Minor Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
E minor pentatonic scale on guitar
The E 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.
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 0. Open position: frets 0–3.
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 has no sharps or flats: every note is a natural.
| 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.
- iEmE · G · B
- ii°F♯°F♯ · A · C
- ♭IIIGG · B · D
- ivAmA · C · E
- vBmB · D · F♯
- ♭VICC · E · G
- ♭VIIDD · F♯ · A
Progressions to try
- Em – Am – Bm i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- Em – C – D i–♭VI–♭VII · rock
- Em – 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 G major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical. See G 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) | 0, 12 |
| B (2nd) | 5 |
| G (3rd) | 9 |
| D (4th) | 2 |
| A (5th) | 7 |
| Low E (6th) | 0, 12 |
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 has no sharps or flats: every note is a natural.
What chords go with the E minor pentatonic scale?
The E minor pentatonic scale is drawn from E minor, whose chords are Em, F♯°, G, Am, Bm, 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 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 0–3, 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 G major pentatonic, so the shapes are identical.