Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
G Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
Tap any note to hear it.
G 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|---------------------3-6-| B|-----------------3-6-----| G|-------------3-5---------| D|---------3-5-------------| A|-----3-5-----------------| E|-3-6---------------------|
e|---------------------6-8-| B|-----------------6-8-----| G|-------------5-7---------| D|---------5-8-------------| A|-----5-8-----------------| E|-6-8---------------------|
e|-----------------------8-10-| B|---------------------8------| G|----------------7-10--------| D|-----------8-10-------------| A|------8-10------------------| E|-8-10-----------------------|
e|-------------------------------10-13-| B|-------------------------11-13-------| G|-------------------10-12-------------| D|-------------10-12-------------------| A|-------10-13-------------------------| E|-10-13-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------13-15-| B|-------------------------13-15-------| G|-------------------12-15-------------| D|-------------12-15-------------------| A|-------13-15-------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------|
How to play G Minor Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–6. 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.
G minor pentatonic has the same five notes as Bb major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the Bb Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | G |
| ♭3 | Bb |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | D |
| ♭7 | F |
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Practise G 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 G Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The G Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: G, Bb, C, D, F.
- 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 G Minor Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.