Also written Blues Pentatonic, Yu or Sen-Yo
A♭ minor pentatonic uses A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. Box 1 places the root on string 4, fret 4 for a flat-key position.
A♭ minor pentatonic derives from A♭ natural minor by removing the 2nd and 6th degrees. The result is 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7. Add the ♭5 to form A♭ blues minor.
A♭ minor pentatonic fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. Use it for rock and funk bass lines in A♭ minor keys. It also works over B major progressions.
Learn Box 1 first: the root sits on string 4, fret 4, covering frets 4–7. This position sets up Box 2 on the same root.
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 8 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the E string at fret 4 up to D♭ on the G string at fret 6. The root falls on the E string at fret 4 and the D string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 7 | A♭, C♭ |
| 3 (A) | 4, 6 | D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (G) | 4, 6 | C♭, D♭ |
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 8 notes across 4 strings, from E♭ on the E string at fret 11 up to A♭ on the G string at fret 13. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 14 | A♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13 | D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ minor pentatonic contains A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. These are the 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7 degrees. The scale omits the 2nd and 6th from the natural minor scale. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ minor pentatonic fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also works over B major and B 5th chords. The scale's notes are all chord tones or common extensions.
Start with Box 1 on string 4, fret 4. Play the notes ascending and descending with a metronome. Then connect to Box 2 by sliding from G♭ to A♭.