Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
F# Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
Tap any note to hear it.
F# 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|---------------------2-5-| B|-----------------2-5-----| G|-------------2-4---------| D|---------2-4-------------| A|-----2-4-----------------| E|-2-5---------------------|
e|---------------------5-7-| B|-----------------5-7-----| G|-------------4-6---------| D|---------4-7-------------| A|-----4-7-----------------| E|-5-7---------------------|
e|-------------------7-9-| B|-----------------7-----| G|-------------6-9-------| D|---------7-9-----------| A|-----7-9---------------| E|-7-9-------------------|
e|---------------------------9-12-| B|---------------------10-12------| G|----------------9-11------------| D|-----------9-11-----------------| A|------9-12----------------------| E|-9-12---------------------------|
e|-------------------------------12-14-| B|-------------------------12-14-------| G|-------------------11-14-------------| D|-------------11-14-------------------| A|-------12-14-------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------|
How to play F# Minor Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–5. 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.
F# minor pentatonic has the same five notes as A major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the A Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F# |
| ♭3 | A |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | C# |
| ♭7 | E |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the F# Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The F# Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: F#, A, B, C#, E.
- 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 F# Minor Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.