E♭ melodic minor scale on guitar
The E♭ melodic minor scale has seven notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D (1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7). A minor scale with a major 6th and 7th, or a major scale with a flat 3rd. The jazz minor: smooth over m6 and m(maj7) chords.
| Note | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Step to the next | whole | half | whole | whole | whole | whole | half |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the E♭ melodic minor 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 the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (E♭) | E♭mhome | – |
| 2 (F) | Fmcolour | Fm7colour |
| ♭3 (G♭) | G♭augdaylight | – |
| 4 (A♭) | A♭the door | A♭7the door |
| 5 (B♭) | B♭the pull | B♭7the pull |
| 6 (C) | Cdimthe edge | Cm7♭5the edge |
| 7 (D) | Ddimthe edge | Dm7♭5the edge |
Scales with the same notes
Compare the E♭ minor scale, its natural minor.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭ melodic minor scale?
E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C and D. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, and the steps between its notes are W H W W W W H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the E♭ melodic minor scale?
The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, Fm, G♭aug, A♭, B♭, Cdim and Ddim, and as seventh chords Fm7, A♭7, B♭7, Cm7♭5 and Dm7♭5. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The melodic minor scale in every key
Other scales in E♭
E♭ majorE♭ minorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ bluesE♭ DorianE♭ MixolydianE♭ LydianE♭ PhrygianE♭ harmonic 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.