You don't need to read music. You need five note names and one pattern you can see on the neck. Everything below builds from that.
The notes of A minor pentatonic
The A minor pentatonic scale is A – C – D – E – G. "Penta" means five. It's the A natural minor scale (A B C D E F G) with the two notes that cause the most clashes, B and F, taken out. What's left is the root, minor 3rd, 4th, 5th and minor 7th, written as 1 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭7. That formula is the same for every minor pentatonic in every key, which is why learning one key teaches you all twelve.
Box 1: the position to learn first (5th fret)
Put your index finger on the 5th fret. Every string uses two notes: the 5th fret plus one note at the 7th or 8th. Roots (A) are highlighted.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High E | 5 · 8 | A · C |
| B | 5 · 8 | E · G |
| G | 5 · 7 | C · D |
| D | 5 · 7 | G · A |
| A | 5 · 7 | D · E |
| Low E | 5 · 8 | A · C |
Fingering: index on fret 5, ring finger on fret 7, pinky on fret 8. Play it up and down slowly, saying the note names aloud. Then play it starting on the low E fret 5 (A) and ending on that same A, so your ear learns where "home" is.
All five positions
Each box is the same five notes, just a different slice of the neck. They tile end to end: the top of one box overlaps the bottom of the next, so you can chain them all the way up. Here are the frets for each string in A minor:
| Box | Low E | A | D | G | B | High E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 · 8 | 5 · 7 | 5 · 7 | 5 · 7 | 5 · 8 | 5 · 8 |
| 2 | 8 · 10 | 7 · 10 | 7 · 10 | 7 · 9 | 8 · 10 | 8 · 10 |
| 3 | 10 · 12 | 10 · 12 | 10 · 12 | 9 · 12 | 10 · 13 | 10 · 12 |
| 4 | 12 · 15 | 12 · 15 | 12 · 14 | 12 · 14 | 13 · 15 | 12 · 15 |
| 5 | 15 · 17 | 15 · 17 | 14 · 17 | 14 · 17 | 15 · 17 | 15 · 17 |
Don't try to learn all five in a day. Spend a week on Box 1, then add Box 2, which sits right above it. The shared notes between the two are your bridge.
Connecting the boxes
Boxes only turn into music once you link them. The easiest way is to play one string's worth of the scale at a time and slide: on the high E string, the A minor pentatonic runs 5 – 8 – 10 – 12 – 15 – 17, and each pair of notes belongs to a different box. Slide from the 8th fret into the 10th and you've moved from Box 1 into Box 2 without stopping.
Why it sounds so good
The scale has no half-step intervals, so there's very little that can sound "wrong" over an A minor chord. It also fits the chords of the key: over Am, C, G, Dm or Em the scale mostly agrees with the chord tones. Over a progression like Am – G – F – G you can stay in one box and it will hold together, though the F chord brings in a note (F) the scale leaves out, so land on A, C or E there.
A minor pentatonic vs C major pentatonic
They are the same five notes. A minor pentatonic and C major pentatonic share every fret position; only the root changes. A is home over an Am chord, C is home over a C chord. This is the relative minor relationship, and it means the fretboard shapes you learn here also unlock major-key soloing. For the neck layout behind it, see how to memorize the guitar fretboard.
Adding the blues note
Add one note, E♭ (the ♭5), between D and E and you get the A blues scale: A – C – D – E♭ – E – G. Near Box 1 it's fret 6 on the A string and fret 8 on the G string. Use it as a passing note, bending or sliding through it rather than landing on it.
A 5-minute routine to make it stick
- 1 min: play Box 1 up and down at a slow, even pace, naming each note.
- 2 min: improvise over a single Am chord, using only Box 1 and ending phrases on A.
- 2 min: add Box 2, and slide between the two boxes on the high E string.
Do that daily for two weeks and the boxes become automatic. When you want the same pattern in another key, slide the whole shape: Box 1 at the 7th fret is B minor pentatonic, at the 3rd fret it's G minor pentatonic.
Seeing it on the neck
A table of fret numbers only goes so far. It helps to see the notes lit up on a fretboard, in any key, with the roots marked. That's what we built Fretkit for: pick a root and a scale and the notes appear across the neck. The scale list includes minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, blues, and the seven modes, for guitar and bass. Fretkit won't teach you to solo, so the practice is still yours, but it makes the shapes much easier to find.
See A minor pentatonic across the whole neck
Fretkit lights up scales, chords and the circle of fifths on a fretboard you'll want to look at, plus a fast tuner. Free to start, for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Get Fretkit on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A, C, D, E and G. It's A natural minor with the 2nd (B) and 6th (F) removed.
Where do I start on guitar?
Box 1 at the 5th fret. Index finger on fret 5 across all six strings, then ring and pinky for the 7th and 8th fret notes. The A roots are on the low E string, the D string and the high E string.
Is A minor pentatonic the same as C major pentatonic?
Same five notes, same positions. What changes is which note feels like home: A over an A minor chord, C over a C major chord.