Minor Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
C minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The C minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: C, E♭, F, G and B♭. Five notes, no wrong ones: the most-played lead guitar scale in rock and blues.
Notes
- C
- E♭
- F
- G
- B♭
Formula
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – W – W+H – W
Sound
Bluesy, gritty and open
C minor pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every C minor pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, C, 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
C at fret 8. 8th position: frets 8–11.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of C minor pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from C, the C minor pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 2 flats (E♭ and B♭).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | F | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with C minor pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, C minor. Every note of C minor pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- iCmC · E♭ · G
- ii°D°D · F · A♭
- ♭IIIE♭E♭ · G · B♭
- ivFmF · A♭ · C
- vGmG · B♭ · D
- ♭VIA♭A♭ · C · E♭
- ♭VIIB♭B♭ · D · F
Progressions to try
- Cm – Fm – Gm i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- Cm – A♭ – B♭ i–♭VI–♭VII · rock
- Cm – B♭ – A♭ – B♭ i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII
How to use C 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.
- C minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as E♭ major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical. See E♭ major pentatonic.
Where to find C on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every C between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with C |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 8 |
| B (2nd) | 1 |
| G (3rd) | 5 |
| D (4th) | 10 |
| A (5th) | 3 |
| Low E (6th) | 8 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as C minor pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
C minor pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the C minor pentatonic scale?
The C minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: C, E♭, F, G and B♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. It contains 2 flats (E♭ and B♭).
What chords go with the C minor pentatonic scale?
The C minor pentatonic scale is drawn from C minor, whose chords are Cm, D°, E♭, Fm, Gm, A♭ and B♭. It also works over a C blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the C minor pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, C, is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 8–11, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as C minor pentatonic?
C minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as E♭ major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical.