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Fig. 1 · Bb major blues · first 12 frets

guitar scale

B♭ major blues

B♭1C2D♭♭3D3F5G6

Major pentatonic with a flattened third added next to the third — the two live side by side rather than replacing each other.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♯ major blues.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Bb major 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

B♭WCHD♭HDW+HFWGW+HB♭

What is true of it

B♭ major blues is B♭, C, D♭, D, F and G, and back to B♭.

Its steps are W – H – H – W+H – W – W+H, 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

GmminorGdimdiminishedGm7minor seventhGm7♭5half-diminished seventhB♭majorB♭mminor

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

Other scales on B♭

B♭ major pentatonicpentatonicB♭ minor pentatonicpentatonicB♭ bluespentatonicB♭ majormajorB♭ natural minorminorB♭ harmonic minorminor

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