E Major Banjo Scale, Chords & Progressions

The E Major scale on banjo: scale shapes, chords and progressions, with tab you can play along to in the interactive lesson.

Notes: E F# G# A B C# D#

Tuning: Standard (G D G B D)

Basic Chords

Scale shapes

4NPS - First Position

D|--6---7---9--11--13--14--16-|
B|--2---4---6---7-------------|
G|--4---6---8---9-------------|
D|--7---9--10--12-------------|
G|-11--13--14--16-------------|

4NPS - Second Position

D|--6---7---9--11--13--14--16--18-|
B|--4---6---7---9-----------------|
G|--6---8---9--11-----------------|
D|--9--10--12--14-----------------|
G|-13--14--16--18-----------------|

4NPS - Third Position

D|--6---7---9--11--13--14--16--18--19-|
B|--6---7---9--11---------------------|
G|--8---9--11--13---------------------|
D|-10--12--14--16---------------------|
G|-14--16--18--19---------------------|

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	E	E G# B	`9 9 9 9 9`
II	F#m	F# A C#	`x x 2 2 x`
II	F#m	F# A C#	`x 4 2 2 4`
II	F#m	F# A C#	`x 4 2 2 x`
II	F#m	F# A C#	`x x 2 2 4`
III	G#m	G# B D#	`6 6 4 4 6`
IV	A	A C# E	`x x 2 2 2`
IV	A	A C# E	`x x x 2 2`
IV	A	A C# E	`x 2 2 2 2`
IV	A	A C# E	`x 2 2 2 x`
V	B	B D# F#	`x x 4 0 4`
V	B	B D# F#	`x x x 0 4`
V	B	B D# F#	`x 1 4 0 4`
V	B	B D# F#	`x 4 4 0 1`
VI	C#m	C# E G#	`11 11 9 9 11`
VII	D#dim	D# F# A	`x 1 2 x x`
VII	D#dim	D# F# A	`x 1 2 4 1`
VII	D#dim	D# F# A	`x 1 2 4 4`
VII	D#dim	D# F# A	`x 1 2 4 x`

Arpeggios

Chords: E – F#m – G#m – A – B – C#m – D#dim

D|--------------------13--16--13----------------------------------|2-----------6---7-------------------2-----------6---7-----------|
B|7-----------10--12--------------12------------------7-----------|2-------5-----------7---5-----------2-------5-----------7---5---|
G|8-------11--------------------------13--11----------8-------11--|2---6-----------------------6---2---2---6-----------------------|
D|9---13--------------------------------------13--9---9---13------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|9---------------------------------------------------9-----------|7-----------------------------------7---------------------------|

D|--------------------9-------------------------------------------|2-----------6---7-------------------2-----------6---7-----------|
B|4-----------7---9-------9---5---------------4-----------7---9---|2-------5-----------7---5-----------2-------5-----------7---5---|
G|4---4---8-----------------------8---4-------4---4---8-----------|2---6-----------------------6---2---2---6-----------------------|
D|6---------------------------------------6---6-------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|6-------------------------------------------6-------------------|7-----------------------------------7---------------------------|

D|1-------4-----------1-------4-----------1-------4-----------1---|--------------------14------------------------------------------|
B|0---4-------4---0---0---4-------4---0---0---4-------4---0---0---|9-----------12--14------14--10--------------9-----------12--14--|
G|11------------------11------------------11------------------11--|9---9---13----------------------13--9-------9---9---13----------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|11--------------------------------------11--11------------------|
G|9-------------------9-------------------9-------------------9---|11------------------------------------------11------------------|

D|--------------------4---7---4-----------------------------------|
B|4-----------2---4---------------4-------------------4-----------|
G|2-------2---------------------------4---2-----------2-------2---|
D|1---4---------------------------------------4---1---1---4-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|

Walks

Chords: E – F#m – G#m – A – B – C#m – D#dim

D|----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------6-------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------10------------------------------|----------------5-------7-----------7-------5-------------------|
G|----------------11------13----------13------11------------------|2-------6-----------------------------------------------6-------|
D|9-------13----------------------------------------------13------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|----------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------6-------------------------------|
B|------------------------5-------7---5---------------------------|----------------5-------7-----------7-------5-------------------|
G|--------4-------8---------------------------8-----------4-------|2-------6-----------------------------------------------6-------|
D|6---------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|----------------4-------6-----------------------4-------6-------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|0-------4-----------------------0-------4-----------------------|------------------------10------12--10--------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|--------9-------13--------------------------13----------9-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|11--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------2-------------------------------|
G|----------------2-------4-----------4-------2-------------------|
D|1-------4-----------------------------------------------4-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|

