B Blues Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The B blues scale has 6 notes: B – D – E – F – F♯ – A. The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus one note, the ♭5 or “blue note”. That note is a passing tone: slide or bend through it and the line sounds instantly bluesy. It works over all three chords of a 12-bar blues.

Compared with the B major scale it has ♭3 (D instead of D♯), ♭5 (F instead of F♯), ♭7 (A instead of A♯).

The explorer above is set to B blues: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 6 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

B blues scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from B	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	B	R	0	S
♭3	D	m3	3	g
4	E	P4	5	M
♭5	F	d5	6	M'
5	F♯	P5	7	P
♭7	A	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: W+H W H H W+H W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any B and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

B blues scale positions on the guitar

B blues splits into 6 hand positions, each within five frets. Position 1 starts on B on the low E string at fret 7; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 7–10	7 10	7 10	7 9 10	7 9	7 8 9	7 10
Position 2 frets 10–14	10 12 13 14	10 12	10 11	12 14	12 14	10 12 13 14
Position 3 frets 12–16	12 13 14	12 15	14	12 14 15 16	12 14	12 13 14
Position 4 frets 13–17	13 14 17	15 17	14 16	14 15 16	14 17	13 14 17
Position 5 frets 14–18	14 17	15 17 18	14 16	14 15 16	14 17	14 17
Position 6 frets 17–21	17 19	17 18 19	19	19 21	17 19 20 21	17 19

What B blues fits over

With 6 notes it is not used to build a whole key of chords; instead it sits over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords. With B as the root: B7, Bm7, B5.

Where you hear it

B blues is used in blues, rock, jazz and funk. It sounds best over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords.

Backing tracks to practise B blues

B minor blues B minor rock B minor funk Bm metal Bm Bollywood

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 7–10) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every B (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on B.