How to Play the F Major Pentatonic Scale on Guitar

Lesson: Playing the F Major Pentatonic Scale on Guitar

For guitarists looking to sharpen their solo skills and expand their overall scale prowess, the F major pentatonic scale is a perfect place to start. A common pentatonic scale in some of the most popular music genres today, the F major scale can be heard in a variety of songs. It’s versatile sound can lend a bright, punchy tone to a song or turn the mood darker and more mysterious.

The F major pentatonic scale can be heard in many songs you might recognize. To hear a bluesy, mystery-laden take on the F major pentatonic scale, listen for it in “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals. From blues-influenced rock to more traditional blues, you can pick out the F pentatonic scale in legendary guitarist B.B. King’s take on the blues standard, “Come Rain or Come Shine.” And for a pop take on the F major pentatonic scale, look no further than Taylor Swift’s 1989 album. Many of the hits off of her fifth studio album were built around this five-note scale, including “All You Had to Do Wa Stay,” “How You Get the Girl,” and “Blank Space".

Whether you’re a rocker or pop enthusiast, or a blues guru, the F major pentatonic scale provides a basic template for lead guitarists to craft catchy songs and expansive riffs. Like the C major scale, the F major pentatonic scale contains no sharps or flats, making it easy to learn, remember, and commit to memory.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Notes

The F major scale is made up of seven notes, including F, G, A, Bb, C, D and E. The F major scale is composed of just five of those notes, taking the 1st (F), 2nd (G), 3rd (A), 5th (C) and 6th (D) notes of the seven note scale. As you move across the fretboard to play the F major pentatonic scale, you’ll repeat those five notes in higher or lower octaves. Those notes are:

• F • G • A • C • D

The notes F, A and C also comprise the F major triad chord.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Positions

There are a variety of ways to play the F major pentatonic scale. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to play it two different ways: in the open position and in the 12th position. The open position will start on the 1st fret of the low E string, while the 12th position will be played in a higher range, starting on the 13th fret of the low E string. By playing both, you will be able to hear the difference in tone for yourself.

In this lesson, we’ll show you how to play the F major pentatonic scale by using charts that show you where to place your fingers in order to play the scale. These diagrams represent the neck of your guitar. Each dot in the below diagrams will show you which note to play on a specific fret and string. If you see a dot with a note above the string, you’ll play the string in the open position. The yellow dots indicate the root note of the scale – in this case, the root note is F.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Chart: Open position

To begin playing the F major pentatonic scale, place your first (index) finger on the 1st fret of the low E string. Next, stretch your third (ring) finger to the 3rd fret of the same string. As you move through the corresponding notes in this scale, notice that your ring finger will play the third fret on every string except for the G (3rd) string.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Chart: 12th position

To play the 12th position, start by placing your middle finger on the 13th fret of the low E string. From here, the finger placement gets a little more tricky than the open position. Using your pinky, you’ll play the 15th fret of the same low E string, then add your index finger to the 12th fret of the A string. As you work your way through this scale, you’ll notice that each of your four fingers get a chance to play a note. In terms of versions of the F major pentatonic scale go, the 12th position is a great one to help not only acquaint you with the lower portion of your fretboard and match notes, but to also help you build greater finger dexterity.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Tabs

If you’re a guitarist who has difficulty reading charts, then you may prefer to learn guitar by using tablature. Every guitarist is different and the F major pentatonic scale can be learned and played in more than one way. To give you a different perspective, let’s take a look at playing those same F major pentatonic scale positions by using tabs. You may find out that you prefer learning with tablature over charts or vice versa.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Tabs: Open Position

Starting with the open position, let’s play the F major pentatonic scale using a tab. Begin on the low E string (the one closest to you, if you’re looking down at your guitar). To play the scale, you’ll fret the first note of the scale (F), which can be found on the 1st fret of this string. Using the tab below, you’ll see which fret you’ll play on each of the strings.

For the stretch from frets 1 to 3, you will use your ring finger. For the shorter gap between frets 1 and 2 on the G string, you will use your middle finger. Once you’ve successfully played this scale, try repeating it back in reverse (descending order).

F Major Pentatonic Scale Tabs: 12th Position

Now, to hear the difference in octaves and tones, let’s play the 12th position using tablature. Start by fretting the first note in the scale (F again) by placing your index finger on the 13th fret of the low E (6th) string (the thickest string and the one closest to you, if you’re looking down at your guitar). Again, this fret will act as a home base as you progress through the scale; however, your designated finger will change to your middle finger once you get to the A (2nd) string. You’ll play two notes on each string, moving across the fretboard.

Once you’ve gone through the scale, try playing it again in reverse (descending) order. Listen for the root note (F) as you play and hear how different it sounds one octave higher as your starting and finishing notes.

F Major Pentatonic Scale Exercises on Guitar

Like learning anything else in life, the best way to memorize and practice the F major pentatonic scale is through repetition. Work on playing the scale in ascending and descending order. Start with the root note of F, then play G, A, C, D and then a higher F. Use either the open or 12th position pattern to play these notes, then work your way back down the scale, starting with the higher F and climbing back down to D, C, A, G and the low F.

If you really want to give yourself a challenge while learning pentatonic scales, try playing them in ascending and descending order while using different picking styles. From alternate picking to downpicking to fingerstyle, testing out different ways to play notes can help you get a better feel for how a style changes the tone. It will also help with finger dexterity and muscle memory.

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