B blues scale
B blues scale is B – D – E – F – F♯ – A, with F♯. Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
B blues scale, note by note
Counted in steps it goes W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between E–F and F–F♯. The wide steps are B–D and F♯–A.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | root | |
| ♭3 | D | minor third | |
| 4 | E | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | F | tritone | |
| 5 | F♯ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | A | minor seventh |
What B blues sounds like
Add F to B minor pentatonic and you get the B blues scale. Bend into it, slide through it, and resolve to the note either side of it.
F is the blue note. Slide E – F – F♯ and back, and you've played the most recognizable phrase in the blues.
B blues scale is B minor pentatonic scale plus F. Hear B minor pentatonic scale and compare.
Playing B blues
Keyboard players: one black (F♯), five white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 7th fret of the low E string and spans frets 5–11: 15 notes, low string to high.
What to play it over
Chords built only from these notes: Bm, Bm7, Bsus4, D, Dm, Dsus2, Esus2, Asus2, Esus4, Asus4, D6, Dm6.
B blues scale across the fretboard
Anchor points for B: low E string fret 7, A string fret 2 and 14. Treat the ♭5 as a passing note; slide through it rather than landing on it.
On the piano, B blues scale uses 1 black key (F♯) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: B–E, D–F, E–F♯, F–A, F♯–B, A–D.
Drills for B blues
Once B blues is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 6 notes.
- Up in threes: B D E · D E F · E F F♯ · F F♯ A · F♯ A B.
- Lean on F: B F B F B: the ♭5, the blue note, squeezed between the 4th and 5th.
Close relatives of B blues scale
Blues scale in every key
B blues scale: questions
What are the notes of the B blues scale?
B, D, E, F, F♯ and A, then B again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the B blues scale?
One: F♯.
What's the difference between B blues scale and B minor pentatonic scale?
It adds F.
What chords go with the B blues scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example Bm, Bm7, Bsus4, D, Dm and Dsus2. In a 12-bar blues in B it also works over the IV and V seventh chords, where the clashing notes are part of the sound.
Generated from the step pattern 3-2-1-1-3-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.