Chord Colors

E Minor Blues scale

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About the E Minor Blues scale

E Minor Blues is used for blues, rock and soul solos. Think of it as the minor pentatonic with one extra blue note, the classic blues sound. It is E Blues Diminished with the third raised.

Its notes are E, G, A, B, B, and D. The formula is 1½ W H H 1½ W.

Also called Blues Scale and Blues Hexatonic.

Learn more about the E Minor Blues scale

In E Minor Blues, the open strings sound E, A, D, G, and B. The lowest E on a guitar is the open low E string. The key sits in true open position, with a complete octave of the scale inside the first three frets.

Positions

Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.

6-position system

6 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.

Position 1open
Position 2fr 3
Position 3fr 5
Position 4fr 6
Position 5fr 7
Position 6fr 10

Notes and intervals

1EERoot
2GGMinor 3rd
3AAPerfect 4th
4BbB♭Diminished 5th
5BBPerfect 5th
6DDMinor 7th
Steps1½ W H H 1½ W
Semitones3-2-1-1-3-2
Degrees1 3 4 5 5 7

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Minor Blues in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

Embed this scale

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E Minor Blues scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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