A Minor #7m Pentatonic Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The A Minor #7m Pentatonic scale is a minor pentatonic variation that includes a major seventh, echoing the tension of the melodic minor scale. On Guitar, the notes are A, C, D, E, G#. It is used to create a Minor-Major mystery, providing a simple but effective way to add a dark, classical tension to modern solos. Commonly used in Jazz, Film Scores, Classical. Notable players include Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock. Use over mMaj7, mMaj9 chords. Adds classical tension to modern minor-key solos.
Notes: A, C, D, E, G#
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5P, 7M
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 5
Formula: WH-W-W-4-H
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop D
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in DADGAD
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open G
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in 7-string
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in 8-string
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop C
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open D
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Half Step Down
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open E
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open A
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Double Drop D
- A Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open C