F# Minor Pentatonic on Guitar
The F# minor pentatonic scale is built from F#, A, B, C# and E. Those are the same pitches as A major pentatonic, so one set of notes serves two keys.
Begin with the root on the 2nd fret of the low E string, then use the 9th fret of the A string as a second marker. The shape matches A minor pentatonic moved down three frets. Use the player to hear each box, then try it over a 12-bar blues to hear the scale in motion.
Play the F# minor pentatonic scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the F# minor pentatonic scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| F# | 1 | Root | 0 |
| A | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| B | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| C# | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| E | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
F# minor pentatonic scale notes:
How the minor pentatonic scale is built:
The minor pentatonic scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 4 5 b7, which gives the step pattern W+H-W-W-W+H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 5, 7, 10. That makes it a 5-note scale.
F# Minor Pentatonic Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (low E)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The minor pentatonic scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
