STRINGSCALES

G minor pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Bb, C, D at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 10

A string: Bb, C, D, F, G at frets 1, 3, 5, 8, 10

D string: D, F, G, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, Bb, C, D, F, G at frets 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

B string: C, D, F, G, Bb at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 11

High E string: F, G, Bb, C, D at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 10

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G 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:

G

I

B♭

bIII

C

IV

D

V

F

bVII

Same notes, different mode

G 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.

Bb major pentatonicC egyptianD malkos ragaF ritusen

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

tip
  • Learn box 1 at the fret of G 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 (C) bent a whole step up to the 5th (D) is the single most-used bend in blues; practice hitting it in tune.
  • Rub the flat 3rd (Bb) 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 (Db) as a passing note and you have the G blues scale; use it in transit, not as a resting place.

How to play G minor pentatonic on guitar

Open G hands you the root and open D the fifth, so a two-string drone under G minor phrases costs nothing. Box one anchors at fret 3. Position work runs out at fret 7, which means the D-string root at fret 5 waits right where the shape ends. Same shape three frets up spells Bb major pentatonic, so every G minor lick can be reused over a Bb major groove. Another root sits at fret 3 on the high E string, mirroring the low E.

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