C Major Pentatonic — Position 5

What is C major pentatonic position 5?

One of the 5 box shapes that C major pentatonic is played in. This one spans frets 5–8, holds 12 notes, and starts on the 6 (A) on the 6th string. The root, C, sits on the 6th string at fret 8 and on the 3rd string at fret 5 and on the 1st string at fret 8. Find those first; every other note in the box is measured from them.

How position 5 connects to the boxes beside it

The 5 boxes tile the neck end to end, and each shares frets with the next — the notes on the top edge of one box are the notes on the bottom edge of the next. Those shared frets are where you change shape without stopping:

• Position 4 sits at frets 2–5, overlapping this box at fret 5.
• This is the highest box; position 1 returns twelve frets up.

All 5 positions of C major pentatonic on one page, with the shared frets marked. How to connect the five boxes, step by step.

How to practice C major pentatonic position 5

1. Loop this box at 60 BPM, ascending and descending, until every note lands on the click. The loop keeps the shape and the tempo for you.
2. Start on the root instead of the lowest note. A box played root to root sounds like music; played edge to edge it sounds like an exercise.
3. Play it in thirds — skip a note each time — and the box turns into lines.
4. Then slide back down into position 4 on the shared frets. Two boxes joined is the beginning of playing the whole neck.