E Minor Pentatonic Scale
The E minor pentatonic scale — E G A B D — with its intervals, the chords it makes and every position on the guitar neck.
Tap any note on the neck.
Swipe the neck sideways to see the higher frets.
E minor pentatonic is E natural minor without the 2 or b6 — no F#, no C.
E minor pentatonic scale notes and intervals
E minor pentatonic has 5 notes. Each is named by its distance from the root, which is the same in every key — learn the numbers once and every minor pentatonic scale reads the same.
Step pattern from the root: W+H – W – W – W+H – W (W is a whole step, two frets; H is a half step, one fret; W+H is three frets).
Scales it shares notes with:
- G major pentatonic — relative major pentatonic — the same five notes
- E natural minor — the full natural minor scale it comes from
E minor pentatonic scale positions on guitar — all 5
E minor pentatonic is played in five box shapes that tile the neck between frets 0 and 12. Each box shares frets with the next, so you change shape without stopping. Position 1 sits lowest.
Position 1 — frets 0–3
Starts on the 1 (E) on the 6th string. Practice this position → · Box 1 on its own page
Position 2 — frets 2–5
Starts on the b3 (G) on the 6th string. Practice this position → · Box 2 on its own page
Position 3 — frets 4–8
Starts on the 4 (A) on the 6th string. Practice this position → · Box 3 on its own page
Position 4 — frets 7–10
Starts on the 5 (B) on the 6th string. Practice this position → · Box 4 on its own page
Position 5 — frets 9–12
Starts on the b7 (D) on the 6th string. Practice this position → · Box 5 on its own page
Each box on its own page, with how it joins its neighbours →
Chords to play E minor pentatonic over
E minor pentatonic is the minor scale with the 2 and the b6 left out — the notes most likely to clash — so it works across the chords of E minor and over the dominant seventh chords of a blues in E. It is not an equally good fit on every one of them: over each chord, aim for that chord’s own notes and let the rest pass.
How to practice the E minor pentatonic scale
- Start with position 1 at frets 0–3, slowly, until every note lands on the click. The loop keeps the shape and the tempo for you.
- Add five beats a minute each time it feels easy. When straight runs get dull, play the same position in thirds — the pattern that turns a scale into lines.
- See every E minor pentatonic note across the whole neck on the Fretboard, and find each box again an octave up.
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