Minor Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
B minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The B minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B, D, E, F♯ and A. Five notes, no wrong ones: the most-played lead guitar scale in rock and blues.
Notes
- B
- D
- E
- F♯
- A
Formula
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – W – W+H – W
Sound
Bluesy, gritty and open
B minor pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every B minor pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, B, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
B at fret 7. 7th position: frets 7–10.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of B minor pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B, the B minor pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 1 sharp (F♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | D | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | E | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | F♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | A | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with B minor pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, B minor. Every note of B minor pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- iBmB · D · F♯
- ii°C♯°C♯ · E · G
- ♭IIIDD · F♯ · A
- ivEmE · G · B
- vF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
- ♭VIGG · B · D
- ♭VIIAA · C♯ · E
Progressions to try
- Bm – Em – F♯m i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- Bm – G – A i–♭VI–♭VII · rock
- Bm – A – G – A i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII
How to use B minor pentatonic
Reach for it over rock and blues solos, minor-key songs, and over dominant 7th chords in a blues. Its sound is bluesy, gritty and open.
Tip: Start with the “box 1” shape with the root on the 6th string. Bend the 4th degree up a whole step to the 5th: it is the most-used move in rock guitar.
- B minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as D major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical. See D major pentatonic.
Where to find B on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every B between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with B |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 7 |
| B (2nd) | 0, 12 |
| G (3rd) | 4 |
| D (4th) | 9 |
| A (5th) | 2 |
| Low E (6th) | 7 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as B minor pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B minor pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the B minor pentatonic scale?
The B minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B, D, E, F♯ and A. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. It contains 1 sharp (F♯).
What chords go with the B minor pentatonic scale?
The B minor pentatonic scale is drawn from B minor, whose chords are Bm, C♯°, D, Em, F♯m, G and A. It also works over a B blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the B minor pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, B, is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 7–10, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as B minor pentatonic?
B minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as D major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical.