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

G# minor pentatonic has five notes — G#, B, C#, D# and F# — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. Box 1 sits at the 4th fret, with the same shapes as A minor pentatonic one fret lower. It shares every note with B major pentatonic: treat G# as home and it sounds minor, treat B as home and it sounds major.

G# Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

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

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G# 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 G# 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 4–7

The root box. G# 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 6–9

G# is at fret 9 on the B string and fret 6 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 8–12

The widest box — it spans five frets. G# is at fret 9 on the B string and fret 11 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 11–14

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

Box 5 — Frets 1–4

G# 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 G# Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

1. Box 1 first (frets 4–7). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on G#.
2. Add Box 2 (frets 6–9). 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 G# minor or a blues in G# and improvise with short phrases, ending them on G#.

What Chords Does G# Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

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

Progressions to Practice G# Minor Pentatonic Over

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does G# minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 4–7, with the root note G# at fret 4 on the low E string.

What notes are in G# minor pentatonic?

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

Is G# minor pentatonic the same as B major pentatonic?

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

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

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

The G# minor triad (G# · B · D#) sits inside every G# 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: G# minor triads and the G#m7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in G# Minor

Each G# minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the G#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

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

← Read the full guide: How to Use Pentatonic Boxes