G minor pentatonic scale
G minor pentatonic scale is G – B♭ – C – D – F, with B♭. Formula 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
Notes and steps
From G upward the gaps are W+H W W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). Not one half step, so no two notes rub against each other. The wide steps are G–B♭ and D–F.
| Degree | Note | Interval from G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | root | |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | C | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | D | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | F | minor seventh |
How the minor pentatonic scale sounds
Guitarists learn the minor pentatonic "box" first because it falls under four fingers at one position. G minor pentatonic has the same five notes as B♭ major pentatonic, just starting somewhere else.
The notes G, B♭, C, D and F are Gm7 plus the 4th, so the scale sits over a Gm7 chord like a glove.
G minor pentatonic scale is G natural minor scale without A and E♭. Hear G natural minor scale and compare.
On piano and on guitar
B♭ is on black key; the rest are white.
On guitar the root sits at the 3rd fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 1–7 and holds 12 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high, two notes per string.
What to play it over
These chords are built only from the scale's notes, so it sits over any of them: Gm, Gm7, Gsus4, B♭, B♭sus2, Csus2, Fsus2, Csus4, Fsus4, B♭6, B♭add9.
Same notes, different home: B♭ major pentatonic (starting on the 2nd note, B♭). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Moving it around the guitar
The root, G, sits at frets 3 and 15 on the low E string and 10 on the A string. Box positions begin at frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10 on the 6th string. Learn the first, then connect it to its neighbor. The first box sits under one hand with two notes per string, the shape most rock and blues solos start from.
On the piano, G minor pentatonic scale uses 1 black key (B♭) and 4 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's G–C, B♭–D, C–F, D–G, F–B♭.
Drills for G minor pentatonic
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Up in threes: G B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D F · D F G.
- Target C: G C G C G: the 4th and ♭7 give the rock and blues sound.
Try next, from G
Minor pentatonic scale in every key
G minor pentatonic scale: questions
What are the notes of the G minor pentatonic scale?
G, B♭, C, D and F, then G again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the G minor pentatonic scale?
One: B♭.
What's the difference between G minor pentatonic scale and G natural minor scale?
It leaves out A and E♭.
What chords go with the G minor pentatonic scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example Gm, Gm7, Gsus4, B♭, B♭sus2 and Csus2.
Generated from the step pattern 3-2-2-3-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.