F Minor Pentatonic Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The F minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: F – A♭ – B♭ – C – E♭. The minor pentatonic is the first scale most guitarists learn and the one they keep coming back to: five notes, two on every string, in five box shapes that cover the neck. It is the sound of blues and rock soloing, and it fits almost any minor or bluesy chord progression.

Compared with the F major scale it has ♭3 (A♭ instead of A), ♭7 (E♭ instead of E). It has exactly the same notes as A♭ major pentatonic, started from a different root.

The explorer above is set to F minor pentatonic: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 5 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

F minor pentatonic scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from F	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	F	R	0	S
♭3	A♭	m3	3	g
4	B♭	P4	5	M
5	C	P5	7	P
♭7	E♭	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: W+H W W W+H W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any F and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

F minor pentatonic scale positions on the guitar

Like every pentatonic scale, F minor pentatonic has five box shapes with two notes on each string. Position 1 starts on F on the low E string at fret 1; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Box 1 frets 1–4	1 4	1 4	1 3	1 3	1 3	1 4
Box 2 frets 3–6	4 6	4 6	3 5	3 6	3 6	4 6
Box 3 frets 5–9	6 8	6 9	5 8	6 8	6 8	6 8
Box 4 frets 8–11	8 11	9 11	8 10	8 10	8 11	8 11
Box 5 frets 10–13	11 13	11 13	10 13	10 13	11 13	11 13

What F minor pentatonic fits over

With 5 notes it is not used to build a whole key of chords; instead it sits over minor and minor 7th chords, dominant 7th chords in a blues, and power chords. With F as the root: Fm, Fm7, F7 (in a blues), F5.

Where you hear it

F minor pentatonic is used in blues, rock, metal, funk and soul. It sounds best over minor and minor 7th chords, dominant 7th chords in a blues, and power chords.

Backing tracks to practise F minor pentatonic

F minor blues F minor rock F minor funk

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 1–4) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every F (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on F.