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E Minor Pentatonic Scale for Guitar

The most-played lead box on guitar — five notes, open position, root on low E.

Position 1 — open position
eBGDAE12345EGABDEGABDEG
Root3rd4th5th7th

Notes: E – G – A – B – D  ·  Formula: 1 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭7

Across the Fretboard — Full Neck
eBGDAE3579121517EGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGABDEGAPOSITION 103POSITION 225POSITION 357POSITION 4710POSITION 5912POSITION 11215POSITION 21417
Root3rd4th5th7th

One common CAGED approach; positions vary between teachers/methods.

Every E Minor Pentatonic note from the open strings to the 17th fret — the root (white ring) repeats every octave.

Hear It For Yourself

This scale sounds even better than it looks.

Light up E Minor Pentatonic across the whole fretboard and hear every note in context.

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Questions about E Minor Pentatonic

What notes are in the E Minor Pentatonic scale?

The E Minor Pentatonic scale contains the notes E, G, A, B, D. Its interval formula is 1 - ♭3 - 4 - 5 - ♭7, built from E as the root.

Why is E minor pentatonic so common in rock?

Two reasons: it's the same easy five-note shape as A minor pentatonic, and E lets you play it in open position where the open low E, A, and high E strings all ring as scale tones. That open resonance and the guitar's E-standard tuning make it the natural home for rock and blues lead playing.

Related scales

Am PentScaleG MajorScaleA BluesScaleE PhrygScale E Minor chordChord page Grunge RockGenre preset

How it compares

Major Pentatonic vs Minor PentatonicComparisonBlues vs Minor PentatonicComparisonNatural Minor vs Minor PentatonicComparison Compare any two scalesInteractive tool