E Minor Pentatonic: The Open Position Shape
E, G, A, B and D make up the E minor pentatonic scale, and that is a lucky combination: the open E, A, D, G and B strings all belong to it, so the first shape needs only two fretting fingers.
The root sits on the open low E string and returns at the 12th fret. Play the open position to feel the pattern, then move on to the box shapes higher up. G major pentatonic uses the same notes, which helps when a song moves between G and E minor. To keep your lines musical rather than mechanical, try these scale exercises.
Play the E minor pentatonic scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the E minor pentatonic scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 1 | Root | 0 |
| G | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| A | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| B | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| D | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
E minor pentatonic scale notes:
How the minor pentatonic scale is built:
The minor pentatonic scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 4 5 b7, which gives the step pattern W+H-W-W-W+H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 5, 7, 10. That makes it a 5-note scale.
E Minor Pentatonic Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (low E)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The minor pentatonic scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
