F Minor #7m Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
F Minor #7m Pentatonic in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The F 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 F, Ab, Bb, C, E. 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: F, Ab, Bb, C, E
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5P, 7M
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 5
Formula: WH-W-W-4-H
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
Musical Character
The major 7th against a minor 3rd creates the characteristic 'Minor-Major' tension — dark and unsettling yet refined.
Chord Progressions Using This Scale
- vi – viM7 – vi7 – II (Descending Minor Cliché)Classical / Pop — Romance & Intrigue
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop D
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in DADGAD
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open G
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in 7-string
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop C
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Drop B
- F Minor #7m Pentatonic in Open D