Last month we covered the major pentatonic scale. This month we’re going to cover the minor pentatonic scale.

The minor pentatonic scale is based off the 7 note heptatonic scale. For example a C minor scale is C, D, E flat, F, G, A flat, B flat, and back to C.  Let’s review the C minor scale on the treble staff below…

And now on the piano keyboard…

 

Using the C minor scale as an example let’s build the minor pentatonic scale.  C, E flat, F, G, B flat, and back to C. The scale degrees are 1, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 7th. Let’s see what that would look like on the treble staff below…

And now on the piano keyboard…

Again you could go around the Circle of Fifths and build a minor pentatonic scale off any of those minor scales.

Until next time practice building and playing your minor pentatonic scales!