Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
B♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar
The B♭ major pentatonic scale (B flat major pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: B♭, C, D, F and G. The sweet, singable five-note scale behind country licks, Southern rock and pop hooks. You may also see it written as A♯ major pentatonic, but B♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- B♭
- C
- D
- F
- G
Formula
1 2 3 5 6
Steps
W – W – W+H – W – W+H
Sound
Sweet, open and happy
B♭ major pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every B♭ major pentatonic note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, B♭, 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
B♭ at fret 6. 6th position: frets 6–9.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of B♭ major pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B♭, the B♭ major pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 1 flat (B♭).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | C | major 2nd | 2 |
| 3 | D | major 3rd | 4 |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | G | major 6th | 9 |
Chords that go with B♭ major pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, B♭ major. Every note of B♭ major pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- IB♭B♭ · D · F
- iiCmC · E♭ · G
- iiiDmD · F · A
- IVE♭E♭ · G · B♭
- VFF · A · C
- viGmG · B♭ · D
- vii°A°A · C · E♭
Progressions to try
- B♭ – E♭ – F I–IV–V · country, rock
- B♭ – F – Gm – E♭ I–V–vi–IV · pop
- B♭ – Gm – E♭ – F I–vi–IV–V
How to use B♭ major pentatonic
Reach for it over major-key songs, country, Southern rock and pop, and over major chords and major blues. Its sound is sweet, open and happy.
Tip: The major pentatonic uses the same shapes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower. G major pentatonic is E minor pentatonic with G as home.
- B♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as G minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See G minor pentatonic.
Where to find B♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every B♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with B♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 6 |
| B (2nd) | 11 |
| G (3rd) | 3 |
| D (4th) | 8 |
| A (5th) | 1 |
| Low E (6th) | 6 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as B♭ major pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B♭ major pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ major pentatonic scale?
The B♭ major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: B♭, C, D, F and G. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6. It contains 1 flat (B♭).
What chords go with the B♭ major pentatonic scale?
The B♭ major pentatonic scale is drawn from B♭ major, whose chords are B♭, Cm, Dm, E♭, F, Gm and A°.
Where do you play the B♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, B♭, is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 6–9, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as B♭ major pentatonic?
B♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as G minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.