F♯ Minor Pentatonic Scale (F♯ A B C♯ E)
F♯ minor pentatonic is where songs in A go for their solos. F♯ A B C♯ E, the low root at the second fret, low enough to catch open-string pull-offs on the way down.
Fretboard diagram
Every F♯ 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 | F♯ |
| ♭3 | minor third | A |
| 4 | perfect fourth | B |
| 5 | perfect fifth | C♯ |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | E |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets F♯ sits on the low E string at fret 2, the A string at fret 9, the D string at fret 4, the G string at fret 11, the B string at fret 7, and the high E string at fret 2. 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 F♯m chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, F♯, A, and C♯. 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 F♯m7 the E joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
A major pentatonic is these five notes with A as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
F♯m, F♯m7, and, for the blues, plain F♯7.
Nearby keys
F♯ minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ minor pentatonic scale?
F♯ minor pentatonic contains F♯, A, B, C♯, and E. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does F♯ minor pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is F♯ at fret 2 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 F♯ minor pentatonic?
A major pentatonic. F♯ is the relative minor of A, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.