B flat blues scale

The B flat blues scale has 6 notes: B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, F and A♭. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 and it is built with the steps W+H W H H W+H W.

Notes, formula and steps

The intervals from B♭ are root (B♭), minor 3rd (D♭), perfect 4th (E♭), diminished 5th (F♭), perfect 5th (F) and minor 7th (A♭). Write down the step pattern W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the blues scale, whatever the starting note. This scale has 5 flats: B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭ and A♭.

How to play the B flat blues scale on piano

Start on B♭ and play B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, F and A♭ going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.

How to play the B flat blues scale on guitar

On guitar, the root B♭ sits at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the B flat blues scale appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.

Chords in the B flat blues scale

With only 6 notes, this scale does not produce a chord on every degree. It fits naturally over B♭m, B♭sus4, B♭dim, B♭m7 and B♭m7♭5, which is why it is so popular for improvising.

Relative and parallel scales

The B flat blues scale is a close variant of the B flat minor pentatonic scale: same root and most of the same notes, with one or two altered degrees that give it its own colour. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the B flat major scale. Moving between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.

About the blues scale

The minor pentatonic plus one chromatic note, the ♭5, often called the blue note. That passing tritone gives the scale its gritty, bent, deliberately 'wrong' sound. Played in passing, the ♭5 adds instant attitude; held too long over the chord, it sounds like a mistake, and learning where to place it is the whole art of the blues scale.

Blues, rock, jazz, funk and soul: over a 12-bar blues (I7 IV7 V7), over minor vamps and over dominant 7 chords in general. Use the ♭5 as a passing note between the 4th and the 5th, in either direction, or bend the 4th up towards it. Resolve phrases on the root, the ♭3 or the ♭7.

On guitar, take minor pentatonic box 1 and add the ♭5 one fret above the 4th on the 5th string and on the 3rd string. Practise the chromatic run 4, ♭5, 5 up and down, then build licks around it. On piano, play right-hand phrases over a shuffle left hand that rocks between root-fifth and root-sixth, at a slow tempo first.

Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7: six notes, the minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 (also spelt ♯4). The blues scale shown here is the common minor version; a 'major blues' (1 2 ♭3 3 5 6) also exists. Over a major-key blues, the scale's ♭3 and ♭7 clash with the chords on purpose: that friction is the blues sound.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the B flat blues scale?

The B flat blues scale has 6 notes: B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭, F and A♭. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

How many sharps or flats are in the B flat blues scale?

It has 5 flats: B♭, D♭, E♭, F♭ and A♭.

Which chords are in the B flat blues scale?

It fits over B♭m, B♭sus4, B♭dim, B♭m7 and B♭m7♭5. As a 6-note scale it does not build a chord on every degree.

What is the relative of the B flat blues scale?

It is a variant of the B flat minor pentatonic scale, with one or two altered notes. Its parallel scale is the B flat major scale.

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