We check out a very useful scale for Blues, Rock and most genres!

You might find Blues and Rock improvisations, licks and riffs based on the A minor pentatonic scale, such as in the 12 bar blues in A. That is because they often use power chords, which are ambiguous of the major/ minor.

Minor pentatonic shape 1/ box 1

This is a classic scale shape is perfectly useable and acceptable when playing minor pentatonic guitar parts!

Alternative A minor Pentatonic Shape

This new shape to play the A minor Pentatonic Scale is only changing the position of 1 note, the C note (minor 3rd note) compared to the scale shape above (Box 1)

Fret 8 on String 6 note (featured in box 1) and fret 3 on String 5 (new shape) note are the same C note at the same pitch, and therefore means we can play the same scale with a slightly different shape because of these positions.

A Minor Pentatonic in Open Position

This Open position version is a bit of a bonus way of playing the A minor Pentatonic.

It is again all the same notes at the same pitch as the scales above, but in a different position on the neck, hopefully it's becoming clear that there are multiple shapes and positions to play the same notes.

This is why many players describe Boxes as Box 1, Box 2, Box 3 and so on!

• Starting Open string 5

• To fret 3 string 5 (C note)

• Open to 2nd fret on string 4

• Open to 2nd fret on string 3