8-5-----------------| G|-------------5-7---------------7-5-------------| D|---------5-7-----------------------7-5---------| A|-----5-7-------------------------------7-5-----| E|-5-8---------------------------------------8-5-|
Position 2
Frets 7–10e|-------------------------------8--10-8--------------------------------| B|-------------------------8--10----------10-8--------------------------| G|-------------------7--9-----------------------9--7--------------------| D|-------------7--10----------------------------------10-7--------------| A|-------7--10----------------------------------------------10-7--------| E|-8--10----------------------------------------------------------10-8--|
Position 3
Frets 9–13e|-------------------------------10-12-10-------------------------------| B|-------------------------10-13----------13-10-------------------------| G|-------------------9--12----------------------12-9--------------------| D|-------------10-12----------------------------------12-10-------------| A|-------10-12----------------------------------------------12-10-------| E|-10-12----------------------------------------------------------12-10-|
Position 4
Frets 12–15e|-------------------------------12-15-12-------------------------------| B|-------------------------13-15----------15-13-------------------------| G|-------------------12-14----------------------14-12-------------------| D|-------------12-14----------------------------------14-12-------------| A|-------12-15----------------------------------------------15-12-------| E|-12-15----------------------------------------------------------15-12-|
Position 5
Frets 2–5e|---------------------3-5-3---------------------| B|-----------------3-5-------5-3-----------------| G|-------------2-5---------------5-2-------------| D|---------2-5-----------------------5-2---------| A|-----3-5-------------------------------5-3-----| E|-3-5---------------------------------------5-3-|
Filled notes are the root, A. The tab runs up the position and back down.
Chords that go with A minor pentatonic
Play A minor pentatonic over these chords from the key of A minor. It fits the whole progression, so you can solo with it from the first chord to the last.
Relative scale
A minor pentatonic has the same notes as C major pentatonic. You can play the same shapes; what changes is the note you treat as home, C.
How to practise the A minor pentatonic scale
- Learn position 1 first. Play it up and down slowly with a metronome until every note is even.
- Say or hear the root each time you pass it, so you always know where home is.
- Join two positions: slide from the top of one into the next until you can move across the neck.
- Improvise over the chords above with only three or four notes at first, then add more.
Hear A minor pentatonic in a real song
Upload a song you like, and Tabtify writes the tab, so you can see which notes of the scale the guitarist plays.
Turn a song into tabA minor pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A, C, D, E, G. The formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7.
How many positions does the A minor pentatonic scale have?
Five. The five boxes of A minor pentatonic link up to cover the whole neck, and the pattern repeats from fret 12.
What chords go with the A minor pentatonic scale?
Am, Dm, Em, C, G.
What is the difference between A minor pentatonic and A blues?
A blues adds one note to A minor pentatonic: the flat five, E♭. It is a passing note that gives the scale its blues sound. A blues scale