Pentatonic Scale on Guitar: 5 Shapes & How to Connect Them

Learning the five pentatonic scale shapes guitar players use is the fastest way to start soloing over rock, blues, country and pop. Five notes, five patterns and one connected fretboard. This lesson is part of our music theory for guitar beginners series.

Short answer: the minor pentatonic scale has five notes (1, b3, 4, 5, b7), and those notes form five overlapping box shapes that cover the entire neck. Each shape shares its highest notes with the lowest notes of the next, so learning where they overlap lets you slide from one position to the next in any key.

What Is the Pentatonic Scale?

“Penta” means five. The minor pentatonic takes the natural minor scale and removes the 2nd and 6th, the two notes most likely to clash with chords. In A minor that leaves A, C, D, E and G. The major pentatonic (1, 2, 3, 5, 6) uses the same five notes when you start from C, which is why A minor and C major share the same pentatonic shapes. The connection comes from relative major and minor keys.

Because there are no half steps, almost every note sounds good over the right chords. That is why it is the first lead scale most players learn, and why it shows up in the guitar scales for beginners list.

Pentatonic Scale Positions

The five pentatonic scale positions are just five windows on the same notes. Here is where each one sits in A minor.

Shape	Fret range (A minor)	Lowest note on low E	Root (A) locations
1	5–8	A (fret 5)	low E 5, D 7, high e 5
2	7–10	C (fret 8)	D 7, B 10
3	9–13	D (fret 10)	A 12, B 10
4	12–15	E (fret 12)	A 12, G 14
5	14–17	G (fret 15)	G 14, low E 17, high e 17

After shape 5, the pattern repeats as shape 1 at fret 17 (A, an octave up). Below fret 5, shape 5 also appears in open position (frets 0–3).

Pentatonic Scale Tabs: All 5 Shapes in A Minor

Play each shape from the low E string to the high e string and back. Use one finger per fret, and say the root note “A” every time you land on it. Here are the pentatonic scale tabs for each position.

Shape 1 (frets 5–8)

e|-------------------------5-8-|
B|---------------------5-8-----|
G|-----------------5-7---------|
D|-----------5-7---------------|
A|-----5-7---------------------|
E|-5-8-------------------------|

Shape 2 (frets 7–10)

e|--------------------------8-10-|
B|---------------------8-10------|
G|----------------7-9------------|
D|-----------7-10----------------|
A|------7-10---------------------|
E|-8-10--------------------------|

Shape 3 (frets 9–13)

e|-----------------------------10-12-|
B|-----------------------10-13-------|
G|-----------------9-12--------------|
D|-----------10-12-------------------|
A|-----10-12-------------------------|
E|-10-12-----------------------------|

Shape 4 (frets 12–15)

e|-----------------------------12-15-|
B|-----------------------13-15-------|
G|-----------------12-14-------------|
D|-----------12-14-------------------|
A|-----12-15-------------------------|
E|-12-15-----------------------------|

Shape 5 (frets 14–17)

e|-----------------------------15-17-|
B|-----------------------15-17-------|
G|-----------------14-17-------------|
D|-----------14-17-------------------|
A|-----15-17-------------------------|
E|-15-17-----------------------------|

New to tab? Read why guitar tabs are drawn upside down: the top line is the high e string.

Connect All 5 Pentatonic Scale Positions With This Hidden Pathway – Lead Guitar Lesson