E AEOLIAN MODE

‘E Aeolian’ is the 6th mode of the G major scale. The notes in E Aeolian are:

E – F# – G – A – B – C – D

If you have read the post on understanding the aeolian mode, you will know that the aeolian mode contains a ‘flat 3′, a ‘flat 6′ and a ‘flat 7′ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 6th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). The aeolian mode is a very commonly used mode and is also known as the ‘natural minor scale’. Let’s briefly look at how to construct E aeolian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.

Parallel Approach:

E Major has the following notes:

E – F# – G# – A – B – C# – D#

If we ‘lower’ the 3rd note (G#), 6th note (C#) and 7th note (D#), we get the following:

E – F# – G – A – B – C – D

Derivative Approach:

E is the 6th note of the G major scale:

G – A – B – C – D – E – F#

If we play the G major scale and start on the 6th note we get the following:

E – F# – G – A – B – C – D

Let’s look at the E aeolian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

Positions Along the Fretboard:

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

Now let’s look at E aeolian in the 2nd position (lowest fret is 2)

Now let’s look at E aeolian in the 3rd position (lowest fret is 3)

Now let’s look at E aeolian in the 7th position (lowest fret is 7)

Now let’s look at E aeolian in the 8th position (lowest fret is 8)

Finally, let’s look at E aeolian in the 11th position (lowest fret is 11)

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of E aeolian along the guitar fretboard.

For an in depth explanation of the aeolian mode, check out aeolian mode explained.