E Minor Pentatonic vs E Blues
E minor pentatonic and blues drawn on one neck. They differ by 1 note.
Tap any note on the neck.
Swipe the neck sideways to see the higher frets.
E minor pentatonic is E blues without the b5 — no Bb.
E minor pentatonic vs E blues: what is different
E minor pentatonic is E blues with one note left out. Every note of minor pentatonic is also in blues; blues adds:
- Bb, the b5
Shared by both: E G A B D.
When to use which
The bigger scale has more colour and more ways to go wrong; the smaller one is safer and plainer. Start solos in the smaller scale and add the extra note as a passing tone, on the way to a note that belongs to the chord. Live on the extra note and it stops sounding like colour and starts sounding like a mistake.
Hear the difference
- Both scales on one neck, the differing notes highlighted
- E minor pentatonic on its own, with positions and chords
- E blues on its own
- Loop E minor pentatonic position 1, then the same position in blues — the changed note is under the same finger.
Free, no account needed. Change the key and both scales follow.
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