E♭ minor pentatonic scale (D♯ minor pentatonic)
E♭ minor pentatonic scale is E♭ – G♭ – A♭ – B♭ – D♭, with E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭. Formula 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
E♭ minor pentatonic scale, note by note
From E♭ upward the gaps are W+H W W W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). Not one half step, so no two notes rub against each other. The wide steps are E♭–G♭ and B♭–D♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from E♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | |
| ♭3 | G♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | A♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | D♭ | minor seventh |
What E♭ minor pentatonic sounds like
Guitarists learn the minor pentatonic "box" first because it falls under four fingers at one position. E♭ minor pentatonic has the same five notes as G♭ major pentatonic, just starting somewhere else.
The notes E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭ are E♭m7 plus the 4th, so the scale sits over a E♭m7 chord like a glove.
E♭ minor pentatonic scale is E♭ natural minor scale without F and C♭. Hear E♭ natural minor scale and compare.
On piano and on guitar
Keyboard players: five black (E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭), zero white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 11th fret of the low E string and spans frets 9–15: 12 notes, low string to high, two per string.
Chords to play under E♭ minor pentatonic scale
These chords are built only from the scale's notes, so it sits over any of them: E♭m, E♭m7, E♭sus4, F♯, F♯sus2, A♭sus2, C♯sus2, A♭sus4, C♯sus4, F♯6, F♯add9.
If you know E♭ minor pentatonic scale, you already know the notes of F♯ major pentatonic (starting on the 2nd note, F♯).
E♭ minor pentatonic scale across the fretboard
The root, E♭, sits at fret 11 on the low E string and 6 on the A string. The five pentatonic boxes start on the low E string at frets 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11; each box overlaps the next, and together they cover the whole neck. The first box sits under one hand with two notes per string, the shape most rock and blues solos start from.
On the piano, every note of E♭ minor pentatonic scale is a black key.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: E♭–A♭, G♭–B♭, A♭–D♭, B♭–E♭, D♭–G♭, then back down.
Three ways to practise E♭ minor pentatonic
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: E♭ G♭ A♭ · G♭ A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ D♭ · B♭ D♭ E♭.
- Lean on A♭: E♭ A♭ E♭ A♭ E♭: the 4th and ♭7 give the rock and blues sound.
Scales to compare with E♭ minor pentatonic
Minor pentatonic scale in every key
E♭ minor pentatonic scale: questions
What are the notes of the E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭, then E♭ again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
Five: E♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and D♭.
What's the difference between E♭ minor pentatonic scale and E♭ natural minor scale?
It leaves out F and C♭.
What chords go with the E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example E♭m, E♭m7, E♭sus4, F♯, F♯sus2 and A♭sus2.
Generated from the step pattern 3-2-2-3-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.