E Blues Scale on Guitar
E G A B♭ B D — open-position blues, built around the guitar's lowest string.
E blues scale
Tap any fret to hear it. Gold dots are the root. Positions start at each scale note on the low string, so position 1 is the lowest box.
Notes
Minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 "blue note". Use the ♭5 as a passing note on the way to the 4th or 5th rather than a note to land on.
Play it over
Try it over Em or E7, a progression in E minor, or a 12-bar blues in E. Or turn the drone on and improvise over that.
Want a backing track instead of a drone? Loop a progression in the same key.
Notes and Intervals
| Note | Interval | From the root |
|---|---|---|
| E | R | Root · 0 semitones |
| G | ♭3 | Minor 3rd · 3 semitones |
| A | 4 | Perfect 4th · 5 semitones |
| B♭ | ♭5 | Diminished 5th · 6 semitones |
| B | 5 | Perfect 5th · 7 semitones |
| D | ♭7 | Minor 7th · 10 semitones |
Positions in Standard Tuning
| Position | Frets | Low E string starts on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | E · root |
| 2 | 2–6 | G |
| 3 | 4–8 | A |
| 4 | 5–9 | B♭ |
| 5 | 6–10 | B |
| 6 | 9–13 | D |
Positions are numbered from the lowest box on the neck, as in the explorer above. Add 12 to any of them for the same shape an octave higher.
About the E Blues Scale
The E blues scale is E, G, A, B♭, B and D: the E minor pentatonic plus the flat fifth, B♭. In open position the blue note falls at the 1st fret of the 5th string and the 3rd fret of the 3rd string, right next to open strings — which makes chromatic blues licks almost effortless.
E is one of the two great guitar blues keys (A is the other), because the open low E can ring under everything you play.
Finding It on the Fretboard
The scale has 6 notes, so it has 6 positions: five-fret windows that each start on a different scale note on the low E string. The one that starts on the root, E, covers frets 0 to 4 and uses open strings. It is the shape most lessons teach first, and the easiest to keep your bearings in, because the root is under your hand on both E strings. Use the position buttons in the explorer to isolate each one, and switch the labels to intervals to see what every fret does in the scale.
How to Practise It
- In open position, play open A string, 1st fret (B♭), 2nd fret (B) as a quick ascending line, then back down.
- Practise a turnaround: the last two bars of a 12-bar blues, walking down to the B7 chord.
- Play the same scale at the 12th fret and compare the feel; the shapes are identical an octave up.
- Alternate an open low E with blues-scale notes on the 5th and 4th strings to build a shuffle riff.
A steady reference makes every one of these more useful: open the drone generator on E in another tab and play against it.
Where You Hear It
Texas and Chicago blues lean heavily on E: open-string riffs, a ringing low E under the solo, and string bends near the 12th fret. Rock players use the same vocabulary for riffs in E.
Over a 12-bar blues in E (E7, A7, B7), the scale fits throughout. Over the A7 chord, the B♭ is a flat ninth against the chord, so pass through it quickly there rather than holding it.
Explore every scale in every key in the scale explorer, or print the free guitar charts to practise away from a screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes of the E blues scale?
E, G, A, B♭, B and D: root, minor third, perfect fourth, flat fifth, perfect fifth and minor seventh. B♭ is also written A♯.
Where is the blue note in open position?
At the 1st fret of the 5th (A) string and the 3rd fret of the 3rd (G) string. Both sit between notes of the pentatonic, which is why they work as quick passing notes.
Should I learn the E or the A blues scale first?
The shapes are the same, so learn whichever key you play in most. Many players start with A because its main box sits mid-neck, then learn E for open-position licks.