G blues scale
G blues scale is G – B♭ – C – D♭ – D – F, with B♭ and D♭. Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
G 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 C–D♭ and D♭–D. The wide steps are G–B♭ and D–F.
| Degree | Note | Interval from G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | root | |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | C | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | D♭ | tritone | |
| 5 | D | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | F | minor seventh |
How the blues scale sounds
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the ♭5 (D♭). That note is meant to be passed through, not landed on: it's the gritty in-between sound of the blues.
Over a G7 chord the ♭3 (B♭) clashes with the chord's major third on purpose; bending it slightly sharp is the blues.
G blues scale is G minor pentatonic scale plus D♭. Hear G minor pentatonic scale and compare.
Where your hands go
On the piano it uses two black keys (B♭ and D♭) and four white.
On guitar the root sits at the 3rd fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 1–7 and holds 15 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
What to play it over
It fits over Gm, Gm7, Gsus4, B♭, B♭m, B♭sus2, Csus2, Fsus2, Csus4, Fsus4, B♭6, B♭m6.
Moving it around the guitar
The root, G, sits at frets 3 and 15 on the low E string and 10 on the A string. Treat the ♭5 as a passing note; slide through it rather than landing on it.
On the piano, G blues scale uses 2 black keys (B♭ and D♭) and 4 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's G–C, B♭–D♭, C–D, D♭–F, D–G, F–B♭.
Drills for G blues
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: G B♭ C · B♭ C D♭ · C D♭ D · D♭ D F · D F G.
- Lean on D♭: G D♭ G D♭ G: the ♭5, the blue note, squeezed between the 4th and 5th.
Close relatives of G blues scale
Blues scale in every key
G blues scale: questions
What are the notes of the G blues scale?
G, B♭, C, D♭, D and F, then G again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the G blues scale?
Two: B♭ and D♭.
What's the difference between G blues scale and G minor pentatonic scale?
It adds D♭.
What chords go with the G blues scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example Gm, Gm7, Gsus4, B♭, B♭m and B♭sus2. In a 12-bar blues in G it also works over the IV and V seventh chords, where the clashing notes are part of the sound.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.