For improvising against most progressions, Pattern 1 begins on the same fret as the key note on the 6th string. When Pattern 1 begins on the same fret as the key note it is called a minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale can be used against Blues, minor key and major key progressions as shown in the table.
For all three examples in the table, if Pattern 1 is played in the 5th position in the key of A, it is called the A minor pentatonic scale.