Also written Blues
A♭ blues minor uses A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭♭, E♭, and G♭. Box 3 places the root on string 5, fret 11 for a high-position run.
A♭ blues minor is A♭ minor pentatonic plus a ♭5. The ♭5 is E♭♭, placed between D♭ and E♭. The interval pattern is 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7. See the A♭ minor pentatonic for the base scale.
A♭ blues minor fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. Use it in an A♭ blues or a jazz-blues fusion. The ♭5 adds a sophisticated tension to the minor pentatonic. Pair it with A♭ minor or A♭ 5th.
Start with Box 1. The root is on string 6, fret 4, and the shape spans frets 2–5.
A♭ blues minor in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 12 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 4, 5 | C♭, D♭, E♭♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4 | G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4 | C♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 3, 4 | D♭, E♭♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
A♭ blues minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 14 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to C♭ on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the low E string at fret 4, the D string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7 | A♭, C♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5, 6 | D♭, E♭♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6, 7 | C♭, D♭, E♭♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7 | A♭, C♭ |
A♭ blues minor in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 12 notes across 6 strings, from C♭ on the low E string at fret 7 up to E♭♭ on the high e string at fret 10. The root falls on the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 9, 10 | C♭, D♭, E♭♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9 | G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9 | C♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8 | E♭♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 9, 10 | C♭, D♭, E♭♭ |
A♭ blues minor in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 14 notes across 6 strings, from D♭ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 10, 11 | D♭, E♭♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11 | G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11, 12 | C♭, D♭, E♭♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11 | G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 12 | A♭, C♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 10, 11 | D♭, E♭♭, E♭ |
A♭ blues minor in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 13 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the A string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 14 | A♭, C♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 12, 13 | D♭, E♭♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 14 | C♭, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14 | E♭, G♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
A♭ blues minor contains A♭, C♭, D♭, E♭♭, E♭, and G♭. E♭♭ is the blue note. The scale has six notes. It is also spelled G♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
A♭ blues minor fits A♭ minor and A♭ 5th chords. It also works over D♭ 5th in a blues progression. Use it in A♭ blues.
The blue note in A♭ blues minor is E♭♭. E♭♭ is the ♭5 degree, between D♭ and E♭. It adds the bluesy tension.