Minor Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
E♭ minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The E♭ minor pentatonic scale (E flat minor pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭. Five notes, no wrong ones: the most-played lead guitar scale in rock and blues. You may also see it written as D♯ minor pentatonic.
Notes
- E♭
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- D♭
Formula
1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – W – W+H – W
Sound
Bluesy, gritty and open
E♭ minor pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every E♭ minor pentatonic 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. 11th position: frets 11–14.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of E♭ minor pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from E♭, the E♭ minor pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 5 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | G♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | A♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | D♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with E♭ minor pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, E♭ minor. Every note of E♭ minor pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- iE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭
- ii°F°F · A♭ · C♭
- ♭IIIG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭
- ivA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭
- vB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F
- ♭VIC♭C♭ · E♭ · G♭
- ♭VIID♭D♭ · F · A♭
Progressions to try
- E♭m – A♭m – B♭m i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- E♭m – C♭ – D♭ i–♭VI–♭VII · rock
- E♭m – D♭ – C♭ – D♭ i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII
How to use E♭ minor pentatonic
Reach for it over rock and blues solos, minor-key songs, and over dominant 7th chords in a blues. Its sound is bluesy, gritty and open.
Tip: Start with the “box 1” shape with the root on the 6th string. Bend the 4th degree up a whole step to the 5th: it is the most-used move in rock guitar.
- E♭ minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as F♯ major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical. See F♯ major pentatonic.
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♭ minor pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
E♭ minor pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
The E♭ minor pentatonic scale has 5 notes: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. It contains 5 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭).
What chords go with the E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
The E♭ minor pentatonic scale is drawn from E♭ minor, whose chords are E♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭. It also works over a E♭ blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the E♭ minor pentatonic 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 11–14, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as E♭ minor pentatonic?
E♭ minor pentatonic uses the same five notes as F♯ major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical.