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Guitar scale · natural minor, Aeolian mode

Eb Minor Scale

Emotional, sad, and epic tones defined by the classic natural minor scale.

Notes EbFGbAbBbCbDb
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps W H W W H W W
Mood Melancholic, Sad, Epic
Heard in Rock, Metal, Pop, Film Scores

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Minor Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

How to play Eb Minor on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 11–15. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Eb Minor uses exactly the same notes as F# major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the F# Major Scale.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Eb
2 F
♭3 Gb
4 Ab
5 Bb
♭6 Cb
♭7 Db

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Questions

What notes are in the Eb Minor Scale?
The Eb Minor Scale has 7 notes: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db.
What is the formula of the minor scale?
1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Eb Minor on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Minor Scale in every key

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