Eb Minor Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

Eb minor pentatonic has five notes — Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb and Db — and a bluesy, soulful sound used across rock, blues and soul. Box 1 sits at the 11th fret. It is also the key you get when you play E minor shapes with your guitar tuned down a half step (E♭ tuning), a favorite of Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It shares every note with G♭ major pentatonic: treat Eb as home and it sounds minor, treat Gb as home and it sounds major.

Eb Minor Pentatonic on the Full Neck

Red dots are the root, Eb. Double-ringed dots are shared by two boxes — that is where you slide from one box into the next.

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Eb Minor Pentatonic chart (PDF)

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The 5 Eb Minor Pentatonic Box Positions

Each box holds all five notes in a four-to-five-fret span. New to the scale? Learn Box 1 first, then add the boxes on either side of it.

Box 1 — Frets 11–14

The root box. Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. Eb is at fret 11 on the high e string, fret 13 on the D string and fret 11 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 1–4

Eb is at fret 4 on the B string and fret 1 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 3–7

The widest box — it spans five frets. Eb is at fret 4 on the B string and fret 6 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 6–9

Eb is at fret 8 on the G string and fret 6 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 8–11

Eb is at fret 11 on the high e string, fret 8 on the G string and fret 11 on the low E string.

How to Learn Eb Minor Pentatonic, Step by Step

1. Box 1 first (frets 11–14). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on Eb.
2. Add Box 2 (frets 13–16, or 1–4 an octave lower). It shares notes with Box 1 — use those shared notes to slide between the two.
3. Learn Boxes 3, 4 and 5 the same way, one at a time, always connecting each new box to one you already know.
4. Use it over music. Put on a backing track in Eb minor or a blues in Eb and improvise with short phrases, ending them on Eb.

What Chords Does Eb Minor Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Ebm, Ebm7 and Ebm9, over a 12-bar blues in Eb (Eb7–Ab7–Bb7), and over minor-key progressions like Ebm–Cb–Db. Because it is also G♭ (F#) major pentatonic, it works over songs in that key too.

Progressions to Practice Eb Minor Pentatonic Over

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does Eb minor pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 11–14, with the root note Eb at fret 11 on the low E string. Lower down, Box 2 (frets 1–4) covers the first few frets.

What notes are in Eb minor pentatonic?

Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb, and Db — the intervals 1, ♭3, 4, 5, and ♭7.

Is Eb minor pentatonic the same as G♭ major pentatonic?

They share the same five notes and the same box shapes. Treat Eb as home and it sounds minor; treat Gb as home and it sounds major.

What is the difference between Eb minor pentatonic and the Eb natural minor scale?

The Eb natural minor scale has seven notes (Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db). The pentatonic drops F and Cb, the two notes a half step from their neighbors, which is why it is hard to hit a wrong-sounding note with it.

Triads and Arpeggios in Eb Minor

The Eb minor triad (Eb · Gb · Bb) sits inside every Eb minor pentatonic box, so you can outline the chord without changing position. See its shapes in every inversion on the guitar triads page, and the minor 7 arpeggio across all six strings on the guitar arpeggios page. Full pages: Eb minor triads and the Ebm7 arpeggio.

CAGED Shapes in Eb Minor

Each Eb minor pentatonic box holds one shape of the Ebm chord: Box 1 the Em shape, Box 2 the Dm shape, Box 3 the Cm shape, Box 4 the Am shape and Box 5 the Gm shape. See how the five shapes connect up the neck in the CAGED system guide.

Explore Other Keys

See also: Minor pentatonic scale · Major pentatonic scale · Blues scale

← Read the full guide: How to Use Pentatonic Boxes