Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
B Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
Tap any note to hear it.
B Minor Pentatonic Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------7-10-| B|------------------7-10------| G|--------------7-9-----------| D|----------7-9---------------| A|------7-9-------------------| E|-7-10-----------------------|
e|----------------------------10-12-| B|----------------------10-12-------| G|-----------------9-11-------------| D|------------9-12------------------| A|-------9-12-----------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------|
e|----------------------------12-14-| B|-------------------------12-------| G|-------------------11-14----------| D|-------------12-14----------------| A|-------12-14----------------------| E|-12-14----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------14-17-| B|-------------------------15-17-------| G|-------------------14-16-------------| D|-------------14-16-------------------| A|-------14-17-------------------------| E|-14-17-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------17-19-| B|-------------------------17-19-------| G|-------------------16-19-------------| D|-------------16-19-------------------| A|-------17-19-------------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------------|
How to play B Minor Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 7–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
B minor pentatonic has the same five notes as D major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the D Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | B |
| ♭3 | D |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| ♭7 | A |
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Practise B Minor Pentatonic anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The B Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: B, D, E, F#, A.
- What is the formula of the minor pentatonic scale?
- 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W+H W W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Minor Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.