This article on E Flat Natural Minor scale details its music theory like notes, intervals, staff notation, CAGED patterns on the guitar fretboard, guitar tabs, recommended fingering, chords formed by harmonizing the scale, its modes, related keys, popular songs in the key, etc.
Read the complete article to know all about the E Flat minor scale!
Introduction To E Flat Natural Minor scale
Ernst Pauer has defined the E Flat Minor key as the darkest, most somber key of all. It is rarely used in Western classical music. But it has been used in Russian music a lot.
The list of symphonies in the Eb natural minor key is attached here.
Minor Scale Structure
According to music theory, all minor scales with seven notes have the following scale formula for their notes:
{W H W W H W W} or {T S T T S T T} or {2 1 2 2 1 2 2}
Here,
- W or T stands for the whole step or whole tone intervals between the notes,
- H or S represents a half-step or semitone interval between them.
Intervals Of Minor Scales
The 7 notes of natural minor scales have the following intervals with their tonic note.
R – M2 – m3 – P4 – P5 – m6 – m7 – R(O).
There are two other minor scales, as under,
- Similarly, the intervals of the harmonic minor scale are R – M2 – m3 – P4 – P5 – m6 – M7 – R(O). As you may note, harmonic minor scales have a raised seventh note forming a leading tone instead of a subtonic in natural minor scales.
- The intervals of the notes of the melodic minor scale in ascending order are R – M2 – m3 – P4 – P5 – M6 – M7 – R(O). It has two different notes than the corresponding natural minor scale – the raised 6th and 7th notes.
E Flat Minor Scale Notes
Using E Flat as the first note in the natural minor scale formula above, we get:
The notes of the Eb Minor scale are {Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb(O)}, where Eb(O) is the Eb note one octave higher than the root.
The E Flat harmonic minor scale notes are Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, D, and Eb(O).
The notes of the E Flat melodic minor scale (ascending) are Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, D, and Eb(O).
From the above notes, you can see that the key signature of the E Flat natural minor scale has six flats. Playing it on a piano keyboard requires two white and five black keys. The notes of E Flat minor are shown on the piano keyboard below.
Scale Degrees
The intervals between the notes of the E Flat natural minor scale, the notes, the scale degrees, and their names are shown in the table below for easy reference.
| Intervals | Root | M2 | m3 | P4 | P5 | m6/M6 | m7/M7 | P8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale Degrees | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1(8) |
| Natural Minor | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | Cb | Db | Eb(O) |
| Harmonic Minor | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | Cb | D | Eb(O) |
| Melodic Minor | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | C | D | Eb(O) |
Diagram Of This Scale On The Treble And Bass Clef:
The notation diagrams of the E Flat minor scale descending and ascending are placed below, showing its notes on the treble and bass clef.
Treble Clef:
Bass Clef:
E Flat Minor Scale Guitar Positions
The diagram below shows the E Flat minor scale in the combined patterns of notes on the fretboard between the 1st and the 14th fret. You can see the entire major scale in a single line from the 1st fret of the 4th string to the 13th fret.
The below diagrams show the five different scale patterns based on the CAGED system of open chords. Note the lowest root positions of each pattern carefully, as you need to start playing any pattern from this position.
1st Pattern
- Chord shape based on: E open chord shape.
- Pattern lies between the frets: 1st to 4th fret.
- The number of roots: Two.
- Lowest root position: 1st fret on the 4th string.
2nd Pattern
- Chord shape based on: D open chord shape.
- Pattern lies between the frets: 3rd to 7th fret.
- The number of roots: Two.
- Lowest root position: 6th fret on the 5th string.
3rd Pattern
- Chord shape based on: C open chord shape.
- Pattern lies between the frets: 6th fret to 9th fret.
- The number of roots: Two.
- Lowest root position: 6th fret on the 5th string.
4th Pattern
- Chord shape based on: A open chord shape.
- Pattern lies between the frets: 8th fret to 12th fret.
- The number of roots: Three.
- Lowest root position: 11th fret on the 6th string.
5th Pattern
- Chord shape based on: G open chord shape.
- Pattern lies between the frets: 10th fret to 14th fret.
- The number of roots: Three.
- Lowest root position: 11th fret on the 6th string.
