A Minor Pentatonic Scale (A C D E G)
A minor pentatonic is the scale guitarists mean when they say the scale. A C D E G, the low root at the fifth fret, no half steps to trip over. The Stairway to Heaven solo lives here, along with half the classic rock canon.
Fretboard diagram
Every A minor pentatonic note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | A |
| ♭3 | minor third | C |
| 4 | perfect fourth | D |
| 5 | perfect fifth | E |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | G |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets A sits on the low E string at fret 5, the A string open and at fret 12, the D string at fret 7, the G string at fret 2, the B string at fret 10, and the high E string at fret 5. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
Over an Am chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, A, C, and E. Those always sound settled. The other two pull toward a chord tone a fret or two away, and hearing which way they pull is most of what practice is for. Over an Am7 the G joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
C major pentatonic is these five notes with C as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
Am, Am7, and, for the blues, plain A7.
Nearby keys
A minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the A minor pentatonic scale?
A minor pentatonic contains A, C, D, E, and G. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does A minor pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is A at fret 5 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What major scale has the same notes as A minor pentatonic?
C major pentatonic. A is the relative minor of C, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.