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Learn Guitar Trick #14 – Minor Pentatonic Scale System Eb minor

By Mike Hayes | January 29, 2010

Guitarists are often tuning their guitar down a semitone so that
the standard chord shapes of ‘E’,'A’ and ‘B’ sound in the pitch
of Eb.

It’s true that each key evokes a different emotional response
from the listener, the key of Dm to represent night or darkness,
the key of B minor to represent sadness and sorrow and of course
our new friend the key of Eb the most natural sounding key of
all.

It’s the old story “I don’t know what I want … but I’ll know it
when I hear it”, guitar players instinctively searching for a
relaxed, natural sounding key invariably end up in the key of Eb.

Experienced music composers write music in the key of Eb when
they want to represent nature scenes i.e., if the classical
composer Richard Wagner wanted to write music for an pastoral
setting there’s a good chance it’s in the key of Eb.

Whether you are listening to a opera or watching “Lord of The
Rings” if it’s a nature setting that’s your clue for the key.

Minor pentatonic scale system – Eb minor

The notes in the Eb minor pentatonic scale are:

Eb – Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – (Eb)

If you played these notes anywhere on the guitar fingerboard you
will be playing the Eb minor pentatonic scale.

Here’s the most common fingering pattern for the scale

Eb – using your first finger behind the eleventh fret, sixth
string

Gb – played with the fourth finger, fret fourteen, sixth string

Ab – first finger, eleventh fret, fifth string

Bb – played with your third finger behind the thirteenth fret,
fifth string

Db – first finger, eleventh fret, fourth string

Eb Minor pentatonic scale pattern

—————————-
—————————-
—————————-
——————-11–[13]-
———–11–13———–
-[11]–14——————-

Keynotes indicated as [ ]

The same scale one octave higher.

Eb minor pentatonic one octave higher:

———————-[11]-
————–11–14——
——11–13————–
-[13]———————
————————–
————————–

Here’s another way to play the Eb minor pentatonic
scale:

———————————
———————————
———————————
————————11–[13]-
————-9–11–13———–
—9–[11]———————–

Keynotes or root notes are your reference points in the scale,
they are the notes that the scale takes it’s name from e.g., the
note on the sixth string, eleventh fret is called Eb, similarly
the note on the fourth string, thirteenth fret is also called Eb
these notes act as keynotes for the Eb minor pentatonic scale.

Now for a few chord progressions to get you started these
progressions are based on the notes of the Eb minor pentatonic
scale.

Eb – Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – (Eb)

Typical chord progression(s) would be:

Eb /// | Gb /// | Ab /// | Bb /// ||

or

Eb /// | Gb /// |Bb /// | Ab /// ||

Now it’s over to you, compare the sound of the Eb scale with some
of the pentatonic scales you have learn previously and as always
enjoy playing your guitar.

And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com

You’ll learn about hit song templates, easy chords, simple scales, red hot rhythms, and successful practice strategies in text, audio and video.

From Mike Hayes – The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar

Topics: Beginner Guitar Lesson, Guitar Fretboard, guitar scales | No Comments »

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