E Minor Pentatonic Scale (E G A B D)
E minor pentatonic is the only scale whose five notes are the five lower open strings, E G A B D. Strum them and you've played it. Most first riffs ever learned come out of these notes.
Fretboard diagram
Every E minor pentatonic note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | E |
| ♭3 | minor third | G |
| 4 | perfect fourth | A |
| 5 | perfect fifth | B |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | D |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets E sits on the low E string open and at fret 12, the A string at fret 7, the D string at fret 2, the G string at fret 9, the B string at fret 5, and the high E string open and at fret 12. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
Over an Em chord, three of the five notes are chord tones, E, G, and B. Those always sound settled. The other two pull toward a chord tone a fret or two away, and hearing which way they pull is most of what practice is for. Over an Em7 the D joins the settled list.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
G major pentatonic is these five notes with G as home. Same frets, different landing spots.
Chords it fits over
Em, Em7, and, for the blues, plain E7.
Nearby keys
E minor pentatonic FAQ
What notes are in the E minor pentatonic scale?
E minor pentatonic contains E, G, A, B, and D. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does E minor pentatonic start on?
At the nut. The open low E string is a root, and the scale covers the whole neck from there. Everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What major scale has the same notes as E minor pentatonic?
G major pentatonic. E is the relative minor of G, so the five notes are identical everywhere on the neck. Only the note you treat as home changes.