Guitar scale
A minor pentatonic scale
The A minor pentatonic scale is the first scale most guitarists solo with, and the backbone of blues, rock and metal lead playing. Best for first solos, blues and rock lead.
- Root
- A
- Notes
- ACDEG
- Formula
- m3-W-W-m3-W
- Relative key
- C major pentatonic
- Learning path
- Step 1 of 5
Print or save the A minor pentatonic chart
940 × 230 px version of the chart above, sized for a phone screen or a printed handout. Tap the image to save it.
The A minor pentatonic scale is the five notes A, C, D, E and G. Read as scale degrees from A, that is 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7. Every note is a fixed distance from the one before it: m3-W-W-m3-W, where W is a whole step (2 frets) and H is a half step (1 fret), and m3 is three frets. That pattern is the whole scale. Move it so the root lands on a different note and you are playing that key's minor pentatonic scale. Having only five notes, it fits a narrow set of chords: any triad built entirely from A, C, D, E and G sits under it without clashing. The same five notes are the C major pentatonic scale. Only the home note changes. On the guitar this is not one shape but overlapping positions: the lowest A sits at fret 0 on the A string. 19 of the 80 song sheets charted here are in Am / C.
Start here: one A minor pentatonic position
Every note of the scale inside frets 0 to 4 sits in the box highlighted on the full neck above. The diagram below is that box on its own, numbered in the order to play it. Learn this one box first; the rest of the neck is the same shape repeated.
Play the box in this order
A 1 → C ♭3 → D 4 → E 5 → G ♭7
Plays exactly the run numbered above, one note at a time.
Every A on the neck
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
- A1Root
- m3
- C♭3Minor 3rd
- W
- D4Perfect 4th
- W
- E5Perfect 5th
- m3
- G♭7Minor 7th
- W
- A1octave
W whole step (2 frets), H half step (1 fret), m3 minor 3rd (3 frets). The same pattern from any other root gives that key's minor pentatonic scale.
This scale is the A natural minor scale with B and F taken out, which is why it is so hard to play a wrong note in it. Every position you already know from A natural minor still works here.
The same five notes, a different home: C major pentatonic uses exactly A, C, D, E and G. Learn one box and you already have both scales.
Chords that fit the A minor pentatonic scale
A chord fits this scale when all of its notes are already in the scale, which is a test you can run yourself rather than a style guide. Ordered by real use in the library.
How to practise the A minor pentatonic scale
- Frets 0 to 4, slowly. The position above, up and back, naming every note out loud. Naming is what turns a shape into a scale.
- Then find the next A: low E string, fret 5. Build the same shape from there and play root to root at 60 BPM, one note per beat.
- Then stop counting. Pick a song in Am / C from the list below and improvise on these notes for two minutes. That is what the scale is for.
Songs in Am / C on this site
19 of the 80 song sheets charted here are in Am / C. Play this scale over any of them and every note lands inside the key.
A minor pentatonic scale: common questions
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
What is the formula for the A minor pentatonic scale?
What chords work with the A minor pentatonic scale?
How is the A minor pentatonic scale related to the A pentatonic scales?
What is the easiest fingering for the A minor pentatonic scale?
How do I practise the A minor pentatonic scale?
More A scales
This scale in other keys