Blues scale · 6 notes
F♯ blues scale on guitar
The F♯ blues scale (F sharp blues scale) has 6 notes: F♯, A, B, C, C♯ and E. The minor pentatonic plus one “blue note”, the ♭5: six notes of pure blues. You may also see it written as G♭ blues, but F♯ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- F♯
- A
- B
- C
- C♯
- E
Formula
1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W
Sound
Gritty, crying and unmistakably bluesy
F♯ blues on the whole fretboard
Every F♯ blues note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, F♯, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
F♯ at fret 2. 2nd position: frets 2–5.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of F♯ blues as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from F♯, the F♯ blues scale is built from these intervals. It contains 2 sharps (F♯ and C♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | A | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | B | perfect 4th | 5 |
| ♭5 | C | diminished 5th | 6 |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | E | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with F♯ blues
A 6-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, F♯ minor. Every note of F♯ blues is in these chords’ key.
- iF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
- ii°G♯°G♯ · B · D
- ♭IIIAA · C♯ · E
- ivBmB · D · F♯
- vC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
- ♭VIDD · F♯ · A
- ♭VIIEE · G♯ · B
Progressions to try
- F♯m – Bm – C♯m i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- F♯m – D – C♯m i–♭VI–v
How to use F♯ blues
Reach for it over 12-bar blues, blues-rock, and over dominant 7th chords and minor chords. Its sound is gritty, crying and unmistakably bluesy.
Tip: Treat the ♭5 as a passing note: slide or hammer through it on the way between the 4th and 5th rather than landing on it.
- The F♯ blues scale is F♯ minor pentatonic plus the “blue note” C. See F♯ minor pentatonic.
Where to find F♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every F♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with F♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 2 |
| B (2nd) | 7 |
| G (3rd) | 11 |
| D (4th) | 4 |
| A (5th) | 9 |
| Low E (6th) | 2 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as F♯ blues. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
F♯ blues scale FAQ
What notes are in the F♯ blues scale?
The F♯ blues scale has 6 notes: F♯, A, B, C, C♯ and E. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. It contains 2 sharps (F♯ and C♯).
What chords go with the F♯ blues scale?
The F♯ blues scale is drawn from F♯ minor, whose chords are F♯m, G♯°, A, Bm, C♯m, D and E. It also works over a F♯ blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the F♯ blues scale on guitar?
The root, F♯, is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 2–5, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as F♯ blues?
The F♯ blues scale is F♯ minor pentatonic plus the “blue note” C.