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E♭ blues diminished scale on guitar

E♭ blues diminished runs E♭, F♭, G♭, G, B♭♭, B♭, C, D♭. Box 1 places the root on string 5, fret 6 for a mid-neck start.

F♭G♭GB♭♭B♭CE♭F♭GB♭♭B♭CD♭F♭G♭GEADGBE123
Positions on the neck1 of 5

How it is built

E♭1F♭♭2G♭♭3G3B♭♭♭5B♭5C6D♭♭7

Formula 1, ♭2, ♭3, 3, ♭5, 5, 6, ♭7

Chords these notes build

How do you play the E♭ blues diminished scale on guitar?

E♭ blues diminished in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 16 notes across 6 strings, from F♭ on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the D string at fret 1.

Every note in this box, string by string
StringFretsNotes
6 (E)0, 2, 3F♭, G♭, G
5 (A)0, 1, 3B♭♭, B♭, C
4 (D)1, 2E♭, F♭
3 (G)0, 2, 3G, B♭♭, B♭
2 (B)1, 2C, D♭
1 (e)0, 2, 3F♭, G♭, G

Box 2 · frets 2–5

E♭ blues diminished in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 17 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to B♭♭ on the high e string at fret 5. The root falls on the B string at fret 4.

Every note in this box, string by string
StringFretsNotes
6 (E)2, 3, 5G♭, G, B♭♭
5 (A)3, 4C, D♭
4 (D)2, 4, 5F♭, G♭, G
3 (G)2, 3, 5B♭♭, B♭, C
2 (B)2, 4, 5D♭, E♭, F♭
1 (e)2, 3, 5G♭, G, B♭♭

Box 3 · frets 5–8

E♭ blues diminished in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 17 notes across 6 strings, from B♭♭ on the low E string at fret 5 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.

Every note in this box, string by string
StringFretsNotes
6 (E)5, 6, 8B♭♭, B♭, C
5 (A)6, 7E♭, F♭
4 (D)5, 7, 8G, B♭♭, B♭
3 (G)5, 6, 8C, D♭, E♭
2 (B)5, 7, 8F♭, G♭, G
1 (e)5, 6, 8B♭♭, B♭, C

Box 4 · frets 8–11

E♭ blues diminished in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 17 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the low E string at fret 11, the G string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 11.

Every note in this box, string by string
StringFretsNotes
6 (E)8, 9, 11C, D♭, E♭
5 (A)9, 10G♭, G
4 (D)8, 10, 11B♭, C, D♭
3 (G)8, 9, 11E♭, F♭, G♭
2 (B)8, 10, 11G, B♭♭, B♭
1 (e)8, 9, 11C, D♭, E♭

Box 5 · frets 11–14

E♭ blues diminished in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 17 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the low E string at fret 11, the D string at fret 13 and the high e string at fret 11.

Every note in this box, string by string
StringFretsNotes
6 (E)11, 12, 14E♭, F♭, G♭
5 (A)12, 13B♭♭, B♭
4 (D)11, 13, 14D♭, E♭, F♭
3 (G)11, 12, 14G♭, G, B♭♭
2 (B)11, 13, 14B♭, C, D♭
1 (e)11, 12, 14E♭, F♭, G♭

Why it sounds like that

E♭ blues diminished adds a ♭2 to E♭ hungarian major, keeping the same ♭3, 3, ♭5, 5, 6, ♭7. The scale alternates half and whole steps, creating a tritone between E♭ and B♭♭. Compare it with E♭ hungarian major to hear the added minor 2nd.

When to use it

E♭ blues diminished fits E♭ major and E♭ minor chords, adding tension with the ♭2 and ♭5. Use the supplied linked chords to hear its tension without adding unsupported harmony.

Which position to practise

Practise Box 1 first: the root sits on string 5, fret 6, covering frets 0–3 and setting up the next position.

Common questions

What notes are in E♭ blues diminished?

E♭ blues diminished contains E♭, F♭, G♭, G, B♭♭, B♭, C, and D♭. The scale includes both minor and major thirds, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

Which chords work with E♭ blues diminished?

E♭ blues diminished works over E♭ major and E♭ minor chords. The scale's ♭2 and ♭5 create tension that resolves to chord tones.

Is E♭ blues diminished the same as E♭ diminished?

E♭ blues diminished is an eight-note scale, not a diminished seventh chord. It combines a blues scale with a half-whole diminished pattern.