E F♯ G♯ B C♯ 1 2 3 5 6 5 boxes Box 1 at frets 11-14
The major pentatonic keeps five notes of the major scale and drops the two that make half steps. Nothing in it clashes, which is why country licks, Southern rock and bright blues solos use it so much. On the guitar it falls into 5 boxes. Box 1 starts on the root, frets 11-14. The root E is at fret 0 and 12 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string.
e|-------------------------------12-14-| B|-------------------------12-14-------| G|-------------------11-13-------------| D|-------------11-14-------------------| A|-------11-14-------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------|
e|---------------------2-4-| B|-----------------2-5-----| G|-------------1-4---------| D|---------2-4-------------| A|-----2-4-----------------| E|-2-4---------------------|
e|---------------------4-7-| B|-----------------5-7-----| G|-------------4-6---------| D|---------4-6-------------| A|-----4-7-----------------| E|-4-7---------------------|
e|---------------------7-9-| B|-----------------7-9-----| G|-------------6-9---------| D|---------6-9-------------| A|-----7-9-----------------| E|-7-9---------------------|
e|--------------------------9-12-| B|---------------------9-12------| G|----------------9-11-----------| D|-----------9-11----------------| A|------9-11---------------------| E|-9-12--------------------------|
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right), frets numbered on the left. Magenta dots are the root, E. The tab under each diagram plays the position from its lowest note to its highest; play it back down the same way.
The boxes above are slices of this map. They overlap: the highest notes of one are the lowest notes of the next, so once you know two neighbours you can slide from one to the other along a string.
5 notes: E F♯ G♯ B C♯. In whole (W) and half (H) steps: W W W+H W W+H. With no half steps between its notes, nothing in it sounds wrong against the chords of the key.
| Note | Degree | Interval from the root | Half steps | Fret on the low E string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 1 | Root | 0 | 0 |
| F♯ | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 | 2 |
| G♯ | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 | 4 |
| B | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 | 7 |
| C♯ | 6 | Major 6th | 9 | 9 |
It uses the same five boxes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower, with another root. Learn Box 1, then play it over the major chord of the same name and land on the root and the third.
Same notes, another root: C♯ minor pentatonic. The shapes on the neck are the same; only the note you start and end on changes.
The minor pentatonic of the same root swaps the major 2nd, 3rd and 6th for the minor 3rd, 4th and minor 7th. Compare the two: E minor pentatonic.
Set the tempo low, play each position up and down with the button above, then try it yourself at the same speed. Raise the tempo by 4 BPM only when it is clean.
Going up: E, F♯, G♯, B, C♯, then E an octave higher. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6.
Start with box 1, frets 11-14: the root E is under your finger 2 on the low E string. Play two notes on each string (three where the blue note falls), from the low E to the high E, then back down. The diagrams and tabs on this page show all 5 boxes.
On the low E string at fret 0 and 12, on the A string at fret 7. Those two root notes anchor most scale positions and barre chords.
The minor pentatonic of the same root swaps the major 2nd, 3rd and 6th for the minor 3rd, 4th and minor 7th.
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