Melodic Minor scale · 7 notes
E♭ melodic minor scale on guitar
The E♭ melodic minor scale (E flat melodic minor scale) has 7 notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D. A major scale with a ♭3: the jazz musician’s minor scale. You may also see it written as D♯ melodic minor, but E♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C
- D
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – W – W – H
Sound
Smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet
E♭ melodic minor on the whole fretboard
Every E♭ melodic minor note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, E♭, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
E♭ at fret 11. 10th position: frets 10–14.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of E♭ melodic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from E♭, the E♭ melodic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭). Compared with E♭ major, it has G♭ (♭3) instead of G.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | F | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | G♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | A♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | C | major 6th | 9 |
| 7 | D | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in E♭ melodic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to E♭ melodic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in E♭ melodic minor.
- iE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m(maj7)
- iiFmF · A♭ · CFm7
- ♭III+G♭+G♭ · B♭ · DG♭+maj7
- IVA♭A♭ · C · E♭A♭7
- VB♭B♭ · D · FB♭7
- vi°C°C · E♭ · G♭Cm7♭5
- vii°D°D · F · A♭Dm7♭5
Progressions to try
- E♭m – A♭ i–IV · minor with a major IV
- Fm – B♭ – E♭m ii–V–i
- E♭m – B♭ i–V
How to use E♭ melodic minor
Reach for it over minor 6th and minor(maj7) chords, jazz, fusion and modern film music. Its sound is smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet.
Tip: Think of it as the major scale with one note changed. C melodic minor is C major with E♭ instead of E.
Where to find E♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every E♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with E♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 11 |
| B (2nd) | 4 |
| G (3rd) | 8 |
| D (4th) | 1 |
| A (5th) | 6 |
| Low E (6th) | 11 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as E♭ melodic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
E♭ melodic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the E♭ melodic minor scale?
The E♭ melodic minor scale has 7 notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. It contains 4 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭).
What chords are in E♭ melodic minor?
Harmonising the E♭ melodic minor scale in thirds gives E♭m (i), Fm (ii), G♭+ (♭III+), A♭ (IV), B♭ (V), C° (vi°) and D° (vii°).
Where do you play the E♭ melodic minor scale on guitar?
The root, E♭, is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 10–14, starting from the root on the 6th string.