Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

Bb minor pentatonic has five notes — Bb, Db, Eb, F and Ab — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. Every shape is A minor pentatonic moved up one fret — a common key when playing with horns or keyboards. It shares every note with Db major pentatonic: treat Bb as home and it sounds minor, treat Db as home and it sounds major.

Bb Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

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

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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.

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The 5 Bb 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 6–9

The root box. Bb is at fret 6 on the high e string, fret 8 on the D string and fret 6 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 8–11

Bb is at fret 11 on the B string and fret 8 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 10–14

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. The widest box — it spans five frets. Bb is at fret 11 on the B string and fret 13 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 1–4

Bb is at fret 3 on the G string and fret 1 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 3–6

Bb is at fret 6 on the high e string, fret 3 on the G string and fret 6 on the low E string.

How to Learn Bb Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

1. Box 1 first (frets 6–9). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on Bb.
2. Add Box 2 (frets 8–11). 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 Bb minor or a blues in Bb and improvise with short phrases, ending them on Bb.

What Chords Does Bb Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Bbm, Bbm7 and Bbm9, over a 12-bar blues in Bb (Bb7–Eb7–F7), and over most rock progressions in Bb minor. Because it is also Db major pentatonic, it works over songs in Db major too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does Bb minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 6–9, with the root note Bb at fret 6 on the low E string.

What notes are in Bb minor pentatonic?

Bb, Db, Eb, F, and Ab — the intervals 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7.

Is Bb minor pentatonic the same as Db major pentatonic?

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

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

The Bb minor scale has seven notes (Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab). The pentatonic drops C and Gb, 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 Bb Minor

Every note of the Bb minor 7 chord (B♭ · D♭ · F · A♭) is in Bb minor pentatonic, so each box above already holds the Bbm7 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 B♭m7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in Bb Minor

Each Bb minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the Bb 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 Bb minor with CAGED shapes on, or see how the five shapes connect 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