E Major Pentatonic Scale On Guitar

The E Major pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale that is derived from the E major scale. 

Here you will find all 5 scale shapes, the correct fingerings, best picking for speed & accuracy and the notes of the scale so you will be able to easily play the scale and understand what's going on musically.

Click the tabs below to learn the various shapes and how they fit together across the fretboard. 

  • Full Fretboard

  • Pattern 1

  • Pattern 2

  • Pattern 3

  • Pattern 4

  • Pattern 5

Notes of E Major Pentatonic Scale Guitar

E Major Pentatonic Scale Guitar full fretboard

Like all guitar scales, the notes span across the entire fretboard and fit together like a puzzle. At first glance it may seem a bit overwhelming. However, there are a lots of tricks for how to get them all memorized, easily change keys, and even break out of the box patterns.

What are the 5 notes in the E major pentatonic scale?

The five notes in the E major pentatonic scale are E  F# G# B C#. See the scale diagrams and fretboard above to see how these correlates to the fretboard. 

Lets compare the E major pentatonic scale to the E major scale to better understand whats going on:

E   F#  G#  A   B   C# D# :   D major scale  
E   F#  G#  -   B   C#  -    :  D major pentatonic scale

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What is the formula for the E major pentatonic scale?

The E major pentatonic formula consists of the  1 2 3 5 6 notes of the E major scale it is derived from.  
Here's an easy breakdown:

1   2  3  4   5  6   7  : E major minor scale
1   2  3  -   5   6  -  : E major pentatonic scale

The  4th and 7th scale degrees have been removed from the D major scale thus creating the D major pentatonic scale.

What is the easiest E major pentatonic scale? 

The first position of the E major pentatonic scale is by far the easiest and most common. See break down of each shape above. 

Is E major pentatonic the same as the C# minor pentatonic scale?

Yes actually! They share the exact same notes so when you play any E major pentatonic scale you are also playing the C# minor pentatonic scale 🤯🤯. What determines which scale you are playing is the chord progressions underneath as the lead guitarist will harmonize with the notes of the chords being played. 

What chords work with the E major pentatonic Scale? 

The basic chords that work with the E major pentatonic scale are E  F#m G#m  A  B  C#m  D#dim. You can also turn all these into power chords such as:  E5   F#5 G#5 A5  B5  C#5 D#5.

If you need help learning these chords check out the Chord Library!

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