F# Minor Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

NotesF# · A · B · C# · E
Intervals1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7
Relative majorA major pentatonic

F# minor pentatonic has five notes — F#, A, B, C# and E — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. Box 1 sits low at the 2nd fret, with the same shapes as G minor pentatonic one fret lower. It shares every note with A major pentatonic: treat F# as home and it sounds minor, treat A as home and it sounds major.

F# Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

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

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

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F# minor pentatonic printable chart, all 5 boxes
Free printable
F# 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 F# 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 2–5

F# minor pentatonic Box 1 on guitar

The root box. F# is at fret 2 on the high e string, fret 4 on the D string and fret 2 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 4–7

F# minor pentatonic Box 2 on guitar

F# is at fret 7 on the B string and fret 4 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 6–10

F# minor pentatonic Box 3 on guitar

The widest box — it spans five frets. F# is at fret 7 on the B string and fret 9 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 9–12

F# minor pentatonic Box 4 on guitar

F# is at fret 11 on the G string and fret 9 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 11–14

F# minor pentatonic Box 5 on guitar

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. F# is at fret 14 on the high e string, fret 11 on the G string and fret 14 on the low E string.

How to Learn F# Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

  1. Box 1 first (frets 2–5). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on F#.
  2. Add Box 2 (frets 4–7). 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 F# minor or a blues in F# and improvise with short phrases, ending them on F#.

What Chords Does F# Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over F#m, F#m7 and F#m9, over a 12-bar blues in F# (F#7–B7–C#7), and over minor-key progressions like F#m–D–E. Because it is also A major pentatonic, it works over songs in A major too.

Progressions to Practice F# Minor Pentatonic Over

F#m – D – E – F#m
The i–VI–VII rock progression. Box 1 at the 2nd fret sits right under the F#m barre chord.
F#m – Bm – C#m
A i–iv–v in minor. F# minor pentatonic works over all three chords.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does F# minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 2–5, with the root note F# at fret 2 on the low E string.

What notes are in F# minor pentatonic?

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

Is F# minor pentatonic the same as A major pentatonic?

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

What is the difference between F# minor pentatonic and the F# natural minor scale?

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

The F# minor triad (F# · A · C#) sits inside every F# minor pentatonic box, so you can outline the chord without changing position. See its shapes in every inversion on the guitar triads page, and the minor 7 arpeggio across all six strings on the guitar arpeggios page. Full pages: F# minor triads and the F#m7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in F# Minor

Each F# minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the F#m 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. See how the five shapes connect up the neck 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