Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
E Minor Pentatonic Scale
The legendary 5-note scale most widely used for guitar solos. Essential for guitarists!
Tap any note to hear it.
E Minor 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|---------------------0-3-| B|-----------------0-3-----| G|-------------0-2---------| D|---------0-2-------------| A|-----0-2-----------------| E|-0-3---------------------|
e|---------------------3-5-| B|-----------------3-5-----| G|-------------2-4---------| D|---------2-5-------------| A|-----2-5-----------------| E|-3-5---------------------|
e|-------------------5-7-| B|-----------------5-----| G|-------------4-7-------| D|---------5-7-----------| A|-----5-7---------------| E|-5-7-------------------|
e|------------------------7-10-| B|-------------------8-10------| G|---------------7-9-----------| D|-----------7-9---------------| A|------7-10-------------------| E|-7-10------------------------|
e|-----------------------------10-12-| B|-----------------------10-12-------| G|------------------9-12-------------| D|-------------9-12------------------| A|-------10-12-----------------------| E|-10-12-----------------------------|
How to play E Minor 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, ♭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 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 minor pentatonic has the same five notes as G major pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the G Major Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | E |
| ♭3 | G |
| 4 | A |
| 5 | B |
| ♭7 | D |
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Practise E Minor 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 Minor Pentatonic Scale?
- The E Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: E, G, A, B, D.
- What is the formula of the minor pentatonic scale?
- 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern W+H W W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play E Minor 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.