Minor Pentatonic, Box 1
The single most-used scale shape on the guitar.
Lesson
The scale that built rock guitar
The minor pentatonic is five notes per octave instead of seven. It works over almost any minor chord, sounds great with no theory, and is the basis of every blues, rock, and metal solo you've ever loved.
Box 1, A minor pentatonic
Start at the 5th fret of the low E string. The shape covers two octaves and uses two notes per string:
- Low E: 5–8
- A: 5–7
- D: 5–7
- G: 5–7
- B: 5–8
- High E: 5–8
Play it slowly with alternating down-up picking. Use your 1st finger for the lower fret and 3rd or 4th finger for the higher fret on each string.
Movable across the neck
The shape doesn't change — only the starting fret. Move the whole pattern up to the 7th fret and you've got B minor pentatonic. Up to the 10th fret, D minor. The shape is the scale.
Practice plan
- Play the scale ascending and descending at 60 BPM, one note per click.
- Improvise: play the notes in any order over an Am drone. Trust your ear.
- Record yourself. Listen for which notes you keep landing on. Those are your "home" notes.
This lesson auto-completes once you've logged any Scale Identification session.
Practice in a Game
This lesson auto-completes when you hit the target in-game. Open the linked game and play until your stats meet the criteria.