E blues scale
E blues scale is E – G – A – B♭ – B – D, with B♭. Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
Notes and steps
From E upward the gaps are W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between A–B♭ and B♭–B. 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♭ | tritone | |
| 5 | B | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | D | minor seventh |
What E blues sounds like
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the ♭5 (B♭). That note is meant to be passed through, not landed on: it's the gritty in-between sound of the blues.
Over a E7 chord the ♭3 (G) clashes with the chord's major third on purpose; bending it slightly sharp is the blues.
E blues scale is E minor pentatonic scale plus B♭. Hear E minor pentatonic scale and compare.
Playing E blues
Keyboard players: one black (B♭), five white.
The guitar box starts with the root open on the low E string and spans frets 0–5: 15 notes, low string to high.
What to play it over
Every note of these chords is in the scale: Em, Em7, Esus4, G, Gm, Gsus2, Asus2, Dsus2, Asus4, Dsus4, G6, Gm6.
Finding E blues on the neck
Find E first: fret 0 and 12 of the 6th string, fret 7 of the 5th (0 means open). Treat the ♭5 as a passing note; slide through it rather than landing on it.
On the piano, E blues scale uses 1 black key (B♭) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: E–A, G–B♭, A–B, B♭–D, B–E, D–G.
Three ways to practise E blues
Once E blues is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 6 notes.
- Groups of three: E G A · G A B♭ · A B♭ B · B♭ B D · B D E.
- Land on B♭: E B♭ E B♭ E: the ♭5, the blue note, squeezed between the 4th and 5th.
Scales to compare with E blues
Blues scale in every key
E blues scale: questions
What are the notes of the E blues scale?
E, G, A, B♭, B and D, then E again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the E blues scale?
One: B♭.
What's the difference between E blues scale and E minor pentatonic scale?
It adds B♭.
What chords go with the E blues scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example Em, Em7, Esus4, G, Gm and Gsus2. In a 12-bar blues in E it also works over the IV and V seventh chords, where the clashing notes are part of the sound.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.