F Major Pentatonic Scale On Guitar
The F major pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale that is derived from the 7 note F major scale.
Here you will find all 5 scale shapes, the correct fingerings, best picking for speed & accuracy and the notes of the scale so you will be able to easily play the scale and understand what's going on musically.
Click the tabs below to learn the various shapes and how they fit together across the fretboard.
Notes of F Major Pentatonic Scale Guitar Full Fretboard
Like all guitar scales, the notes span across the entire fretboard and at first glance it may seem a bit overwhelming. However, there are a lots of tricks for how to get them all memorized, easily change keys, and even break out of the box patterns.
Click on the different tabs to see the BOX PATTERNS. These patterns connect together like a puzzle that span across the entire fretboard.
What Are the 5 notes in the F major pentatonic scale?
The notes that make the F major pentatonic scale are F G A C D. See the scale diagrams and fretboard above to see how these correlates to the fretboard.
Lets compare to the F major pentatonic scale to the F major scale to better understand whats going on:
F G A Bb C D E : F major scale
F G A - C D - : F major pentatonic scale
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What is the formula for the F major pentatonic scale?
The F major pentatonic formula consists of the 1 2 3 5 6 notes of the F Major scale it is derived from.
Here's an easy breakdown:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 : F major scale
1 2 3 - 5 6 - : F major pentatonic scale
The 4th and 7th scale degrees have been removed from the F major scale thus creating the F major pentatonic scale.
Is F major pentatonic the same as D minor pentatonic?
Yes actually! They share the exact same notes so when you play any F Major pentatonic scale you are also playing the D minor pentatonic scale. What determines which scale you are playing is the chord progressions underneath as the lead guitarist will harmonize with the notes of the chords being played.
Did Jimi Hendrix use the pentatonic scale?
Yes! The pentatonic scale is the most wildly used scale in western music as it's easy to play and sounds great. That being said, its very common to have licks that are strictly pentatonic licks and then in other sections of your solos add other notes outside of the pentatonic scale in the same solo.
What chords are in F major pentatonic scale?
The basic chords that work well with the F major pentatonic scale are: F Gm Am Bb C Dm Edim. You can also turn all these into power chords such as: F5 G5 A5 Bb5 C5 D5 E5
If you need help learning these chords check out the Chord Library!