fuaranScale Mastery
SCALE · ON GUITAR

E Blues

Minor pentatonic + the flat-5 'blue note'. Six notes. The foundation of blues, blues-rock, and modern guitar vocabulary.

MEIMIDIHumdrum
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Tempo120 bpm

Playback sounds an octave below the written notation — the instrument's concert (sounding) pitch.

Audio source: tonejs-instruments by Nick Brosowsky (MIT)

Engraved by Verovio 6.2.0-43f8060 5 title E Blues Verovio
Tuning
FretboardTuning: D-A-D-F#-A-D
35791215DADF♯ADDEGAB♭BDEAB♭BDEGAB♭BDEGAB♭BDEGAB♭BDEGAAB♭BDEGAB♭BDEGAB♭BDE
Related scales
Same scale, other instruments
Same scale, other tonics
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Theory reference
Questions
What notes are in the E Blues scale?

The E Blues scale uses the notes E, G, A, B♭, B, D (one octave; the pattern repeats at higher registers).

What's the Blues scale formula?

The Blues scale follows the interval pattern W+H W H H W+H W, where W = whole step (2 semitones) and H = half step (1 semitone). Apply that pattern starting on E to get the E Blues scale.

What chords work over E Blues?

Blues scale works over the I / IV / V of any blues progression. The ♭5 is a passing tone — don't sit on it.

How do I finger E Blues on Guitar?

On guitar, scales are typically learned as position patterns — three- or four-notes-per-string shapes that move up the neck. The CAGED system positions each scale in five interconnected patterns; the three-notes-per-string approach simplifies modal scales.

When would I use the Blues scale?

Minor pentatonic + the flat-5 'blue note'. Six notes. The foundation of blues, blues-rock, and modern guitar vocabulary.