B Minor Pentatonic Scale (B D E F♯ A)
B minor pentatonic is B D E F♯ A, the low root at the seventh fret. Both Comfortably Numb solos come out of it, and the second one keeps winning greatest-solo polls decades on.
Fretboard diagram
Every B 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 | B |
| ♭3 | minor third | D |
| 4 | perfect fourth | E |
| 5 | perfect fifth | F♯ |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | A |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets B sits on the low E string at fret 7, the A string at fret 2, the D string at fret 9, the G string at fret 4, the B string open and at fret 12, and the high E string at fret 7. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
Over a Bm chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, B, D, and F♯. 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 a Bm7 the A joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
D major pentatonic is these five notes with D as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
Bm, Bm7, and, for the blues, plain B7.
Nearby keys
B minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the B minor pentatonic scale?
B minor pentatonic contains B, D, E, F♯, and A. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does B minor pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is B at fret 7 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 B minor pentatonic?
D major pentatonic. B is the relative minor of D, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.