Guitar scale · natural minor, Aeolian mode
Eb Minor Scale
Emotional, sad, and epic tones defined by the classic natural minor scale.
Tap any note to hear it.
Eb 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|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-14-16----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-18-------------------| D|----------------15-16-18----------------------------| A|----------16-18-------------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------18-20-22----------------| D|-------------------18-20-21-------------------------| A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------| E|-18-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------21-| B|----------------------21----| G|----------------20-22-------| D|----------20-21-------------| A|----20-21-------------------| E|-21-------------------------|
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 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.
Eb Minor uses exactly the same notes as Gb major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. On the guitar those are the same frets as F# major, the name it is listed under here. See the F# Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eb |
| 2 | F |
| ♭3 | Gb |
| 4 | Ab |
| 5 | Bb |
| ♭6 | Cb |
| ♭7 | Db |
Chords in Eb Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Ebm7 | Tonic |
| ii° | Fdim | Fm7b5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Mediant |
| iv | Abm | Abm7 | Subdominant |
| v | Bbm | Bbm7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Db | Db7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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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 chords are in the Eb Minor Scale?
- The chords of Eb Minor are Ebm (i), Fdim (ii°), Gb (♭III), Abm (iv), Bbm (v), Cb (♭VI), Db (♭VII).
- 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.