The minor pentatonic scale is a five-note minor scale (1, b3, 4, 5, b7) with no half steps, so every note sounds safe over a minor or bluesy groove. It's open, vocal and slightly dark, and it's the sound of most blues and rock solos.
Formula
The reference key is A minor pentatonic, the key all five diagrams below use.
| Degree | 1 | b3 | 4 | 5 | b7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note in A | A | C | D | E | G |
Intervals: 1½ W W 1½ W (a step and a half, whole, whole, a step and a half, whole). It's natural minor without the 2 and the b6.
Sound and character
Without half steps, the scale has no strong pull in any direction: every note can hang over the groove. The b3 gives it the minor color and the b7 keeps it earthy rather than sad. Bend the 4 up to the 5, or the b7 up to the root, and it starts to sing like a voice.
Where it's used
Blues, rock, funk, soul and pop hooks. It fits minor chords (m, m7, m9, m11), power chords, and dominant 7th chords in a blues, where the b3 rubs against the major 3rd on purpose. In A, it sounds at home over Am7, Am to G, Am to Dm, A5 riffs and a 12-bar blues in A. It shares its notes with C major pentatonic, so the same boxes work over C, F and G in a C major song.
How to move it
The root is the amber dot. To change key, slide every box so its roots land on the new key's note. Up 2 frets gives B minor pentatonic (Box 1 at the 7th fret); down 2 frets gives G minor pentatonic (Box 1 at the 3rd fret). For E minor pentatonic, play Box 1 at the 12th fret or use the open strings as Box 1 an octave lower.
Practice: play Box 1 in eighths, then alternate the open A with scale notes to hear each degree against the home note.
For the major side of the same notes, see the major pentatonic scale; add one note, the b5, and you get the minor blues scale.