Also written Blues Pentatonic, Yu or Sen-Yo
A♭ minor pentatonic contains A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. Box 1 at frets 2–4 places the root on string 6, fret 4 for a low, dark start.
A♭ minor pentatonic removes the 2nd and 6th from A♭ natural minor, leaving 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7. Add the ♭5 to get A♭ blues minor. The step pattern is 1½, W, W, 1½, W.
A♭ minor pentatonic fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. Use it over A♭ minor, B major, and C♯ 5th progressions in rock and blues. The G♭ note also works over F♯ 5th.
Practise Box 1 first. It covers frets 2–4 with the root on string 6, fret 4, giving a low, dark foundation for blues lines.
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 4, 10 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 4 | C♭, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4 | G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4 | C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 12 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7 | A♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6 | C♭, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7 | A♭, C♭ |
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 9, 9 notes across 6 strings, from C♭ on the low E string at fret 7 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 9 | C♭, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9 | G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9 | C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8 | E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 9 | C♭, D♭ |
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 11 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11 | G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11 | C♭, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11 | G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 12 | A♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | D♭, E♭ |
A♭ minor pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 12 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 14 | A♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 14 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ minor pentatonic contains A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, and G♭. The intervals are 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7. It omits the 2nd and 6th from A♭ natural minor. 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 C♯ 5th. The G♭ note allows F♯ 5th in some contexts.
A♭ blues minor adds a ♭5 (E♭♭) to A♭ minor pentatonic. The pentatonic has five notes; the blues has six. The extra note creates chromatic passing motion.