B Minor Pentatonic Scale
B–D–E–F#–A
The B Minor Pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B–D–E–F#–A. Its character: raw, powerful, and versatile — the most-used scale in rock and blues guitar.
Five notes, no 'wrong' notes. Removing the 2nd and flat 6th eliminates all half-steps, making every note safe to land on over minor and dominant chords. You'll hear it most in rock, blues, metal and funk.
Because B Minor Pentatonic shares its notes with D major pentatonic (its relative major), every shape on the fretboard below does double duty — learn it once, use it in both keys. Start with one position, loop a backing track in B, and connect neighboring positions as they become comfortable.
B Minor Pentatonic Scale on the Fretboard
Standard tuning, frets 0–12. Every dot is a note in the scale — blue dots are the root (B).
Notes and Intervals
| Interval | R | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | B | D | E | F# | A |
Songs That Use the Minor Pentatonic Sound
Jimi Hendrix — “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
In E minor pentatonic. Nearly the entire song lives in the box at the 12th fret. Hendrix adds bends and vibrato to the blue note (Bb) for his signature sound.
Led Zeppelin — “Whole Lotta Love”
The main riff is E minor pentatonic — just E, G, A, and D. Jimmy Page's solo (around 2:30) is a masterclass in minor pentatonic box 1 with aggressive bends on the 3rd and 4th strings.
B.B. King — “The Thrill Is Gone”
In B minor pentatonic. B.B. King's vocal-like guitar lines use just 4–5 notes from the scale, proving you don't need all the notes — it's about phrasing and feel.
AC/DC — “Back in Black”
The opening riff and Angus Young's solo are built on A minor pentatonic. The solo stays almost entirely in box 1 around the 5th fret.
B Minor Pentatonic Scale FAQ
What notes are in the B Minor Pentatonic scale?
B Minor Pentatonic contains 5 notes: B–D–E–F#–A. The interval formula is R–♭3–4–5–♭7.
What is the B Minor Pentatonic scale used for?
Raw, powerful, and versatile — the most-used scale in rock and blues guitar. It's a core vocabulary scale in rock, blues, metal and funk — used for riffs, solos, and melodies over minor-key progressions in B.
What is the relative major of B minor?
D major. B Minor Pentatonic uses exactly the same notes as D major pentatonic, just starting from a different root — so every shape on the fretboard works for both keys.
How do I practice the B Minor Pentatonic scale?
Pick one position, play it ascending and descending with a metronome until it's clean, then improvise over a backing track in B so your ear connects the shapes to the sound. OpenFret's free Studio has a fretboard viewer and metronome for exactly this, and Guitar Quest turns scale practice into a game with real-time pitch detection.
Related Scales
Practice B Minor Pentatonic with real feedback
Guitar Quest listens to your real guitar and turns scale practice into a game — run scales to battle monsters, with every note checked by pitch detection. Free in your browser, no signup needed.