Scales & Modes
F♯ Minor Pentatonic
Neck DiagramThe rock and blues scale. Natural minor without the second and sixth.
How it sounds, and where to use it
Often described as the rock and blues soloing sound.
How usual it sounds: as tight as it gets: the notes sit side by side on the circle of fifths, which is why it sounds so familiar. (No gaps round the circle of fifths. See its shape.)
Solo with it over:F♯mF♯m7F♯sus4F♯7sus4
Chords on F♯ made only from this scale's notes, so every note of the scale sits safely over them.
Formula: W+H-W-W-W+H-W · Arpeggios in F♯ Minor Pentatonic
Relative major pentatonic: A Major Pentatonic (same notes, from the ♭3) · Parallel major pentatonic: F♯ Major Pentatonic (same root, three notes raised)
| Step | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | F♯ | A | B | C♯ | E |
| Degree | 1 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭7 |
| Interval | P1 | m3 | P4 | P5 | m7 |
Degree and Interval are the same thing written two ways: how far each note is from the root (♭3 and m3 here). See them all on the Intervals page → Click either one in the table to open that interval.
Modes
Two octaves across; each mode starts one scale degree later and is numbered from its own root. ▶ plays a mode.
The same notes, started from each degree: the degrees against major, the steps between them, and the notes.
| # | Degrees and steps | Notes | Name(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1♭345♭78W+HWWW+HW | F♯ A B C♯ E F♯ | Minor Pentatonic | |
| II | 123568WWW+HWW+H | A B C♯ E F♯ A | Major Pentatonic | |
| III | 1245♭78WW+HWW+HW | B C♯ E F♯ A B | Suspended Pentatonic | |
| IV | 1♭34♭6♭78W+HWW+HWW | C♯ E F♯ A B C♯ | Epathitonic | |
| V | 124568WW+HWWW+H | E F♯ A B C♯ E | Blues Major Pentatonic |
Nobody has found a F♯ Minor Pentatonic track yet. The root drone on the Every 7-note scale page works for any scale meanwhile.
Whatever turns up is checked by a person before it appears here.
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For more on modes, check out
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