Minor pentatonic scale: formula and uses
The minor pentatonic scale has five notes: 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. In A it is A C D E G. It is the most common scale for rock and blues guitar solos, and it is the natural minor scale with the second and sixth degrees left out.
The minor pentatonic scale is probably the most widely used scale for improvising on guitar. It has five notes, it fits easily under the fingers, and it sounds good over a huge range of rock, blues, funk and pop. It is also an easy scale to learn on any instrument, because there are only five notes to remember.
The minor pentatonic formula
Measured from the tonic, the five notes are the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth and the minor seventh. As scale degrees, that is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. The steps between the notes are step and a half, whole, whole, step and a half, whole. Written as half steps: 3, 2, 2, 3, 2.
| Degree | Name | Notes in A minor pentatonic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | A |
| ♭3 | Minor third | C |
| 4 | Perfect fourth | D |
| 5 | Perfect fifth | E |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | G |
The list of five notes is also the natural minor scale with two notes removed. A natural minor has A B C D E F G, and taking out the second (B) and sixth (F) leaves A C D E G. Those are the two notes that form half steps with their neighbors, which is why the five that remain are so easy to use.
How to build it in any key
- Write the natural minor scale of the key.
- Cross out the second and sixth notes.
- Write down the five notes that are left, starting from the tonic.
For E minor, the natural scale is E F♯ G A B C D. Removing F♯ and C leaves E G A B D, which is the E minor pentatonic scale.
Why does it work so well?
Pentatonic scales contain no half steps, so no two notes in the scale clash with each other. Any order of notes sounds acceptable. The minor pentatonic also fits over the chords of its own key and over the dominant seventh chords of a 12-bar blues, which is part of why guitarists use it for blues and rock. There the minor third played over a major chord gives the typical bluesy sound.
The relative major pentatonic
The A minor pentatonic scale has the same five notes as the C major pentatonic scale: C D E G A. They are relatives. Learn one pattern on the guitar neck and you automatically have both, starting from different notes. The major pentatonic scale page covers the other side.
Adding the blue note
One extra note turns this scale into the blues scale: the flat fifth (♭5), placed between the fourth and fifth degrees. In A, that note is E♭. Guitarists often play the minor pentatonic scale and use the blue note as a passing note, a quick bend or slide that adds tension.
Practice ideas
- Play the scale slowly up and down in the key of A, then E, then D.
- Play it over a simple backing track or a chord loop, and find the notes that sound best.
- Try ending phrases on the root, and then on the fifth, and compare the feeling.
- Learn to play the same scale in a different position on the neck or in a different octave.
Practice tip: When improvising, rest on the root and the fifth, and use the other notes as stepping stones. Short phrases with space between them sound more musical than constant running.
Common questions
Is the minor pentatonic scale a mode? Not exactly. It is a five-note subset of the natural minor scale, and the notes can also be found in the Dorian and Phrygian modes. Does it have a relative major? Yes, the major pentatonic that starts a minor third higher. The shape of the scale on the guitar neck is the same for both.
Why does it sound so good over so many chords? The five notes avoid the half steps that cause clashes, so most notes you land on will be in tune with the chord, or at least pleasantly neutral.
One more thing to try
Pick a slow tempo and play the scale up and down in eighth notes, saying the note names aloud. Then try playing it from the top down, and starting on each note in turn. Playing the same five notes from different starting points shows you how the scale relates to its relative major pentatonic, and it makes the patterns on the guitar neck much easier to remember.
For the parent scale, see the minor scales page. For the wider family, see the pentatonic scale page.
Minor pentatonic scale in every key
| Key | Notes |
|---|---|
| C minor pentatonic | C E♭ F G B♭ C |
| C♯ minor pentatonic | C♯ E F♯ G♯ B C♯ |
| D minor pentatonic | D F G A C D |
| D♯ minor pentatonic | D♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ C♯ D♯ |
| E minor pentatonic | E G A B D E |
| F minor pentatonic | F A♭ B♭ C E♭ F |
| F♯ minor pentatonic | F♯ A B C♯ E F♯ |
| G minor pentatonic | G B♭ C D F G |
| G♯ minor pentatonic | G♯ B C♯ D♯ F♯ G♯ |
| A minor pentatonic | A C D E G A |
| B♭ minor pentatonic | B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ |
| B minor pentatonic | B D E F♯ A B |
Check yourself
1. Which scale degrees are in the minor pentatonic?
Answer: 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. It is natural minor without the 2nd and 6th.
2. What are the notes of A minor pentatonic?
Answer: A C D E G. Starting from A: root, minor third, fourth, fifth, minor seventh.
3. Which note do you add to make the blues scale?
Answer: The flat fifth. In A that is E♭, between D and E.
4. Which major pentatonic scale has the same notes as A minor pentatonic?
Answer: C major pentatonic. Both use C D E G A.