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E♭ scottish pentatonic scale on guitar
E♭ scottish pentatonic uses E♭, F, A♭, B♭, C. Box 1 spans frets 1–4 with the root on the fourth string.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
How do you play the E♭ scottish pentatonic scale on guitar?
E♭ scottish pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 12 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the D string at fret 1 and the B string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 4 | F, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3 | B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3 | E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 1, 4 | C, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 4 | F, A♭ |
Box 2 · frets 4–6
E♭ scottish pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 6, 9 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the B string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6 | E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6 | A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5 | C |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6 | E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
Box 3 · frets 6–9
E♭ scottish pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 11 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 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
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8 | E♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8 | E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 9 | F, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
Box 4 · frets 8–11
E♭ scottish pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 12 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
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 11 | C, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 11 | F, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10 | E♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 11 | C, E♭ |
Box 5 · frets 11–13
E♭ scottish pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 13, 10 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F on the high e string at fret 13. 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
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 13 | E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 13 | A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13 | B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13 | E♭, F |
Why it sounds like that
Raise the third G of E♭ major pentatonic to A♭, producing 1–2–4–5–6. The step pattern W, 1½, W, W, 1½ places a wide gap between F and A♭. Compare with E♭ major pentatonic to hear the suspended fourth replace the major third.
When to use it
Use it over E♭5 and E♭sus2 chords for a suspended sound. It also fits F minor and A♭ major progressions in rock or folk. Try E♭ 5th and A♭ major.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 1 first. It covers frets 1–4 with the root on string 4, fret 1, making it easy to anchor phrases.
Common questions
What notes are in E♭ scottish pentatonic?
The notes are E♭, F, A♭, B♭, and C. They follow the intervals 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 from the E♭ major scale. This omits the third and seventh degrees. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords work with E♭ scottish pentatonic?
E♭5 and E♭sus2 are the most direct fits because they avoid the third. F minor and A♭ major also work well, since they share most of the scale tones. Use it over progressions in E♭ major or C minor.
How does E♭ scottish pentatonic differ from E♭ major pentatonic?
E♭ major pentatonic contains G, the major third. E♭ scottish pentatonic replaces G with A♭, the fourth. This creates a suspended sound without a third.