Minor scale · 7 notes
E♭ minor scale on guitar
The E♭ minor scale (E flat minor scale) has 7 notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭. The natural minor scale: the major scale’s darker twin, with a ♭3, ♭6 and ♭7. You may also see it written as D♯ minor.
Notes
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C♭
- D♭
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
W – H – W – W – H – W – W
Sound
Dark, sad or serious, without being exotic
E♭ minor on the whole fretboard
Every E♭ 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♭ minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from E♭, the E♭ minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 6 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭). Compared with E♭ major, it has G♭ (♭3) instead of G, C♭ (♭6) instead of C and D♭ (♭7) instead of D.
| 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♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| ♭7 | D♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in E♭ minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to E♭ minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in E♭ minor.
- iE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m7
- ii°F°F · A♭ · C♭Fm7♭5
- ♭IIIG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭G♭maj7
- ivA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭A♭m7
- vB♭mB♭ · D♭ · FB♭m7
- ♭VIC♭C♭ · E♭ · G♭C♭maj7
- ♭VIID♭D♭ · F · A♭D♭7
Progressions to try
- E♭m – C♭ – G♭ – D♭ i–♭VI–♭III–♭VII · epic rock/pop
- E♭m – A♭m – B♭m i–iv–v · minor blues-style
- E♭m – D♭ – C♭ – D♭ i–♭VII–♭VI–♭VII · rock riffing
- E♭m – A♭m – D♭ – G♭ i–iv–♭VII–♭III · circle movement
How to use E♭ minor
Reach for it over songs in a minor key, over minor and minor 7th chords, and in rock, metal, pop ballads and folk. Its sound is dark, sad or serious, without being exotic.
Tip: Every minor scale shares its notes with a major scale three frets higher. If you know G major, you already know E minor: just treat E as home.
- E♭ minor is the relative minor of F♯ major, so the two share all seven notes. See F♯ major.
- E♭ minor contains exactly the notes of F♯ major, played from its Aeolian note, E♭. See F♯ major.
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. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
E♭ minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the E♭ minor scale?
The E♭ 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 6 flats (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭).
What chords are in E♭ minor?
Harmonising the E♭ minor scale in thirds gives E♭m (i), F° (ii°), G♭ (♭III), A♭m (iv), B♭m (v), C♭ (♭VI) and D♭ (♭VII).
Where do you play the E♭ 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.
Which scales share the same notes as E♭ minor?
E♭ minor is the relative minor of F♯ major, so the two share all seven notes. E♭ minor contains exactly the notes of F♯ major, played from its Aeolian note, E♭.