Ab Major Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

Ab major pentatonic has five notes — Ab, Bb, C, Eb and F — and a bright, open sound used across rock, country, pop and gospel. Box 1 sits at the 3rd fret, with the same shapes as A major pentatonic one fret lower. It shares every note with F minor pentatonic: treat Ab as home and it sounds major, treat F as home and it sounds minor.

Ab Major Pentatonic on the Full Neck

Red dots are the root, Ab. Double-ringed dots are shared by two boxes — that is where you slide from one box into the next.

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Ab Major Pentatonic chart (PDF)

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The 5 Ab Major Pentatonic Box Positions

Each box holds all five notes in a four-to-five-fret span. New to the scale? Learn Box 1 first, then add the boxes on either side of it.

Box 1 — Frets 3–6

The root box. Ab is at fret 4 on the high e string, fret 6 on the D string and fret 4 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 5–9

The widest box — it spans five frets. Ab is at fret 9 on the B string and fret 6 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 8–11

Ab is at fret 9 on the B string and fret 11 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 10–13

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. Ab is at fret 13 on the G string and fret 11 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 1–4

Ab is at fret 4 on the high e string, fret 1 on the G string and fret 4 on the low E string.

How to Learn Ab Major Pentatonic, Step by Step

1. Box 1 first (frets 3–6). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on Ab.
2. Add Box 2 (frets 5–9). It shares notes with Box 1 — use those shared notes to slide between the two.
3. Learn Boxes 3, 4 and 5 the same way, one at a time, always connecting each new box to one you already know.
4. Use it over music. Put on a backing track in Ab major and improvise with short phrases, ending them on Ab.

What Chords Does Ab Major Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Ab, Abmaj7, Ab6 and Abadd9, and over Ab–Db–Eb progressions. Because it is also F minor pentatonic, the same shapes work over songs in F minor.

Progressions to Practice Ab Major Pentatonic Over

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does Ab major pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 3–6, with the root note Ab at fret 4 on the low E string.

What notes are in Ab major pentatonic?

Ab, Bb, C, Eb, and F — the intervals 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.

Is Ab major pentatonic the same as F minor pentatonic?

They share the same five notes and the same box shapes. Treat Ab as home and it sounds major; treat F as home and it sounds minor.

What is the difference between Ab major pentatonic and the Ab major scale?

The Ab major scale has seven notes (Ab Bb C Db Eb F G). The pentatonic drops Db and G, the two notes a half step from their neighbors, which is why it is hard to hit a wrong-sounding note with it.

Triads and Arpeggios in Ab Major

The Ab major triad (Ab · C · Eb) sits inside every Ab major pentatonic box, so you can outline the chord without changing position. See its shapes in every inversion on the guitar triads page, and the major arpeggio across all six strings on the guitar arpeggios page. Full pages: Ab major triads and the Abmaj7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in Ab Major

Each Ab major pentatonic box holds one shape of the Ab chord: Box 1 the E shape, Box 2 the D shape, Box 3 the C shape, Box 4 the A shape and Box 5 the G shape. See how the five shapes connect up the neck in the CAGED system guide.

Explore Other Keys

See also: Minor pentatonic scale · Major pentatonic scale · Blues scale

← Read the full guide: How to Use Pentatonic Boxes