B Minor Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

NotesB · D · E · F# · A
Intervals1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7
Relative majorD major pentatonic

B minor pentatonic has five notes — B, D, E, F# and A — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. It is a favorite key for rock solos, and Box 1 sits at the comfortable 7th fret. It shares every note with D major pentatonic: treat B as home and it sounds minor, treat D as home and it sounds major.

B Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

Root (B)Box 1Box 2Box 3Box 4Box 5
B minor pentatonic — all 5 box positions from the open strings to fret 15

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

Open the Interactive Fretboard →

Opens B minor pentatonic — exactly this scale, free. Left-handed? Open it mirrored →

Free

✓Minor and major pentatonic — all 5 boxes, any key
✓Full 24-fret neck
✓Left-handed mode
–Plain dots, no labels

Pro $20 one-time

✓Note names & interval numbers on every dot
✓Triads & inversions on every string set
✓Blue note — master playing the blues
✓Full scales & all 7 modes (Major, Minor, Dorian, Lydian…)
Get Pro — $20 →
B minor pentatonic printable chart, all 5 boxes
Free printable
B Minor Pentatonic chart (PDF)

All 5 boxes on one page with note names, plus a 7-day practice plan. Print it and keep it by your guitar.

Download the free chart All 26 free charts →

The 5 B Minor 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 7–10

B minor pentatonic Box 1 on guitar

The root box. B is at fret 7 on the high e string, fret 9 on the D string and fret 7 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 9–12

B minor pentatonic Box 2 on guitar

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. B is at fret 12 on the B string and fret 9 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 11–15

B minor pentatonic Box 3 on guitar

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. The widest box — it spans five frets. B is at fret 12 on the B string and fret 14 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 2–5

B minor pentatonic Box 4 on guitar

B is at fret 4 on the G string and fret 2 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 4–7

B minor pentatonic Box 5 on guitar

B is at fret 7 on the high e string, fret 4 on the G string and fret 7 on the low E string.

How to Learn B Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

  1. Box 1 first (frets 7–10). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on B.
  2. Add Box 2 (frets 9–12). 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 B minor or a blues in B and improvise with short phrases, ending them on B.

What Chords Does B Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Bm, Bm7 and Bm9, over a 12-bar blues in B (B7–E7–F#7), and over most rock progressions in B minor. Because it is also D major pentatonic, it works over songs in D major too.

Songs That Use B Minor Pentatonic

Hotel California — Eagles
In B minor. The famous twin-guitar outro solos use B minor pentatonic alongside the full B minor scale.
The Thrill Is Gone — B.B. King
In B minor. B.B. King's lead lines sit in B minor pentatonic, mostly around Box 1 at the 7th fret.
Comfortably Numb — Pink Floyd
In B minor. David Gilmour's guitar solos lean heavily on B minor pentatonic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does B minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 7–10, with the root note B at fret 7 on the low E string.

What notes are in B minor pentatonic?

B, D, E, F#, and A — the intervals 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7.

Is B minor pentatonic the same as D major pentatonic?

They share the same five notes and the same box shapes. Treat B as home and it sounds minor and bluesy; treat D as home and it sounds bright and major.

What is the difference between B minor pentatonic and the B minor scale?

The B minor scale has seven notes (B C# D E F# G A). The pentatonic drops C# 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 B Minor

Every note of the B minor 7 chord (B · D · F♯ · A) is in B minor pentatonic, so each box above already holds the Bm7 arpeggio: take out the 4th and land on what is left. The same chord as three-note shapes on neighboring strings is on the guitar triads page. Full pages: B minor triads and the Bm7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in B Minor

Each B minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the B minor chord: Box 1 the Em shape, Box 2 the Dm shape, Box 3 the Cm shape, Box 4 the Am shape and Box 5 the Gm shape. Open B minor with CAGED shapes on, or see how the five shapes connect in the CAGED system guide.

Explore Other Keys

A Minor E Minor B Minor F# Minor C# Minor G# Minor Eb Minor Bb Minor F Minor C Minor G Minor D Minor C Major G Major D Major A Major E Major B Major F# Major Db Major Ab Major Eb Major Bb Major F Major

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

← Read the full guide: How to Use Pentatonic Boxes