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Scale · 6 notes

E♯ Blues Scale

E♯ Blues is a 6-note scale with the notes E♯ G♯ A♯ B B♯ D♯. It sounds the minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 "blue note", gritty and expressive.

B♯E♯BD♯G♯A♯

Purple = E♯ (the tonic) · green = other scale notes

On the fretboard

Every E♯ blues note on the neck. Pick a pattern to see the compact fingering shape that fits under one hand.

EADGBe135791215E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯E♯G♯A♯BB♯D♯E♯

Blue = E♯ (the root) · green = other scale notes

Notes in the E♯ Blues scale

DegreeNote
1E♯
♭3G♯
4A♯
♭5B
5B♯
♭7D♯

Each note uses a different letter name (apart from the blue note, which shares a letter with the fifth), so the spelling follows the scale rather than the keyboard: E♯ G♯ A♯ B B♯ D♯.

E♯ Blues scale formula

The pattern of steps from one note to the next is W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step of three semitones). Compared with the major scale the degrees are 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

Related scales

How to practise the E♯ Blues scale

Play it over a 12-bar blues in the same key. Lean on the flat fifth (the blue note) as a passing tone rather than a landing note.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes in the E♯ Blues scale?

The notes of the E♯ Blues scale are E♯ G♯ A♯ B B♯ D♯.

What is the formula for the E♯ Blues scale?

The pattern of whole and half steps is W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W (W = whole step, H = half step). In scale degrees: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

More E♯ scales

E♯ Phrygian, E♯ Locrian, E♯ Minor Pentatonic, E♯ Altered

Explore the full scales library, find a scale from notes with the scale finder, or see every chord in every key in the chord chart.