Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
E Major Pentatonic Scale
Sweet 5-note major scale used for uplifting melodies in country, southern rock, and acoustic pop.
Tap any note to hear it.
E Major Pentatonic 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|---------------0-2-| B|-----------0-2-----| G|---------1---------| D|-------2-----------| A|-----2-------------| E|-0-2---------------|
e|-------------------2-4-| B|---------------2-5-----| G|-------------4---------| D|---------2-4-----------| A|-----2-4---------------| E|-2-4-------------------|
e|---------------------4-7-| B|-----------------5-7-----| G|-------------4-6---------| D|---------4-6-------------| A|-----4-7-----------------| E|-4-7---------------------|
e|-----------------7-9-| B|-------------7-9-----| G|-----------9---------| D|---------9-----------| A|-----7-9-------------| E|-7-9-----------------|
e|--------------------------9-12-| B|---------------------9-12------| G|----------------9-11-----------| D|-----------9-11----------------| A|------9-11---------------------| E|-9-12--------------------------|
How to play E Major 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 rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5), 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 major pentatonic has the same five notes as C# minor pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the C# Minor Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | E |
| 2 | F# |
| 3 | G# |
| 5 | B |
| 6 | C# |
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Practise E Major Pentatonic anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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Questions
- What notes are in the E Major Pentatonic Scale?
- The E Major Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: E, F#, G#, B, C#.
- What is the formula of the major pentatonic scale?
- 1 2 3 5 6, which is the step pattern W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play E Major 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.