D Minor Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

NotesD · F · G · A · C
Intervals1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7
Relative majorF major pentatonic

D minor pentatonic has five notes — D, F, G, A and C — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. It is a classic rock key: Box 1 sits at the 10th fret, and Box 2 drops all the way to open position. It shares every note with F major pentatonic: treat D as home and it sounds minor, treat F as home and it sounds major.

D Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

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

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

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D minor pentatonic printable chart, all 5 boxes
Free printable
D 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 D 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 10–13

D minor pentatonic Box 1 on guitar

The root box. Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. D is at fret 10 on the high e string, fret 12 on the D string and fret 10 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Open position · frets 0–3

D minor pentatonic Box 2 on guitar

Open position — it uses the open strings, and the same shape repeats at fret 12. D is at fret 3 on the B string and the open D string.

Box 3 — Frets 2–6

D minor pentatonic Box 3 on guitar

The widest box — it spans five frets. D is at fret 3 on the B string and fret 5 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 5–8

D minor pentatonic Box 4 on guitar

D is at fret 7 on the G string and fret 5 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 7–10

D minor pentatonic Box 5 on guitar

D is at fret 10 on the high e string, fret 7 on the G string and fret 10 on the low E string.

How to Learn D Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

  1. Box 1 first (frets 10–13). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on D.
  2. Add Box 2 (frets 12–15, or 0–3 an octave lower). 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 D minor or a blues in D and improvise with short phrases, ending them on D.

What Chords Does D Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Dm, Dm7 and Dm9, over a 12-bar blues in D (D7–G7–A7), and over most rock progressions in D minor. Because it is also F major pentatonic, it works over songs in F major too.

Songs That Use D Minor Pentatonic

Black Magic Woman — Santana
In D minor. Carlos Santana's lines are D minor pentatonic with a few Dorian touches.
Layla — Derek and the Dominos
The famous main riff is played in D minor pentatonic.
Sultans of Swing — Dire Straits
In D minor. Mark Knopfler's fills and solos draw heavily on D minor pentatonic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does D minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 10–13, with the root note D at fret 10 on the low E string. There is also an open-position version (Box 2) using the open strings.

What notes are in D minor pentatonic?

D, F, G, A, and C — the intervals 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7.

Is D minor pentatonic the same as F major pentatonic?

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

How do you play D minor pentatonic in open position?

Use the open strings plus the first few frets: low E 1–3, A 0–3, D 0–3, G 0–2, B 1–3, high e 1–3. This is Box 2 of the scale.

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

The D minor scale has seven notes (D E F G A Bb C). The pentatonic drops E and Bb, 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 D Minor

Every note of the D minor 7 chord (D · F · A · C) is in D minor pentatonic, so each box above already holds the Dm7 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: D minor triads and the Dm7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in D Minor

Each D minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the D 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 D 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