Guide · Guitar theory
How to use the minor pentatonic scale
The minor A five-note scale. The minor pentatonic is the most used scale in rock and blues guitar solos. is a five-note scale, the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., ♭3, 4, 5 and ♭7. In A it is A, C, D, E and G. With no The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯. it is hard to hit a wrong note, which is why most guitarists learn it first and use it for rock and blues solos for the rest of their lives.
Five notes, hard to get wrong
A minor A five-note scale. The minor pentatonic is the most used scale in rock and blues guitar solos. is A, C, D, E and G: the A minor scale with its two most tense notes, the 2nd and the ♭6, left out.
- A1
- C♭3
- D4
- E5
- G♭7
- A, the root
- Other scale notes
Leaving out those two notes removes every The smallest distance in Western music: one fret on the guitar, such as E to F or F to F♯. from the scale. Half steps are where dissonance lives, so without them almost any note sounds fine over the right chords, and you can focus on rhythm and feel instead of worrying about the notes.
The same five notes, starting from C, make C, D, E, G and A: the C major pentatonic. It is the relative of A minor pentatonic, the same shapes with a different home note.
Box 1: the shape to learn first
Box 1 starts at The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 5, with the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., A, under your first finger on the low E string. Every string has two notes, so the pattern fits under four fingers.
Play the box from the low E string up: first finger and fourth finger on the low E, first and third on the A, D and G strings, first and fourth on the B and high E. Then play it back down. Say the note names, or at least hear where the root A comes round, because the root is where phrases like to land.
Move the box and you move the key. With the root at fret 17 it is still A, an The distance of twelve half steps, where a note comes round to the same name. Twelve frets up a string is an octave. up; at fret 0, using open strings, it becomes E minor A five-note scale. The minor pentatonic is the most used scale in rock and blues guitar solos.: E, G, A, B and D.
What to play it over
Play it over songs in A minor or C major, and over a 12-bar blues in A (A7, D7 and E7).
12-bar blues
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
- A7
- A7
- A7
- A7
- D7
- D7
- A7
- A7
- E7
- D7
- A7
- E7
Dominant 7th chords on I, IV and V across twelve bars. The foundation of blues and early rock 'n' roll.
Heard in Johnny B. Goode, Pride and Joy, Hound Dog
In a minor key, the minor A five-note scale. The minor pentatonic is the most used scale in rock and blues guitar solos. built on the key's The home note of a key, and the chord built on it. Music in G major feels finished when it lands on G. simply works: A minor pentatonic over Am, Dm and Em, or over the C, F and G of the The major and minor keys that share all seven notes and the same key signature, such as C major and A minor..
Over a blues it does something special. The chords of a blues in A are major, but the scale's minor 3rd, C, rubs against the C♯ in the A chord. That tension is the sound of the blues, and players bend the C slightly sharp to sit between the two.
Hear it against the twelve bars below, then try playing the scale slowly over it.
Making it sound like music
Play fewer notes, repeat short ideas, and land on the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7. or the 5th when the chord changes.
Running up and down the box is practice, not a solo. Pick three or four neighbouring notes and make a short phrase, then repeat it with a small change. Listeners follow repetition; it makes your playing sound intentional.
Leave space. Singers have to breathe, and the best guitar solos do too. Play a phrase, rest for as long as it took, and play an answer.
Use the techniques that make the guitar vocal: a slow bend from D up to E on the G string, a Sounding a higher note by bringing a finger down hard on the string without picking it again. from the 5th The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. to the 7th, A fast, small wobble in pitch, made by rocking or bending the fretting finger, that makes a held note sing. on the last note of a phrase. The guitar tab guide explains each one with examples you can hear.
Where to go next
Add the blue note, learn the box next to box 1, and try the major A five-note scale. The minor pentatonic is the most used scale in rock and blues guitar solos. for a brighter sound.
Add one note, E♭, and you have the A blues scale: A, C, D, E♭, E and G. The ♭5 is a passing note; slide through it rather than resting on it.
Learn box 2, which starts on the top note of box 1 on each string, and practise moving between the two in a single phrase. All five boxes link up across the neck; the CAGED page shows them together.
Every pentatonic scale on the site has its own page with the notes, the five positions and a run you can hear. Start with A minor pentatonic and E minor pentatonic, the two most common keys for guitar solos.