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F minor pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Ab, Bb, C, Eb at frets 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

A string: Bb, C, Eb, F, Ab at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 11

D string: Eb, F, Ab, Bb, C at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 10

G string: Ab, Bb, C, Eb, F at frets 1, 3, 5, 8, 10

B string: C, Eb, F, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 4, 6, 9, 11

High E string: F, Ab, Bb, C, Eb at frets 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

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F minor pentatonic

The minor pentatonic is the most played guitar scale in existence: root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th. Its five notes fit one comfortable two-notes-per-string box, which made it the backbone of blues, rock and countless classic solos. Because it omits the 2nd and 6th it works over almost any chord in a minor key, and adding the flat 5th turns it into the minor blues scale.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

F

I

A♭

bIII

B♭

IV

C

V

E♭

bVII

Same notes, different mode

F minor pentatonic uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Ab major pentatonicBb egyptianC malkos ragaEb ritusen

minor pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Learn box 1 at the fret of F on the low E string first, but escape it early: slide up to box 2 on the B and E strings for higher bends.
  • The 4th (Bb) bent a whole step up to the 5th (C) is the single most-used bend in blues; practice hitting it in tune.
  • Rub the flat 3rd (Ab) against a major-key backing for blues grit, or curl it slightly sharp toward the major 3rd like the classic players.
  • Add the flat 5th (B) as a passing note and you have the F blues scale; use it in transit, not as a resting place.

How to play F minor pentatonic on guitar

Box one sits at fret 1, about as close to the nut as a fretted shape gets. No open string lands in F minor pentatonic, so any drone has to be fretted or manufactured with a capo. Put the capo on fret 1 and F behaves like E, which means the open-string tricks of E minor pentatonic carry over intact. Roots repeat at fret 8 on the A string.

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