About the F Minor Pentatonic Scale
The F minor pentatonic scale is a 5-note scale. The most popular scale for rock and blues soloing. Its notes are F, G#, A#, C and D#, built from the formula 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7.
- Notes
- F – G# – A# – C – D#
- Formula
- 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
- Steps
- W+H W W W+H W (3–2–2–3–2 semitones)
- Root
- F
F Minor Pentatonic Scale degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | Root |
| ♭3 | G# | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | A# | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | C | Perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | D# | Minor 7th |
Where to play the F Minor Pentatonic Scale on guitar
Frets 0–12 in standard tuning (E A D G B E), lowest string first. Root notes (F) are highlighted; the pattern repeats from the 12th fret up.
| String | Frets |
|---|---|
| E2 | 1, 4, 6, 8, 11 |
| A2 | 1, 3, 6, 8, 11 |
| D3 | 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 |
| G3 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 |
| B3 | 1, 4, 6, 9, 11 |
| E4 | 1, 4, 6, 8, 11 |
How to practice the minor pentatonic scale
- Play ascending and descending across all strings
- Practice bending the ♭3 up to the major 3rd
- Try the "box pattern" starting from the root
- Jam over a 12-bar blues backing track
- Connect to neighboring pentatonic positions
Scales with the same notes as F Minor Pentatonic Scale
These scales share every note with the F minor pentatonic scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Minor Pentatonic scale in other keys
Other scales in F
- F Major Pentatonic
- F Mixolydian Pentatonic
- F Natural Minor
- F Major (Ionian)
- F Blues
- F Dorian
- F Mixolydian
- F Phrygian
- F Harmonic Minor
- F Lydian
- F Locrian
- F Diminished (Half-Whole)
- F Diminished (Whole-Half)
- F Whole Tone
- F Augmented (Hexatonic)
- F Altered (Super Locrian)
- F Phrygian Dominant
- F Lydian Dominant
- F Mixolydian ♭6 (Hindu)
- F Bebop Dominant
- F Quartal (Stacked 4ths)
- F Quartal Minor (Stacked 4ths)