Practicing The Scale Patterns
See in detail how to play and practice any scale in our articles on the D Major and C major scales. The fingering diagrams for all five patterns are given below, along with their description in the below table.
| Shape | Index Finger | Middle Finger | Ring Finger | Little Finger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Fret 1 | Fret 2 | Fret 3 | Fret 4 |
| D | String [3 4] - Fret 3, String [1 2 5 6] - Fret 4 | String [3 4] - Fret 4, String [1 2 5 6] - Fret 5 | String [3 4] - Fret 5, String [1 2 5 6] - Fret 6 | String [3 4] - Fret 6, String [1 2 5 6] - Fret 7 |
| C | Fret 6 | Fret 7 | Fret 8 | Fret 9 |
| A | String [3 4 5] - Fret 8, [1 2 6] - Fret 9 | String [3 4 5] - Fret 9, String [1 2 6] - Fret 10 | String [3 4 5] - Fret 10, String [1 2 6] - Fret 11 | String [3 4 5] - Fret 11, String [1 2 6] - Fret 12 |
| G | String 3 - Fret 10, String [1 2 4 5 6] - Fret 11 | String 3 - Fret 11, String [1 2 4 5 6] - Fret 12 | String 3 - Fret 12, String [1 2 4 5 6] - Fret 13 | String 3 - Fret 13, String [1 2 4 5 6] - Fret 14 |
What Are The Chords Of The E Flat Minor Key?
The chords formed by the seven-scale degrees of the Eb natural Minor scale as the root note, their Roman numeral designation, and qualities are given in the table below.
| Scale Degrees | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord Designation | i | iidim | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
| Chord Names | Ebm | Fdim | Gb | Abm | Bbm | Cb | Db |
| Chord Quality | minor | diminished | Major | minor | minor | Major | Major |
The following triad chords result from the E Flat minor scale.
- Three major chords – III, VI, and VII – Gb major, Cb major, and Db major.
- Three minor chords – i, iv, and v – Ebm, Abm, and Bbm.
- One diminished chord – ii°, Fdim.
The seven triads, their note names, and their intervals are shown in the table below.
| Scale Degrees | Intervals | Chord Notes | Chord Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R – Eb – m3 – Gb – M3 – Bb | Eb – Gb – Bb | Ebm |
| 2 | R – F – m3 – Ab – m3 – Cb | F – Ab – Cb | Fdim |
| 3 | R – Gb – M3 – Bb – m3 – Db | Gb – Bb – Db | Gb |
| 4 | R – Ab – m3 – Cb – M3 – Eb | Ab – Cb – Eb | Abm |
| 5 | R – Bb – m3 – Db – M3 – F | Bb – Db – F | Bbm |
| 6 | R – Cb – M3 – Eb – m3 – Gb | Cb – Eb – Gb | Cb |
| 7 | R – Db – M3 – F – m3 – Ab | Db – F – Ab | Db |
Relative & Parallel Minor Of E Flat Minor
The relative major key of the E Flat natural minor scale is the G Flat Major scale. Alternatively, E Flat minor is the relative minor of the G Flat major scale. All the relative major and minor scales carry the same notes and key signature.
G Flat Major Scale: Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F.
The parallel scales have the same starting note. The parallel scale of the E Flat natural minor scale is the E Flat major scale with the notes,
Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, and D. It has three flats.
Its enharmonically equivalent mode is D Sharp Minor with notes D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B, and C#. Its key signature has six sharps.
Songs In The Key Of E Flat Minor
Some of the popular songs in the key of E Flat Minor Scale are:
- “River Lea” by Adele.
- “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder.
- “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac.
- “The Final Countdown” by Europe.
- “November Rain” by Guns N Roses.
- “Take a Look Around.” by Limp Bizkit.
- “Die Young” by Black Sabbath.
The Modes of the E Flat Minor Scale
The 7 diatonic modes of the E Flat Natural Minor Scale are:
- E Flat – Aeolian Mode.
- F – Locrian Mode.
- G Flat – Ionian Mode.
- A Flat – Dorian Mode.
- B Flat – Phrygian Mode.
- C Flat – Lydian Mode.
- D Flat – Mixolydian Mode.
Conclusion
I hope you have received the desired information on the E Flat Natural Minor Scale and are now in the position to start practicing it. We urge you to put in a practice routine to master it. If you have any comments or need any additional clarifications, write to us in the section below.
