Guitar · blues

E♭ blues scale on guitar

The E♭ blues scale has six notes: E♭, G♭, A♭, A, B♭ and D♭ (1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7). The minor pentatonic with the flat 5th added: the blue note. Use it on the way between the 4th and the 5th rather than holding it.

Key
Scale
The notes of the E♭ blues scale
NoteE♭G♭A♭AB♭D♭
Interval1 (root)♭34♭55♭7
Step to the next1½wholehalfhalf1½whole
Make a practice sheet of it
The whole neckevery E♭ blues scale note from the nut to fret 15, the root a diamond
EADGBE135791215open♭34♭55♭7R♭3♭55♭7R♭34♭55R♭34♭55♭7R4♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7♭34♭55♭7R♭3

5 positions to learn it in

The E♭ blues scale is learnt in five boxes, each two notes a string under the hand, joined end to end up the neck. Start with box 1 and learn one at a time; together they cover the whole fretboard. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.

Box 1frets 11–14
EADGBE101215R♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭3
Box 2frets 1–5
EADGBE135♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭5
Box 3frets 3–7
EADGBE3574♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭55
Box 4frets 6–9
EADGBE5795♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭345♭7
Box 5frets 8–12
EADGBE8912♭7R♭34♭55♭7R♭34♭55♭7R

Chords that go with the E♭ blues scale

The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; E♭ (E♭m) is where it sounds at home.

On theChordSeventh chord
root (E♭)E♭mhomeE♭m7home
♭3 (G♭)G♭daylight–
4 (A♭)A♭sus4the door–
♭7 (D♭)D♭sus4heroic–

Scales with the same notes

Compare the E♭ minor pentatonic scale, its minor pentatonic, without the blue note.

Questions

What notes are in the E♭ blues scale?

E♭, G♭, A♭, A, B♭ and D♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are W+H W H H W+H W (W a whole step, H a half step).

What chords go with the E♭ blues scale?

The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, G♭, A♭sus4 and D♭sus4, and as seventh chords E♭m7. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.

The blues scale in every key

CC♯DE♭EFF♯GG♯AB♭B

Other scales in E♭

E♭ majorE♭ minorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ DorianE♭ MixolydianE♭ LydianE♭ PhrygianE♭ harmonic minorE♭ melodic minorE♭ Phrygian dominant

Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.