Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
E Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
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How to play E Minor Pentatonic on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–3. 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.
E minor pentatonic has the same five notes as G major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the G Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | E |
| ♭3 | G |
| 4 | A |
| 5 | B |
| ♭7 | D |
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Questions
- What notes are in the E Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The E Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: E, G, A, B, D.
- What is the formula of the minor pentatonic scale?
- 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W+H W W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play E Minor Pentatonic on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–3, and four more positions connect it up the neck.