This is a comprehensive E minor scale bass lesson! E natural minor is one of the most popular scales used for rock, pop, and metal, which makes it an essential scale to learn.
And it’s easy to learn because all of its notes are natural, except the F# note (the 2nd interval in the scale).
Also, know that its relative major is the G major scale, which means you’ll also know that scale if you memorize the shapes shown in this post.
With that info out of the way, let’s learn how to play the E minor scale!
Table of Contents
E minor scale bass fretboard diagram (showing intervals)
E Natural Minor Scale One Octave Bass Fingering
Notes in the E minor scale
E-F#-G-A-B-C-D are the notes in the E minor scale, for bass guitar and any other instrument.
Chords in the E minor scale
Understanding the chords in the E minor scale is vital for composition, accompaniment, and improvisation.
| i | ii° | III | iv | v | VI | VII |
| E Minor | F# Dim. | G Major | A Minor | B Minor | C Major | D Major |
| E Min.7 | F# Min.7b5 | G Maj.7 | A Min.7 | B Min.7 | C Maj.7 | D7 |
E minor scale bass: All positions
Here are all 7 positions of the E minor scale for bass.
They’re presented as 3 notes-per-string shapes, which gives you a shape for each degree of the scale, making it easy to understand.
And like I mentioned earlier, the notes in the E minor scale are the same in the G major scale, so memorizing these scale shapes will make it easy for you to compose and improve in the key of G major, too!
Position 1
Position 2
Position 3
Position 4
Position 5
Position 6
Position 7
E minor scale bass tab PDF
What’s Next?
The E minor scale is awesome, and now you need to put it to good use!
For starters, try improvising and composing with the scale. You can get started by applying this E minor arpeggio, which uses the root, minor 3rd, and 5th of the E natural minor scale.
From there, try jamming over an E minor backing track for bass.
Continue to practice the scale by targeting important tones like the minor 6th and minor 7th.
You can also learn popular songs in the key of E minor, which will give your ear a good feel for the scale’s sound. Start with For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica.
That’s it! Thanks for reading this post.
Consider joining my free Play Electric Bass Facebook Group if you have any questions about playing bass guitar. I want to turn the group into a better community, so I’d love to have you there!
