Minor Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
F♯ minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The F♯ minor pentatonic scale (F sharp minor pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: F♯, A, B, C♯ and E. Five notes, no wrong ones: the most-played lead guitar scale in rock and blues. You may also see it written as G♭ minor pentatonic, but F♯ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- F♯
- A
- B
- C♯
- E
Formula
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – W – W+H – W
Sound
Bluesy, gritty and open
F♯ minor pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every F♯ minor pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F♯, 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
F♯ at fret 2. 2nd position: frets 2–5.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F♯ minor pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F♯, the F♯ minor pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 2 sharps (F♯ and C♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | A | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | E | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with F♯ minor pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, F♯ minor. Every note of F♯ minor pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- iF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
- ii°G♯°G♯ · B · D
- ♭IIIAA · C♯ · E
- ivBmB · D · F♯
- vC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
- ♭VIDD · F♯ · A
- ♭VIIEE · G♯ · B
Progressions to try
- F♯m – Bm – C♯m i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- F♯m – D – E i–♭VI–♭VII · rock
- F♯m – E – D – E i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII
How to use F♯ 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.
- F♯ minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as A major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical. See A major pentatonic.
Where to find F♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 2 |
| B (2nd) | 7 |
| G (3rd) | 11 |
| D (4th) | 4 |
| A (5th) | 9 |
| Low E (6th) | 2 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F♯ minor pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F♯ minor pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ minor pentatonic scale?
The F♯ minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: F♯, A, B, C♯ and E. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. It contains 2 sharps (F♯ and C♯).
What chords go with the F♯ minor pentatonic scale?
The F♯ minor pentatonic scale is drawn from F♯ minor, whose chords are F♯m, G♯°, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E. It also works over a F♯ blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the F♯ minor pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, F♯, is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 2–5, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as F♯ minor pentatonic?
F♯ minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as A major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical.