G♯ / A♭ 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 G♯ blues scale has 6 notes: G♯ – B – C♯ – D – D♯ – F♯. 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.

G♯ and A♭ are the same pitch, so this page covers both names; the notes are spelled from G♯, the way the key is usually written. Compared with the G♯ major scale it has ♭3 (B instead of B♯), ♭5 (D instead of D♯), ♭7 (F♯ instead of F𝄪).

The explorer above is set to G♯ 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.

G♯ blues scale notes

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

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

G♯ blues scale positions on the guitar

G♯ blues splits into 6 hand positions, each within five frets. Position 1 starts on G♯ on the low E string at fret 4; 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 4–7	4 7	4 7	4 6 7	4 6	4 5 6	4 7
Position 2 frets 7–11	7 9 10 11	7 9	7 8	9 11	9 11	7 9 10 11
Position 3 frets 9–13	9 10 11	9 12	11	9 11 12 13	9 11	9 10 11
Position 4 frets 10–14	10 11 14	12 14	11 13	11 12 13	11 14	10 11 14
Position 5 frets 11–15	11 14	12 14 15	11 13	11 12 13	11 14	11 14
Position 6 frets 14–18	14 16	14 15 16	16	16 18	14 16 17 18	14 16

What G♯ 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 G♯ as the root: G♯7, G♯m7, G♯5.

Where you hear it

G♯ 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 G♯ blues

G♯ minor blues G♯ minor rock G♯ minor funk

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 4–7) 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 G♯ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on G♯.