E Minor Pentatonic Scale On Guitar
The E minor pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale that is derived from the E minor 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.
Em is a very popular key for rock and metal so if you're into these styles you'll want to learn the Em pentatonic scale well. Click the tabs below to learn the various shapes and how they fit together across the fretboard.
Notes of E minor Pentatonic 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 minor pentatonic scale?
There are 5 notes that make a pentatonic scale (hence penta) and for the Em pentatonic scale are notes E G A B D. See the scale diagrams and fretboard for reference.
Lets compare the E minor scale to the E minor pentatonic scale to better understand whats going on:
E F# G A B C D - E natural minor scale
A - C D E - G - E minor pentatonic scale
If you know your scale degrees it would look like this:
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
1 - b3 4 5 - b7
The 2nd and b6 and b6 scale degrees have been removed from the natural minor scale thus creating the Minor Pentatonic scale. By omitting these notes it makes the scale sound very bluesy!
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What is the easiest E minor pentatonic scale?
By only playing these notes (E G A B D) we we'll end up with 5 distinct "shapes" or "patterns" that span across all six strings depending on which note we start on. (See break down of each shape above).
Why is the E minor pentatonic scale so popular?
The reason the E minor pentatonic scale is so popular is because it's easy to play, it sounds good, there aren't any accidentals (sharps or flats) which makes it easy on the theory side to start with and due to how the guitar is tuned (standard tuning) the chords that fit with this scale. It is VERY popular for rock and metal as the guitar is generally tuned to have an E note as the 6th open which means the tonic chord (Em) will be the lowest sounding note.
Is E minor pentatonic the same as G major pentatonic?
Yes actually! They share the exact same notes so when you play any E minor pentatonic scale you are also playing the G major 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 songs use the E minor pentatonic scale?
Where this is one of the most popular keys especially for rock and metal there are 1000's. Here are a few big hitters:
- Back in Black, Hells Bells - AC/DC
- Paranoid, N.I.B. - Black Sabbath
- Symphony of Destruction - Megadeth
- Enter Sandman, Seek & Destroy, Nothing Else matters, Master Of Puppets - Metallica
- Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
-Sweet Child O Mine - Guns & Roses
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What chords work with the E minor pentatonic Scale?
The basic chords that the Em pentatonic scale works well with Em F#dim G Am Bm C D. You can also turn all these into power chords such as E5 F#5 G5 A5 B5 C5 and G5.
A killer minor chord progression to solo over would be E5 D5 C5 D5 - try it!
If you need help learning these chords check out the Chord Library!