Seventh Chords

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	Emaj7	E G# B D#	`x x 1 0 1`
I	Emaj7	E G# B D#	`x 1 1 0 1`
I	Emaj7	E G# B D#	`x 1 1 0 x`
I	Emaj7	E G# B D#	`x 2 1 0 1`
II	F#m7	F# A C# E	`x x 2 2 2`
II	F#m7	F# A C# E	`x 2 2 2 2`
II	F#m7	F# A C# E	`x 2 2 2 x`
II	F#m7	F# A C# E	`x 4 2 2 2`
III	G#m7	G# B D# F#	`x x 1 0 4`
III	G#m7	G# B D# F#	`x 1 1 0 4`
III	G#m7	G# B D# F#	`x 1 4 0 4`
III	G#m7	G# B D# F#	`x 4 1 0 1`
IV	Amaj7	A C# E G#	`x 2 1 2 2`
IV	Amaj7	A C# E G#	`x 2 1 2 x`
IV	Amaj7	A C# E G#	`x x 1 2 2`
IV	Amaj7	A C# E G#	`6 2 1 2 2`
V	B7	B D# F# A	`x 1 2 0 1`
V	B7	B D# F# A	`x 1 2 0 x`
V	B7	B D# F# A	`x x 2 0 1`
V	B7	B D# F# A	`x 1 2 0 4`
VI	C#m7	C# E G# B	`x 2 1 0 2`
VI	C#m7	C# E G# B	`x 2 1 0 x`
VI	C#m7	C# E G# B	`x x 1 0 2`
VI	C#m7	C# E G# B	`x 2 4 2 2`
VII	D#m7b5	D# F# A C#	`x 1 2 2 1`
VII	D#m7b5	D# F# A C#	`x 1 2 2 x`
VII	D#m7b5	D# F# A C#	`x x 2 2 1`
VII	D#m7b5	D# F# A C#	`x 1 2 2 4`

Ninth Chords

Chords

Degree	Chord	Notes	Fingering (low to high)
I	Emaj9	E G# B D# F#	`x 1 1 0 4`
I	Emaj9	E G# B D# F#	`x 4 1 0 1`
I	Emaj9	E G# B D# F#	`x 2 1 4 4`
I	Emaj9	E G# B D# F#	`x 4 1 4 2`
II	F#m9	F# A C# E G#	`x 4 1 2 2`
II	F#m9	F# A C# E G#	`x 2 1 2 4`
II	F#m9	F# A C# E G#	`6 4 1 2 2`
II	F#m9	F# A C# E G#	`6 2 1 2 4`
III	G#m7b9	G# B D# F# A	`x 1 2 0 4`
III	G#m7b9	G# B D# F# A	`x 4 2 0 1`
III	G#m7b9	G# B D# F# A	`6 6 2 0 4`
III	G#m7b9	G# B D# F# A	`x 6 2 0 4`
IV	Amaj9	A C# E G# B	`6 2 2 0 2`
IV	Amaj9	A C# E G# B	`6 2 2 0 6`
IV	Amaj9	A C# E G# B	`6 2 6 0 2`
IV	Amaj9	A C# E G# B	`6 2 6 0 6`
V	B9	B D# F# A C#	`x 1 2 2 4`
V	B9	B D# F# A C#	`x 4 2 2 1`
V	B9	B D# F# A C#	`7 4 6 0 4`
V	B9	B D# F# A C#	`7 4 6 0 7`
VI	C#m9	C# E G# B D#	`x 2 1 0 1`
VI	C#m9	C# E G# B D#	`x 1 1 0 2`
VI	C#m9	C# E G# B D#	`x 2 4 2 1`
VI	C#m9	C# E G# B D#	`x 1 4 2 2`
VII	D#m7b5b9	D# F# A C# E	`x 1 2 2 2`
VII	D#m7b5b9	D# F# A C# E	`x 2 2 2 1`
VII	D#m7b5b9	D# F# A C# E	`x 4 2 2 2`
VII	D#m7b5b9	D# F# A C# E	`x 2 2 2 4`

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