E Minor Pentatonic Guitar Scale — DADGAD
Guitar scale in DADGAD tuning — fretboard diagram
E Minor Pentatonic in DADGAD — Notes and Intervals
The E Minor Pentatonic scale is the most influential scale in the history of rock and guitar music. On Guitar, its notes are E, G, A, B, D. It offers a gritty, powerful, and bluesy sound that is highly versatile, serving as the primary tool for improvising solos in rock, blues, and metal and providing a safe but expressive framework for beginners and pros alike. Commonly used in Blues, Rock, Metal, R&B, Funk. Notable players include Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, B.B. King, Slash, Angus Young. Use over minor chords, dominant 7th chords (in blues), and power chords. The backbone of rock and blues guitar for 70+ years.
Notes: E, G, A, B, D
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 b5
Formula: WH-W-W-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: DADGAD (D-A-D-G-A-D)
Also known as: vietnamese 2
About DADGAD Tuning
DADGAD tuning creates an open Dsus4 chord when strummed open, producing a hauntingly beautiful, droning sound that has become synonymous with Celtic folk music and modern acoustic songwriting. The tuning's natural resonance and overtones make even simple fingerpicking patterns sound rich and complex.
Popularized by Davey Graham in the 1960s and later championed by Pierre Bensusan and Jimmy Page, DADGAD has become one of the most beloved alternate tunings for acoustic guitarists. Its suspended quality — neither clearly major nor minor — creates an ethereal, meditative atmosphere that invites exploration. The tuning excels at creating drone-based arrangements where open strings ring against fretted notes.
Notable artists: Pierre Bensusan, Jimmy Page, Andy McKee, Davey Graham, Laurence Juber
Best for: Celtic folk, acoustic songwriting, drone-based fingerpicking, and meditative compositions
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- E Minor Pentatonic in Standard Tuning
- E Minor Pentatonic in Drop D
- E Minor Pentatonic in Open G
- E Minor Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard)
- E Minor Pentatonic in 7-string
- E Minor Pentatonic in 8-string
- E Minor Pentatonic in Drop C
- E Minor Pentatonic in Drop B
- E Minor Pentatonic in Open D
- E Minor Pentatonic in Half Step Down
- E Minor Pentatonic in Open E
- E Minor Pentatonic in Open A
- E Minor Pentatonic in Double Drop D
- E Minor Pentatonic in Open C