Learning the F Minor Pentatonic
F minor pentatonic is a five-note collection: F, Ab, Bb, C and Eb. Start on the 1st fret of the low E string and the first box is the lowest it can go, right beside the nut.
Compare it with A minor pentatonic: the shape is identical, just slid down four frets. The relative major is Ab, so a jam in Ab major can use the same notes. When you want to leave the first box, diagonal scale patterns are a gentle way to travel up the neck.
Play the F minor pentatonic scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the F minor pentatonic scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Ab | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Bb | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| C | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Eb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
F minor pentatonic scale notes:
How the minor pentatonic scale is built:
The minor pentatonic scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 4 5 b7, which gives the step pattern W+H-W-W-W+H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 5, 7, 10. That makes it a 5-note scale.
F Minor Pentatonic Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (low E)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The minor pentatonic scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
