EADGBE123456789101112b55b71b34b51b34b55b74b55b71b3b71b34b55b34b55b71b55b71b34b5
Fig. 1 · A# blues · first 12 frets

guitar scale

A♯ blues

A♯1C♯♭3D♯4E♭5E♯5G♯♭7

Minor pentatonic with one note squeezed in between the fourth and the fifth. It is written as a flattened fifth, so the fifth letter carries both of them and the fourth keeps its own.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are B♭ blues.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · A# blues, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

A♯W+HC♯WD♯HEHE♯W+HG♯WA♯

What is true of it

A♯ blues is A♯, C♯, D♯, E, E♯ and G♯, and back to A♯.

Its steps are W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 38 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

C♯majorC♯mminorA♯mminorA♯dimdiminishedA♯m7minor seventhA♯m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 6 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on A♯

A♯ major pentatonicpentatonicA♯ minor pentatonicpentatonicA♯ major bluespentatonicA♯ majormajorA♯ natural minorminorA♯ harmonic minorminor

C bluesC♯ bluesD♭ bluesD bluesD♯ bluesE♭ bluesE bluesF bluesall 374