Hello, I am new to this site, but love and appreciate all the great posts and tips. I have a question which may appear as a stupid one, but I'm new to scales and modes.

I have a print-out of the 5 positions of the Minor Pentatonic Scale (Box Patterns). But do I need to know this, or can I just learn the 5 notes in a particular key for the Min Pent, and play that?

Also, the box patterns, what exactly does that mean? I tried a search but could not find anything helpful. Can I play any notes in those box patterns as long as I start and end the solo with the root note for the key that the song is in?

Thank you so much!