A minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The A minor pentatonic scale has five notes: A, C, D, E and G (1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7). Five notes with no half steps, so no note clashes. The first scale most guitarists learn, for blues, rock and soul, and its five boxes join up to cover the whole neck.
| Note | A | C | D | E | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | 1½ | whole | whole | 1½ | whole |
5 positions to learn it in
The A minor pentatonic scale is learnt in five boxes, each two notes a string under the hand, joined end to end up the neck. Start with box 1 and learn one at a time; together they cover the whole fretboard. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A minor pentatonic scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A (Am) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A) | Amhome | Am7home |
| ♭3 (C) | Cdaylight | – |
| 4 (D) | Dsus4the door | – |
| ♭7 (G) | Gsus4heroic | – |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative major pentatonic is the C major pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from C.
Questions
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A, C, D, E and G. Its intervals from the root are 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are W+H W W W+H W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A minor pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: Am, C, Dsus4 and Gsus4, and as seventh chords Am7. A is home: Am is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative major pentatonic of the A minor pentatonic scale?
The C major pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from C.
The minor pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in A
A majorA minorA major pentatonicA bluesA DorianA MixolydianA LydianA PhrygianA harmonic minorA melodic minorA Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.