Guitar scale · jazz minor
Eb Melodic Minor Scale
Natural minor with raised 6th and 7th degrees. Foundational to modern jazz and fusion.
Tap any note to hear it.
Eb Melodic Minor Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-15----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------12-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-15-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|----------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|-------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-22-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------19-20-22----------------| D|-------------------18-20-22-------------------------| A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-22-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------20-22-| B|-------------------------21-------| G|-------------------20-22----------| D|-------------20-22----------------| A|-------20-21----------------------| E|-20-22----------------------------|
How to play Eb Melodic 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 rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, 7), 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eb |
| 2 | F |
| ♭3 | Gb |
| 4 | Ab |
| 5 | Bb |
| 6 | C |
| 7 | D |
Chords in Eb Melodic Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Melodic Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ii | Fm | Fm7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Mediant |
| IV | Ab | Ab7 | Subdominant |
| V | Bb | Bb7 | Dominant |
| vi° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Submediant |
| vii° | Ddim | Dm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Eb Melodic Minor Scale?
- The Eb Melodic Minor Scale has 7 notes: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D.
- What chords are in the Eb Melodic Minor Scale?
- The chords of Eb Melodic Minor are Ebm (i), Fm (ii), Gbaug (♭III+), Ab (IV), Bb (V), Cdim (vi°), Ddim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the melodic minor scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Eb Melodic 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.