The pentatonic scale on guitar: the 5 positions and how to connect them

The minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built from the root, minor third, fourth, fifth and minor seventh (1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7). In A minor that is A, C, D, E, G. On the guitar those five notes repeat across the neck in five interlocking shapes, called the five pentatonic positions. Learn them and you can solo in any key, anywhere on the fretboard, in rock, blues, pop and country.

This guide gives each position with exact frets, shows how the five shapes link with the CAGED system, explains the relative major and the blues note, and finishes with licks and a 4-week practice plan.

In short: A minor pentatonic is A C D E G. Position 1 sits at frets 5 to 8 with the root on the low E string 5th fret; positions 2 to 5 follow up the neck at frets 7 to 10, 9 to 13, 12 to 15 and 14 to 17, then the cycle repeats. The same five shapes are C major pentatonic: same notes, different home note. Add E♭ and you get the blues scale.

What is the minor pentatonic scale?

The minor pentatonic scale takes the natural minor scale and removes its 2nd and 6th degrees, the two notes that create semitone clashes. What remains is five notes with no half steps between them, which is why it is so hard to play a "wrong" note with it over a minor or blues backing.

Degree	1	♭3	4	5	♭7
A minor pentatonic	A	C	D	E	G
Distance from A	0	3 frets	5 frets	7 frets	10 frets

The ♭3 (C) is a minor third above the root: it is what makes the scale sound minor. The ♭7 (G) gives the bluesy, unresolved colour.

The relative major: C major pentatonic

Start the same five notes on C and you get the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, A (1, 2, 3, 5, 6). A minor is the relative minor of C major, so the two pentatonics share every note and every shape. What changes is the note you treat as home: over Am, land on A; over C, land on C. This "same shapes, two scales" idea doubles what each position gives you. Why A minor and C major are partners is explained in our circle of fifths guide.

The 5 pentatonic positions in A minor, with exact frets

Each position covers about four frets and has exactly two notes per string. Frets are given from the low E string (6) to the high E string (1).

Position	Fret area	Low E	A	D	G	B	High E	Roots (A)
1	5 to 8	5, 8	5, 7	5, 7	5, 7	5, 8	5, 8	low E 5, D 7, high E 5
2	7 to 10	8, 10	7, 10	7, 10	7, 9	8, 10	8, 10	D 7, B 10
3	9 to 13	10, 12	10, 12	10, 12	9, 12	10, 13	10, 12	A 12, B 10
4	12 to 15	12, 15	12, 15	12, 14	12, 14	13, 15	12, 15	A 12, G 14
5	14 to 17	15, 17	15, 17	14, 17	14, 17	15, 17	15, 17	G 14, low E 17, high E 17

Position 5 also exists an octave lower, at frets 2 to 5 (low E 3, 5; A 3, 5; D 2, 5; G 2, 5; B 3, 5; high E 3, 5), and position 4 exists in open position (low E 0, 3; A 0, 3; D 0, 2; G 0, 2; B 1, 3; high E 0, 3). After position 5, position 1 starts again at the 17th fret, one octave above.

Position 1: the "box" everyone starts with

Index on the 5th fret across all strings, ring or little finger on the 7th and 8th. Roots on the low E 5th fret, D string 7th fret and high E 5th fret. Most classic rock and blues solos live here, because the B and G strings at frets 5 to 8 are made for bends.

Position 2: the bridge to the major sound

Starts on C at the low E 8th fret. Roots on the D string 7th fret and B string 10th fret. Because it begins on C, this shape is also position 1 of C major pentatonic: play it over a C chord, start and end on C, and it sounds bright instead of bluesy.

Position 3: the stretch

The G string notes (9th and 12th fret) shift the shape: everything else sits at frets 10 to 13. Roots on the A string 12th fret and B string 10th fret. Keep your hand loose and let the index move to the 9th fret only for the G string.

Position 4: the 12th-fret box

This is the open-position shape (low E 0, 3) moved up an octave. Roots on the A string 12th fret and G string 14th fret. Bending the B string 15th fret (D) a whole step up to E is a classic.

Position 5: the top of the cycle

Roots on the G string 14th fret and on both E strings at the 17th fret. Play it in its lower octave (frets 2 to 5) too: it is the most common way to reach low A at the 5th fret from below.

