The E Major Scale
The notes of E major are E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# — formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Key signature: four sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#). Its relative minor is C# minor, which uses the same notes from a different home. Below: the full neck, the chords in the key, and the pentatonic that lives inside it.
E major on the fretboard
Practice E major position by position — interactive fretboard →
Chords in the key of E major
Harmonising the scale gives the seven chords songs in E major are built from:
| Degree | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | E | F#m | G#m | A | B | C#m | D#dim |
The workhorses are I, IV and V (E, A, B) plus the vi (C#m) — the four chords of several thousand songs.
The E major pentatonic shortcut
For soloing in E major, most players reach first for the major pentatonic — the same scale minus the two most clash-prone notes. E major pentatonic: E, F#, G#, B, C#.
Jam in E major
Scales stick when you use them over music. Browse the E major backing tracks, or open JamLab — its key stepper transposes any major-mode track into E major without changing tempo.