Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
Tap any note to hear it.
C 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|--------------------------8-11-| B|---------------------8-11------| G|----------------8-10-----------| D|-----------8-10----------------| A|------8-10---------------------| E|-8-11--------------------------|
e|-------------------------------11-13-| B|-------------------------11-13-------| G|-------------------10-12-------------| D|-------------10-13-------------------| A|-------10-13-------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------13-15-| B|-------------------------13-------| G|-------------------12-15----------| D|-------------13-15----------------| A|-------13-15----------------------| E|-13-15----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------15-18-| B|-------------------------16-18-------| G|-------------------15-17-------------| D|-------------15-17-------------------| A|-------15-18-------------------------| E|-15-18-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------18-20-| B|-------------------------18-20-------| G|-------------------17-20-------------| D|-------------17-20-------------------| A|-------18-20-------------------------| E|-18-20-------------------------------|
How to play C Minor Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–11. 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.
C minor pentatonic has the same five notes as Eb major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the Eb Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | G |
| ♭7 | Bb |
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Practise C Minor Pentatonic anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The C Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: C, Eb, F, G, Bb.
- 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 C Minor Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.