G Minor Pentatonic Scale (G B♭ C D F)
G minor pentatonic is G B♭ C D F, the low root at the third fret. Shine On You Crazy Diamond floats over it for most of half an hour, which is a strong argument for playing it slowly.
Fretboard diagram
Every G 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 | G |
| ♭3 | minor third | B♭ |
| 4 | perfect fourth | C |
| 5 | perfect fifth | D |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | F |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets G sits on the low E string at fret 3, the A string at fret 10, the D string at fret 5, the G string open and at fret 12, the B string at fret 8, and the high E string at fret 3. 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 Gm chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, G, B♭, and D. 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 Gm7 the F joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
B♭ major pentatonic is these five notes with B♭ as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
Gm, Gm7, and, for the blues, plain G7.
Nearby keys
G minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the G minor pentatonic scale?
G minor pentatonic contains G, B♭, C, D, and F. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does G minor pentatonic start on?
The lowest root is G at fret 3 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 G minor pentatonic?
B♭ major pentatonic. G is the relative minor of B♭, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.