E♭ minor scale on guitar
The E♭ minor scale has seven notes: E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭ (1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7). The plain minor scale: the minor pentatonic with the 2nd and ♭6 filled in. Sad or serious, and the home of minor-key rock and metal, over changes like Am, F and G.
| 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 | half | whole | whole |
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♭ 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 | E♭m7home |
| 2 (F) | Fdimthe edge | Fm7♭5the edge |
| ♭3 (G♭) | G♭daylight | G♭maj7daylight |
| 4 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
| 5 (B♭) | B♭msoft fall | B♭m7soft fall |
| ♭6 (C♭) | C♭cinematic | C♭maj7cinematic |
| ♭7 (D♭) | D♭heroic | D♭7heroic |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative major is the F♯ major scale: the same notes, started from F♯.
The chords of this key, to hear and play: chords in the key of E♭ minor.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭ 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 H W W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the E♭ minor scale?
The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, Fdim, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭, and as seventh chords E♭m7, Fm7♭5, G♭maj7, A♭m7, B♭m7, C♭maj7 and D♭7. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative major of the E♭ minor scale?
The F♯ major scale, which has the same notes started from F♯.
The minor scale in every key
Other scales in E♭
E♭ majorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ bluesE♭ 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.