E Blues Scale on Guitar
Diagram, notes, and audio for the E Blues scale on guitar. Free in your browser.
About E Blues on guitar
Among the universe of scales, the E Blues on guitar is one of the most practical. It is gritty, expressive, and unmistakably American, and you can hear that mood in every phrase you build from it. The notes are E, G, A, A#, B, D, ascending from the root, and that exact sequence is the entire scale.
Guitarists overlay this blues fingering on top of the minor pentatonic; the blue note is the fret that sits one half-step below the fifth. Functionally it carries the same harmonic role wherever it appears, regardless of key — the E setting just shifts every pitch up or down without touching the scale's intervals. Use the highlighted positions as a starting point; once they feel comfortable, try improvising over a simple drone in E.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the E Blues scale?
- The E Blues scale contains the notes E, G, A, A#, B, D. That is 6 pitch classes, played in that order from the root upward.
- What does Blues mean in music theory?
- Blues is a six-note scale that adds a chromatic "blue note" to the minor pentatonic. The interval pattern is the same in every key — choosing E as the root just shifts every pitch up or down without changing the scale's character.
- How do I practise E Blues on guitar?
- Start with the diagram on this page, play the notes slowly ascending and descending, then add a metronome at a comfortable tempo. Once the fingering is automatic, try improvising short phrases that always land back on E.
Switch instruments
See E Blues on a different instrument — same notes, new diagram.