All scales

    A Minor Pentatonic Scale on Guitar

    A – C – D – E – G. Five notes, two per string in every position — the shape most guitarists learn first and keep using for the rest of their playing.

    Notes and intervals

    Formula: 1 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b7 — the distance of each note from A, counted in scale degrees.

    DegreeNoteInterval from ASemitones
    1Aroot0
    b3Cminor 3rd3
    4Dperfect 4th5
    5Eperfect 5th7
    b7Gminor 7th10

    The whole neck

    Every A Minor Pentatonic note up to the 15th fret. Filled circles are the root, A. Tap any note to hear it.

    0
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
    14
    15
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E

    5 positions across the neck

    Each window spans five frets and is anchored at a root note, so the hand stays in place. Numbers are scale degrees — the same shape moved to another root plays another key.

    Position 1 — frets 0–4, root on string 5 at fret 0
    0
    1
    2
    3
    4
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E
    Position 2 — frets 1–5, root on string 3 at fret 2
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E
    Position 3 — frets 4–8, root on string 6 at fret 5
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E
    Position 4 — frets 6–10, root on string 4 at fret 7
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E
    Position 5 — frets 9–13, root on string 2 at fret 10
    9
    10
    11
    12
    13
    E
    B
    G
    D
    A
    E

    Related scales

    Frequently asked questions

    Knowing the shape is not knowing the notes

    The trainer asks where a note is and tracks the ones you miss, so the fretboard stops being a picture you look up.

    Train the fretboard
    More on the neck itself: the fretboard guide, memorization, fretboard basics.