The second box position of the minor pentatonic scale, commonly referred to as “box 2”, “pattern 2” or “position 2”, can lend itself to some useful licks as well as a nicely spaced out arpeggio arrangement of notes. Box 2 can be integrated with box 1 to extend box 1 and add some flavor to pentatonic licks. Take a look at the following information about the minor pentatonic scale – box 2 to learn more.
01 March 2022 – Posted by Mike M.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Tags: #mykmyrs #mikem #myersmediaplace #guitar #scales #caged #pentatonic #minorpentatonic #box #shape #position #box2
Before We Begin
This post is a result of me needing a good reference for pentatonic boxes and also for how CAGED integrates into pentatonic playing. If you see something that could be improved or have something to enhance the message, please let me know in the comments of this post.
This post, and the others I write based on it, will change over time as I find better ways to collect and present the information. Please do return again in the future. I expect the format to change to become more streamlined and concise.
Here are some great references that have helped me write this post.
- I make reference to the CAGED system in this post. I assume you already know about this system and understand its intended usage. If not, you can read more about it here.
- I used the free Guitar Scientist editor to make all of my fretboard diagrams. It’s free and it’s an amazing resource for creating images of the guitar, scales and intervals.
- There are some amazingly talented presenters on YouTube that can articulate the subject matter so effortlessly. Stop by their channels and see what you can learn. Signals Music Studio, Stich Method Guitar, David Wallimann, and Rick Beato.
- Pentatonic improvisation can be so fun and rewarding. Make sure you get some backing tracks to solo over and integrate into your practice routine. YouTube has many, many available to you for free.
Minor Pentatonic Scale Box 2
Here we have an overview of the box 2 pattern, along with its scale degrees. If we use the common A Minor pentatonic as a reference, this pattern would start on the minor 3rd of the scale on fret 8 of the low E string.
Another useful way to look at box 2 is to look at the scale intervals so that you can better understand how the notes are related. If you’re not familiar with the scale degrees of the notes in the pattern, it would be a great benefit to learn them.
Box 2 CAGED For Arpeggios
Box 2 contains the Dm chord shape of the CAGED system.
Using the A Minor Pentatonic scale as an example, we can outline the A Minor chord tones within Box 2.
Again, for completeness, here are the scale degrees of the A Minor chord arpeggio.
Pentatonic Lick Examples in Box 2
Come back in the future to see a collection of useful licks this box can provide to you.
My Website Reference Links
The following reference links will become available as I write them (and remember to return here to actually hyperlink them).