Guitar UpscaleMinor Pentatonic scale on guitar
The minor pentatonic is the five note scale behind most blues and rock solos, and the first scale most guitarists learn.
| Notes in A | A C D E G |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 b3 4 5 b7 |
| Steps | W+H W W W+H W (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 5 |
| Style in the app | Minor, scale "Pentatonic Minor" |
Play the A Minor Pentatonic scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Minor Pentatonic scale
The minor pentatonic takes natural minor and drops the 2nd and the flat 6th. Without those notes no two notes clash, so almost any phrase sounds right.
It fits in five box shapes that cover the whole neck. The first box at the 5th fret gives A minor pentatonic.
Add the flat 5th and you get the blues scale. Bend the 4th toward the 5th and the flat 3rd toward the 3rd for the classic blues sound.
Intervals from the root
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A |
| b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 | C |
| 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 | D |
| 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| b7 | Minor 7th | 10 | G |
Same notes, another starting note
Start the A Minor Pentatonic scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:
- From degree b3 (C): C Major Pentatonic scale
- From degree 4 (D): D Egyptian scale
- From degree b7 (G): G Yo Scale
Minor Pentatonic scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C Eb F G Bb | Open |
| C# | C# E F# G# B | Open |
| D | D F G A C | Open |
| Eb | Eb Gb Ab Bb Db | Open |
| E | E G A B D | Open |
| F | F Ab Bb C Eb | Open |
| F# | F# A B C# E | Open |
| G | G Bb C D F | Open |
| G# | G# B C# D# F# | Open |
| A | A C D E G | Open |
| Bb | Bb Db Eb F Ab | Open |
| B | B D E F# A | Open |