How the positions connect: pentatonic and CAGED

The five positions are not five separate scales. Each position's highest notes on every string are the next position's lowest notes. Position 1 ends at the 8th fret on the low E string (C); position 2 starts there. Learn two neighbouring positions together and their shared notes act as handrails.

The CAGED system gives each position a chord to hang on to. Every pentatonic position wraps around one of the five movable shapes of the A minor chord:

Position	Fret area	Am chord shape inside	Chord frets (6 to 1)
1	5 to 8	E shape	577555
2	7 to 10	D shape	xx79(10)8
3	9 to 13	C shape	x(12)(10)9(10)x
4	12 to 15	A shape	x(12)(14)(14)(13)(12)
5	14 to 17 (or 2 to 5)	G shape	532255 (lower octave)

Going up the neck the shapes follow the order E, D, C, A, G, which is just the word CAGED read from E. Play the chord, then the scale around it: the chord tones (A, C, E) are your safe landing notes in every position.

Changing key

Move every position by the same number of frets. Position 1 always starts on the root on the low E string: G minor at the 3rd fret, A minor at the 5th, B minor at the 7th, C minor at the 8th, D minor at the 10th, E minor at the 12th (or open). For a major key, use its relative minor: G major pentatonic uses E minor shapes, so position 1 starts at the 12th fret or open.

The blues note: from pentatonic to blues scale

Add the ♭5 (E♭ in A) between D and E and you get the blues scale: A, C, D, E♭, E, G. In position 1 the E♭ sits on the A string 6th fret and the G string 8th fret. Use it as a passing note, not a resting note: slide or hammer through it into E (A string 7th fret, or G string 9th fret) or fall back to D.

Over a 12-bar blues in A (A7, D7, E7), the minor pentatonic with this blue note is the standard vocabulary. Mixing in the major pentatonic's C# (the major third of A7, G string 6th fret in position 1) over the A7 bars gives the sweeter sound heard in B.B. King's playing.

Four licks to make the positions musical

Notation: 3/7 means string 3 (G), 7th fret. Strings: 6 = low E, 1 = high E.

1. The position 1 bend: 3/7 bent up a whole step (to the pitch of 3/9), release, then 2/5, 3/7, 3/5, 4/7. Ends on the root A. Classic rock, any tempo.
2. The double stop: 2/8 + 1/8 together (G and C) twice, then 2/5 + 1/5 (E and A). Barre the index or ring finger across both strings. Pure Chuck Berry territory.
3. The blue-note slide: 5/5, 5/6, 5/7 (D, E♭, E) hammered or slid, then 4/5, 4/7. The chromatic climb is the blues in four notes.
4. The position changer: 3/5, 3/7, slide to 3/9, then 2/8, 2/10, 1/8, back to 2/10. You leave position 1 and finish in position 2 on the root A, without a pause.

Play each lick, then find the same notes in another position. That exercise alone links the fretboard faster than running scales up and down.

A 4-week pentatonic practice plan

20 minutes a day, with a metronome. Start at 60 BPM in eighth notes and move up 5 BPM only when two clean runs in a row feel easy.

Week	Positions	Daily drill	Musical goal
1	1	up and down, then in groups of 3 (A C D, C D E...)	licks 1 and 3 from memory
2	1 and 2	play 1, slide into 2 on each string, come back	lick 4 at 70 BPM
3	3, 4, 5	each new position with its CAGED chord first	play lick 2 in three positions
4	all 5	one string pair per day across the whole neck	improvise 12 bars, ending every phrase on a chord tone

Each session: 5 minutes on the shape of the week, 5 minutes on sequences, 5 minutes on licks, 5 minutes improvising over a chord you play and record yourself, or a simple drone on A. Aim your phrases at target notes: A over Am, C over C, E over E7.

Common pentatonic mistakes

• Staying in the box forever. Position 1 is a start, not a home. Spend week 2 crossing into position 2 on purpose.
• Running scales instead of phrasing. Five notes and a good bend beat twenty notes in a row. Leave space between phrases.
• Ignoring the chords. Over Am the scale rests on A; over C, on C. The shape is the same, the target is not.
• Landing on the blue note. E♭ is tension. Pass through it; do not end on it.

See every position on the neck

Want all five positions at once, in any key? The scales and chords tool shows the minor and major pentatonic across the whole neck in note names or intervals, free with a GuitarHarmony account. To train your eye, the scale identification game in the fretboard games quizzes you on shapes, and the solo builder (Premium or one-off module) shows the target notes and arpeggios for each chord of your progression.