E Minor Pentatonic Scale on Guitar
E G A B D — the guitar's home key, with open strings in every shape.
E minor pentatonic
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
Five notes, no semitones, nothing that clashes. The first scale most rock and blues players learn, and the one most solos are built 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 | 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 | 6–10 | B |
| 5 | 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 Minor Pentatonic Scale
The E minor pentatonic is E, G, A, B and D. Every one of the guitar's open strings — E, A, D, G, B and E — is a note of the scale. That makes it the easiest pentatonic to play in open position: every string rings open and only frets 2 and 3 are needed.
Because the open position is just the 12th-fret shape with the nut standing in for your first finger, everything you learn here moves an octave up unchanged.
Finding It on the Fretboard
The scale has 5 notes, so it has 5 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
- Play the open-position shape: open string, then fret 2 or 3 on each string. Let the open strings ring into each other.
- Practise hammer-ons and pull-offs between each open string and its fretted note. Fast licks in E are built on exactly this.
- Play the same shape at the 12th fret and compare. Then fill the gap with the positions listed below, which connect the two.
- Write a riff that uses the open low E as a pedal note between scale notes on the 5th and 4th strings — the shape of countless rock and metal riffs.
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
Riffs and solos in E minor dominate rock and metal on guitar, because the open low E is the lowest note available in standard tuning. Over a blues in E, the E minor pentatonic against E7 chords gives the classic Texas-blues sound.
Its relative major is G major pentatonic: the same five notes and shapes, centred on G.
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 minor pentatonic scale?
E, G, A, B and D: root, minor third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth and minor seventh. All five are also open strings of the guitar.
Why is E minor pentatonic so common on guitar?
Because it fits the open strings. Riffs can use the open low E as a drone, open-position licks need almost no fretting, and the same shape repeats at the 12th fret.
Does E minor pentatonic work in Drop D?
Yes, but the shapes on the low string shift because it is tuned down a whole step. Switch the explorer's tuning to Drop D to see the adjusted positions.