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B♭ blues scale

The B♭ blues scale has 6 notes: B♭ – D♭ – E♭ – E – F – A♭. It sounds like a minor pentatonic with the “blue note” that gives it its gritty color. It adds the diminished fifth to the minor pentatonic; it's used for blues, rock, jazz and funk solos.

  • NotesB♭ – D♭ – E♭ – E – F – A♭
  • FormulaT½ – T – S – S – T½ – T
  • Notes per octave6 notes
  • ParallelB♭ major

B♭ blues scale on piano

EFB♭D♭E♭A♭B♭

B♭ blues scale on guitar

123456789101112EEFA♭B♭D♭E♭EAB♭D♭E♭EFA♭DE♭EFA♭B♭D♭GA♭B♭D♭E♭EFBD♭E♭EFA♭B♭EEFA♭B♭D♭E♭E

All the notes of the scale from fret 0 to 12, with the tonic (B♭) highlighted in color. Strings run from the 1st (top) to the 6th (bottom), as in tablature.

Degrees and intervals

DegreeNoteInterval from the tonic
1B♭root
♭3D♭minor third
4E♭perfect fourth
♭5Ediminished fifth
5Fperfect fifth
♭7A♭minor seventh

From one note to the next, the scale moves like this: T½ – T – S – S – T½ – T (T = whole step, S = half step, T½ = step and a half). That pattern is the same in every key: once you learn it, you can build the blues scale from any note.

How to practice this scale

  • Play it slowly with a metronome, one note per beat, and only speed up once it sounds even.
  • Sing the note names while you play it: that way you train your ear and your memory at the same time.
  • On guitar, learn it in “boxes”: five positions that repeat along the neck. Start with the one that has the tonic on the 6th string.
  • Improvise over a backing track or a single chord: with these notes almost nothing sounds “wrong”, so it's ideal for losing your fear.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the B♭ blues scale?

The B♭ blues scale has 6 notes: B♭ – D♭ – E♭ – E – F – A♭. Its formula is T½ – T – S – S – T½ – T (T = whole step, S = half step, T½ = one and a half steps).

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