E Minor Blues Scale for Guitar

The E minor blues scale contains the notes E, G, A, Bb, B and D. Below you can hear it, see it on the fretboard, and work through the box shapes.

Play the E minor blues scale

Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.

Notes of the E minor blues scale

NoteDegreeIntervalSemitones from root
E1Root0
Gb3Minor 3rd3
A4Perfect 4th5
Bbb5Tritone6
B5Perfect 5th7
Db7Minor 7th10

Structure

E minor blues scale notes:

E G A Bb B D

How the minor blues scale is built:

1
b2
2
b3
3
4
b5
5
#5
6
b7
7

The minor blues scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7, which gives the step pattern W+H-W-H-H-W+H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).

Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10. That makes it a 6-note scale.

It is also known as Blues Scale.

E Minor Blues Scale Guitar Patterns

Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - On one string (low E)

On one string (low E)

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 1

Box pattern — position 1

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 2

Box pattern — position 2

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 3

Box pattern — position 3

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 4

Box pattern — position 4

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 5

Box pattern — position 5

E Minor Blues Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 1

3 notes per string — position 1

The minor blues scale in other keys

C C# Db D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab A A# Bb B

All about the minor blues scale →

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher